Recently, we took a 12-hour international flight with our 3 year old.
It went really smoothly (unlike our first international flight with our then 8 month old, but that’s another story for another day) and I wanted to share some tips that I feel made a real difference to our flight.
- Travel with another adult.
Traveling with a young kid or kids is always so much easier when you have at least one other responsible adult to help out.
For most of us, this other responsible adult will be a spouse, partner or extended family member. However, this could also be a good friend.
Nevertheless, some of us may not have the luxury of another adult travel companion.
Don’t fret, it’s not a biggie- you can ABSOLUTELY travel with your kid(s) on your own.
You just need to do more prep in advance.
- Teach discipline & express expectations before the flight.
The success of the flight depends a lot on what you do way BEFORE your trip. Navigating a busy airport with bags AND kid(s) is no easy feat. If your kid doesn’t obey your commands on a regular day, it’s probably going to be worst when you attempt travel.
That’s why I stress the importance of teaching your kid to obey your commands way before you think about taking them on an international flight.
I have found Amy McCready’s book ‘If I Have To Tell You One More Time’ extremely effective in creating strategies that work and I highly recommend it. Another book that is useful in understanding how our kids’ brains work for effective discipline is Daniel Siegel & Tina Bryson’s book ‘No Drama Discipline’.
Regardless of how much you discipline, some kids will find it harder than others to remain seated during the entire duration of the flight.
Some kids will happily watch their movie, while others will want to run up and down the aisle.
For kids that find it difficult to sit still for long, you can start mini practice sessions to extend how long they can remain in their seat.
We do a lot of road trips and these different road trips trained our toddler to remain in her car seat for long periods of time.
You can also start noticing what activities engage them the longest. See if you can incorporate those into your flight strategy. For example, if they love puzzles, consider buying a couple of new puzzles to bring along on the flight.
- Bring your kid’s car seat.
As a 3 year old, our kid is required to have her own plane seat on the flight. However, if you think that plane seats are uncomfortable, they are even worse for your young kid.
The solution that works like a magic pill? Bring their own car seat to install on their plane seat! If you didn’t know that this is possible, yes it is!
You do have to check with the airline to find out what car seats will be accepted on the plane (it mostly has to do with making sure that the car seat’s dimensions will fit on the plane seat) but as a general guideline, car seats that are plane-approved have a special FAA-approved label on them.
Not only are car seats safer for your child compared to airline lap belts (because of their 5-point harness system) but the best flight experiences we have had with our child is when she remained/was restrained in her own car seat.
Being restrained in her own car seat made such a huge difference…it was like how flying used to be before I had a child; I could sip my drink without my child leaning over to knock it down, I could watch my movie in peace and my child couldn’t kick the seat in front of her.
In addition, without her car seat, our kid is restless and won’t go to sleep easily. Her car seat provides some familiarity and thus, a sense of security and our kid could remain in it for the entire flight without complaint.
Another huge advantage of bringing along your own car seat is that you won’t have to worry about renting one at your arrival destination. It is generally not a good idea to rent or use secondhand car seats as you won’t know if their structural integrity has been compromised.
If you intend to bring a car seat along and check-it in at the gate, I urge you to reconsider. I personally would never recommend that you check-in your car seat, unless you have packed it safely in a box with lots of protective padding (and even then, I still would consider this the last option).
You may have seen YouTube videos of airline crew throwing luggage around. You won’t know if the safety of your car seat has been compromised when it’s checked-in. A bump on the car seat that may not reveal a visible crack can render the car seat unsafe.
Because of these concerns, we purchased a second lightweight and cheaper car seat for our child, specifically for flights. This travel car seat only cost us less than USD100!
If you want suggestions on some of the best lightweight car seats there are for flights, we suggest that you read this article.
- Work out in advance how you will transport your car seat through the airport.
Although we highly recommend bringing a car seat along on a plane for your child, it does present unique logistical challenges.
My husband thought that he could carry the naked car seat (without additional supports of any kind) on his shoulder. He even practiced a couple of times at home. Despite the practice, it turned out to be a bad, bad idea.
After exhausting himself lugging two large suitcases and a carry-on mid-way through the airport, the car seat ended up being half-carried, half-dragged across the airport floor.
That’s why we don’t recommend that you follow our naïve style!
Instead, there are several other ways that you can transport a car seat through the airport.
Here are some that we recommend:
- Car seat dolly.
These car seat dollies can not only transfer car seats but lighter toddlers can also be seated in the car seats while they are pushed around. This makes these dollies fantastic options for carting car seats and tired toddlers around the airport. This means that you also get to buckle your toddler in rather than having them run rampant through the airport. Yes, read that again. You get to BUCKLE YOUR TODDLER IN.
If you have a toddler who tends to get into trouble when left to walk on their own, then you will definitely want to get this.
While these car seat dollies are great in that they enable you to carry both a car seat and a toddler at the same time, they will require at least one of your hands to maneuver them. This means that you won’t be hands-free.
This might be an issue if you have several young kids that you have to supervise or a lot of bags to carry.
However, the ones we recommend below can be maneuvered with one hand, with some practice.
You will also have to unstrap everything when going through the X-ray machines. This does present some hassle.
Still, this option is a good one for minimizing the stress of carrying a car seat through the airport and is relatively easy and quick to set up.
We like this dolly because it is light and doesn’t take up much space. This dolly only weighs 3.5 pounds and is designed to fit a lot of car seats. It can carry the weight of a child up to 44 pounds and a combined weight (ie. car seat and child) of up to 84 pounds.
This Britax dolly is a little bit heavier and has a longer base than the Go-Go one above. However, I like this longer base because I think that it provides better support for your car seat.
Like the Go-Go dolly, this one can fit a lot of car seats too.
- Car seat backpack.
The bad thing about them is that they won’t win you any fashion awards; you will feel like an over-sized turtle when you are wearing them. In a busy airport, don’t be surprised if you end up bumping into things or people. They are also not particularly great for your back.
They are just like ordinary backpacks except that they are only designed to carry one thing; your child’s car seat.
They have multiple uses too; you can use them as a protective cover to check in your car seat at the gate if you don’t want to bring them on board the plane (although we don’t recommend checking in your car seat) or as a rain cover if you are transporting your car seat in the rain.
We have recommended our favorites below which fit most car seats but you still need to check the specifications of each backpack to make sure that your car seat will fit in it.
We really like the ZOHZO Car Seat Travel Bag. It comes with padded interior lining and upper wings to give some cushion protection for your car seat from minor bumps.
It’s also designed to sit higher up on your shoulder and it has padded straps, which all help with avoiding back pain issues. The other huge plus is that they have an additional waist strap, which according to my seasoned hiker husband, is essential for reducing the likelihood of back pain.
J.L. Childress Ultimate Backpack
The J.L. Childress Ultimate Backpack is similar to the ZOHZO Car Seat Travel Bag except that it doesn’t come with the waist strap. It is however, cheaper in price which is a reasonable trade off if your car seat is not very heavy or you don’t intend to be carrying it for too long.
The VolkGo Car Seat Travel Bag is not as fancy as the others mentioned above (it doesn’t have as much inner padding or padded straps but it does fold into a convenient, smaller bag to fit into your carry-on. It’s also a lot more cheaper compared to the other two. If you want just a basic backpack, this may be for you.
- Car seat strap.
Do note that this only works if your car seat has a top teether. Otherwise, your car seat will drag along the floor.
You should also ensure that you use this strap with a carry-on bag that is packed full. This is so that its weight can help counteract the weight of the car seat and your child.
I find these less secure than the car seat dollies and it probably won’t work if you have a heavy, active toddler that likes to rock from side to side in his or her car seat. Depending on how you push or pull your carry-on bag, the whole thing can also shift its weight unexpectedly.
There is also the risk that if the combined weight of the car seat and your child is too heavy, it could put too much weight on your carry-on bag’s handle and damage it.
Some manufacturers actually don’t recommend that you use their straps with your kid in the car seat.
Just like the car seat dollies, you will also need to unstrap everything when going through the X-ray scanning machine.
Also, make sure that you check whether the car seat strap will work with your car seat. The length of the straps may not fit all car seats.
Despite the downsides, this is a good option if you are wanting something cheap, simple and easy to store away after use.
Traveling Toddler Car Seat Travel Accessory
This car seat strap uses metal for its connectors which makes it a bit sturdier.
However, it is in plain black color which makes it easy to miss or lose when you are packing absentmindedly or in a rush.
This car seat strap has a plastic connector which makes it less able to bear heavy weight or stress. This is one reason why the manufacturer doesn’t recommend that you use this with a kid in the car seat. But it does come in bright orange which makes it less difficult to forget.
- Tie down strap.
If you are looking for another cheap option and your young kid is able to walk independently, you can also use ordinary tie down straps to secure your car seat to your suitcase. We used this option during our last trip and it worked really well!
- Pre-order any special dietary requirements.
Kids can have their own special meals, just like adults. Airline food options are increasing and you can choose from kids meals to gluten-free options.
If your kid has special dietary requirements, make sure that you inform the airline when you are purchasing your ticket or call them a few days in advance of your flight to let them know.
- Create comfort- blankets and toys.
Creating comfort for a kid on a long flight is extremely important. We always bring along a favorite blanket and soft toy. Not only does this provide a sense of security but also comfort.
Additionally, you want to make sure that your young kid is dressed in comfortable clothes and footwear.
- Bring extra diapers, clothes, water, snacks.
If your kid is still not fully potty-trained, it’s a good idea to bring an extra change of clothes and diapers.
Since our kid wasn’t fully potty-trained, we chose to leave our kid in pull-ups as we didn’t want an accident on board.
We also made sure that we brought an extra jacket for our kid even though it was summer, as it can feel cold on the plane (planes may provide blankets but these are often only washed once a day which is not great if you are the second flight of the day). Airports can also have cold air-conditioning.
I have also learned that depending on where you are going and for how long, the climate can be very different at your destination or the weather can change upon your return to your own home.
Snacks are also our life saver for a tired and cranky kid. Even though the airline provided sufficient food and snacks while on the flight, our kid started complaining of hunger once we disembarked. Luckily, we had saved a muffin for her.
- Bring entertainment.
If you allow your kid to play games or watch the movies on board, that makes life a lot easier.
However, if your kid is not interested in those or you don’t want them to do those things, you do need to find entertainment alternatives for them.
You could make a trip down to your local dollar shop and grab a bunch of things or purchase some more educational options in advance.
- Check-in early and choose a window seat.
It makes sense to check-in early as hopefully, you will be able to select seats that are more suitable for you and your kid.
I personally prefer a window seat (for my kid) as this allows my kid to look outside and control the amount of light by putting up the window shade or shutting it.
A window seat is also a safer spot to avoid bumps from people walking up and down the aisle, food and liquid spills during meal service, or overhead luggage falling from above.
- Board first or last.
The great advantage of traveling with a young kid is that you get priority family boarding for most, if not all, international flights. We love boarding first because we get first choice of overhead luggage space and it gives us time to install our car seat and settle ourselves in before everyone else floods in.
However, if your child is the kind that runs around everywhere with a ton of energy to spend, you may be better off boarding last.
Our kid is the opposite, she’s content to sit in her seat with a good movie. So, we always board first when the airline staff makes the call for families with young kids to board.
Airport travel with a young kid presents unique challenges but there are a lot of advantages too. We have gone through some airport check points where we were given priority in long queues because our kid was starting to fuss.
So if you have been holding back from fears of taking your young kid on international flight travel, just do it!
