Blog

When traveling with children, it is important to arrive at the airport early because getting to your plane will take longer than it would if you were traveling without children.  For families traveling with lap children under age two, make sure to go to the check-in desk upon arrival to inquire whether the flight is full.  There is no fee to make this request, but also no guarantee that the seat will stay open.  Nonetheless, many times, we were moved to a row where we could take advantage of an empty seat, and gate attendants often blocked a seat in the system or even assigned it to us so no one would take it when there were sufficient extra seats on a flight.  After I knew what to expect, flying with kids was so much easier.

Car Seats for Kids

There are few instances where it makes sense to bring a car seat on board. You have to weigh the difficulty of getting the car seat to the gate against the potential benefit of having the car seat onboard.  If you are guaranteed or likely to receive a vacant seat for your infant, and their infant seat locks into your stroller, it might be worthwhile.  The car seat will have to be installed at window seat because there is no access around it.  Many children sleep better in a car seat than in their parents’ lap.  We have done this a few times because it always “seems like” a good idea, but basically, my babies usually prefer sitting with Mom or Dad, and it is a struggle to get the seat to the plane and then also to figure out a way to fit the seat into the overhead compartment to take advantage of the empty seat.

A car seat might be useful for a child under two and a half who is in a paid seat. If you have purchased a seat for your infant or toddler, you are likely going to want to take advantage of it, but a child under two and a half may have trouble sitting in their own seat with a belt during takeoff and landing.  We have not traveled with a child between ages two and two and a half, but flight attendants have double and triple checked on my petite children when flying in a required paid seat under aged three.

Strollers for Kids

We rarely check strollers during the check-in process because we find the stroller extremely useful in getting to the gate. It can be a long walk, and a stroller can also serve as a partial luggage cart to store a few backpacks and jackets underneath. I often tuck my baby carrier in a convenient spot and pull it out if our baby gets fussy or we determine it is more effective to use the stroller as a full-fledged luggage cart after relinquishing ours before security.

TSA PreCheck for Kids

We do not have TSA PreCheck but understand it is a great perk.  Going through security with kids can be a bit of adventure. Luckily, most airports shepherd us to the family/express line.  In addition to the usual TSA rules, strollers need to be collapsed and run through the x-ray machine.  It’s helpful to put your shoes in the first bin, and take the baby out of the stroller only after you have placed all other items on the belt and taken your shoes off, if necessary.  If you have a non-walker with you, an adult can carry the child through the metal detector, but the child generally has to be removed from a carrier or sling.  Walking toddlers are encouraged to walk through on their own, but I have been told many times that it is also fine to carry one of mine through.

My husband and I often have a brief strategy session where we identify who is responsible for which items and even assign specific items to our boys to collect. After your items come through the x-ray, open the stroller and put your baby in first before gathering the rest of your items.

Play Areas for Kids

Play areas are becoming more popular in airports. Our favorite was in Doha, Qatar, which had a massive indoor playground and also smaller satellite playgrounds on different concourses.  My 20-month old daughter who had learned to walk at the end of the previous summer was finally steady enough to climb up a slide on her own.  So, she had her first independent playground/slide experience in Doha’s airport.

Pittsburgh International Airport also has a play area sponsored by the city’s amazing Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh. Our kids had a blast in this interactive area.  I chuckled when I noticed that it was clear that a parent had actually not designed the space that had several full and half walls obscuring the view from the stadium seating created for parents.

Boston’s Logan International Airport also has Kidport play area that is wonderful for kids and rocking chairs overlooking the planes.

If you are traveling with a stroller, make sure to check in with the gate attendant and get a tag for gate-checking. Unless directed otherwise, you bring your stroller down the jet way and leave it as you enter the plane.  You may need to wait on the jet way after deplaning for the stroller to arrive.

In the Airplane With Kids

We found that traveling with babies was easier than toddlers.  Our babies really liked to be held and cuddle and could get comfortable in our laps.  When traveling with a baby, make sure to nurse or feed the baby a bottle during take off and landing to help prevent ear pressure.

When flying during a time where it is optimal that your kids to sleep, do everything possible to make sure that they do sleep during the flight. This may require adjusting their bedtimes in the days before you travel.  Once the plane is cruising, you can raise the arm rests and have your child use your legs as a pillow and rub their backs until they fall asleep.  They generally should be able to remain belted while they rest.  We were really lucky when traveling from Boston to Doha because the plane had so many empty seats that my husband and two boys were each able to take a row of three seats for themselves and stretch out overnight while my toddler daughter and I shared the fourth row.

If sleeping is not an option, I let each of my kids pick a few books and small activities to bring with them. I was really concerned about the 30 hours of transit time between Cleveland and Bangalore, but the in-flight entertainment on Qatar Airlines was so amazing that I generally found that I had over packed “activities” for the flight.  One book, a few Suduko puzzles, a small journal and a deck of cards is usually plenty, especially if you have in-flight entertainment or some shows downloaded on an iPad and necessary earphones.  Other family favorite travel games include picking a category (e.g. food or location) and going through the alphabet in order taking turns naming an item in the category that starts with your letter, e.g. Apple, Banana, Cucumber….

If you are prepared for your airplane trip with kids, the experience will be smoother for everyone.

Traveling with kids?  Check out our other Travel Tips, including Preparing to Fly.

Most of our trips require airplane travel, which requires research and preparation.  Here are five ways to prepare for a flight with kids:

#1:  Booking Flights

Booking flights is the first step in travel planning. Because we now need five air tickets, flight cost is a huge consideration for any vacation.  My husband and I are not loyal to a certain airline, so we have not accumulated useful points on any one airline to use for vacations.  We also have not mastered credit card points like Nancy.  Instead, we look for direct flights that fit our schedule at the lowest possible cost. We have been able to take advantage of some great fares because of our research and willingness to drive from Cleveland to airports in Akron, Pittsburgh and even Toronto airports.

We are constantly monitoring flight costs to various destinations we would like to visit. While we are often tediously thorough when making purchases of household items (like the time we looked at dining room chairs at more than 20 different stores before we made a purchase), we are able to react quickly, make a decision and book a flight when we find a deal.  Several times, we have booked a flight within tw`o hours of finding it – even if we were not focused on a particular destination, and we regularly mull for less than a few days after we have identified a specific flight.

There are a wide variety of travel websites, but I favor Google Flights, because it is easy to search the lowest return fares in a calendar view. Also, fares for budget airlines like Spirit Airlines and Frontier Airlines are included, but it is necessary to search Southwest Airlines separately.   We also monitor Travelzoo and once set aside Martin Luther King weekend for a potential trip and then took advantage of a weekend fare sale announced the previous Tuesday to fly to New York City.

Families flying with a child under age two likely do not have to purchase a separate seat for their infant or toddler, but may need to pay taxes or fees.  Some airlines make it challenging to add a lap child during online booking, and we have had to call the airline directly to have a lap child added to our itinerary.  Some families try to pick a time of day that fits best into their children’s nap schedule. Our kids have never had strict sleeping schedules, and that gives us more timing flexibility.  We try to find direct flights that depart from Cleveland early in the morning and return late at night to optimize our time at our destination and avoiding additional hotel costs needed for an evening arrival or morning flight home.

We always try to select window and aisle seats. When we needed only four seats, we aimed for two windows and two aisles in the same row.  If the middle seats remain empty, we had the opportunity to spread out.  Extra fees for seat selection are relatively common.  While we never pay this extra fee, we always make sure to check-in online exactly 24 hours before departure.  Websites like Airline Checkins and apps like Airline Flight Check-In World will check passengers in to their flights as soon check-in is available, but I have never personally tried these services.

#2:  Check Baggage Policies

Before booking a flight, it is really important to review the airline’s baggage policy. It used to be standard for airlines to permit all passengers to carry on one small suitcase and a personal item and often check one suitcase as well with no fee.  However, a fee for checked luggage is now almost standard, and it is becoming more common for budget airlines to charge for carry on items larger than a backpack.  Domestic airlines continue to allow families to check in or gate check strollers and car seats, but WOW air permits only a free stroller or car seat for children under seven.

We recently booked a flight to New Orleans for $83 round trip, and the least expensive baggage charge was an additional $42 if the bag was added during booking. That is more than 50% of cost of the seat.  It is important to consider baggage fees when comparing fares and also often necessary to add desired luggage at the time of booking to avoid additional fees.  Cheapflights has a great summary of airline’s baggage allowances and policies regarding children for a quick comparison.

#3:  Packing

It’s helpful to use a packing list (like our ultimate packing list) when preparing for any vacation.  For families traveling with a baby who is either nursing or likely to lie on a parent’s lap during the flight, an inflatable travel nursing pillow is very helpful.  It fits easily in carry-on luggage and is easy to inflate after boarding.  Our babies (and our arms) were so much more comfortable when we brought this with us.

Before you leave for the airport, re-check your airline’s baggage size and weight guidelines and make sure your bags are not too big or too heavy. Although most airlines do allow some wiggle room, it is always safest to know that your luggage will not create an issue.  Make sure that any liquids in a carry on are packed in containers of 3.4 ounces or less and that all liquids fit into one quart-sized re-sealable plastic bag per person.

Infant and child “nourishments” are exempt from TSA’s normal liquid rules, but make sure to review TSA’s guidelines on traveling with children for rules about formula, breast milk, juice and baby food. Basically, reasonable quantities of formula, breast milk (even for mothers traveling without their babies), juice and baby food typically is permitted through security, but it may be subject to extra security tests.  I was asked once in London almost 10 years ago to “taste” the milk from my son’s bottle, but that is no longer common practice.

#4:  Identification

On domestic flights, identification is generally not required for children but is especially important for lap children and older teens who may appear to be over 18. It’s best to have a birth certificate or immunization record to prove the age of any lap children traveling without a passport.  Even though I don’t know if we have ever been asked for proof of age, it is not worth the risk to try to slip a two year old through as a lap child as there is a possibility of needing to purchase a last-minute, full fare ticket for a child.

#5:  Preparing the Kids

Especially if we have an early morning flight, it is important that our children know exactly what the “plan” is. I once explained to my boys that we were going to wake them up in the middle of the night and have them change into the clothes hanging on their ends of their beds, brush their teeth, put on shoes and get in the car.  We would then eat breakfast on the way to the airport.  It was going to be dark, and they were going to be tired but could sleep on the plane.  And, by the afternoon, we would be eating lunch at our resort on the Caribbean.  My kids woke up when they heard us getting ready and came to ask if it was time to get dressed and were extra well-behaved throughout the whole journey (which even included an Ebola virus scare), and we did have a lovely lunch in Mexico.

Proper preparation is a key to a successful vacation with kids.  Check out our other Travel Tips, including Travel Tips:  Airports and Airplanes.