Flying With a 1 Year-old

Flying With a 1 Year-old

International travel with a 1 year-old can be daunting. Follow these tips and tricks to help your trip go as smoothly as possible!

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Steal my best tips for your 1 year old’s daily routine! A predictable routine is essential for toddlers and this schedule is perfect for a 1 year old. Who doesn’t love a good routine? Routines just work for me on so many levels. It just so happens that kids also love routines. Babies and toddlers like to know what’s happening, when to expect it, and

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Disclosure: This article may contain affiliate links to some really awesome products and services that I highly recommend. When you follow these links, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you, which helps me to continue running ME, MOM, & MORe. I only promote products and services that I love, and that I think you will love too! Don’t fret! International travel with a 1-year old is doable.Travelling in general is rarely a very pleasant experience, and travelling internationally is an exceptional pain in the butt. Add kids and their increased risk for a screaming meltdown in front of hundreds of strangers who are confined with you in a flying tin can for hours into the mix and you’ve got a one-way ticket (lousy travel pun intended) to Stress City. However, flying with kids is an inevitable pill that must be swallowed for us to be able to see the world, and, in the case of us expats, travel is a frequent and necessary evil to be able to see our families (we travel at least twice a year between Denmark and the US, for example). We therefore have to suck it up and make the best of the situation! From infant to toddlerMany of us fear travelling with our infants for the first time and later come to realize that travelling with an infant is a relative piece of cake. The airline provides free baby bassinets, everyone around you is willing to lend a hand for your sweet tiny baby, and they’re only awake for a maximum of a few hours at a time, during which they can be easily entertained. International travel with a 1 year-old is a completely different ballgame than travelling with an infant. Gone are the days of plopping the baby in the bassinet and sleeping the whole trip. Everyone around you evil eyes your child like she’s a ticking time bomb just waiting to go off and ruin their otherwise peaceful trip. Now you actually have to entertain your kid with more than bouncing them on your lap, really be on top of ear pressure, provide them a comfy place to sleep, etc. Luckily there are some parts of travelling with your little one at this point in their development that aren’t so bad. Your child is still curious enough to be completely occupied just by walking around and looking at things at the airport, for example. You no longer need to worry about packing bottles or formula for your trip, and the risk of a major poopy blowout has diminished significantly. As daunting as it is to fly with small children, it can be done without detonating your little bomb and making your entire travel day into a nightmare. I’ve found that a little prep work and proper packing can do wonders for making the trip as stress-free as possible.Below are my recommended tips, tricks, and packing list for your carry-on to help make international travel with a 1 year-old the best experience it can be! Top 10 Tips and Tricks for International Travel With a 1 Year-old1. Book a separate seat for your childMost airlines let you travel with your child on your lap for free (or with a small fee) until they are 2 years old. Trust me, this is NOT the place in your vacation budget to cut costs. Get your kid a seat! There is no possible way to peacefully maintain a squirmy 1 year-old on your lap for the entirety of a multi-hour trip. You will both go berserk with the lack of ability to maneuver around, you’ll get hot, the child won’t be able to sleep, etc. Just buy the seat. 2. Bring your car seatUse a car seat to keep your little one comfortably contained in their seat on the plane. Your child is used to spending longer periods of time in the car seat and they can usually sleep in it without any problems. We have a Cosco Scenera car seat that is perfect for air travel –  cheap, lightweight, FAA approved for air travel and can be installed both rear- and forward-facing. Please note that this seat is only approved in the US, but we have used it on flights to and from Europe without any problems. Make sure to remember a travel bag with backpack straps, suitcase strap, or trolley for carrying your seat around with you through the airport. 3. Use a stroller through the airportWhen Piper was an infant, we skipped the stroller at the airport and opted for the baby carrier (Ergobaby 360 Omni) which worked great at the time, but she’s of course gotten bigger and heavier, and we can’t rely on her falling asleep in the carrier anymore. On our past trip we therefore purchased a stroller that could fold up and be stored in the overhead bin on the plane, and it was a game-changer. Piper got a great nap in the stroller on our layover and it was awesome to have a little extra storage space in the stroller basket while getting through the airport. Here is the stroller we got in Europe which we totally approve of, and a model in the US that would have been our top choice (though we haven’t actually tried this one out in particular).4. Organize your bag for easy security screeningGoing through security with kids can be stressful – not only do you have to fidget with your own gear but you also have to deal with your kids’ bags and herd a curious, wondering child through the line. Prior to arriving at the airport, put all of the things you will need to take out of your bag through security (toiletries, electronics, etc.) in one convenient place where you can get them out in a flash, even if it doesn’t make sense for where you want them organized once you’re on the plane. This will make it much easier to get your belongings quickly into the screening bins so you can focus on the child-wrangling. You can always repack your bags so they make more sense once you get through security and are waiting to board the plane. Bonus tip: Don’t let other passengers behind you in line stress you out! Security is a bitch for everyone and most people understand that it is even more difficult with children. Just take your time. 5. Be prepared for ear pressureWith infants, the general recommendation is to bottle-feed or nurse during landing or take-off to prevent ear pressure problems, which is easy enough to do. However many 1 year-olds are no longer nursing or bottle-feeding, so this is no longer a viable option. In our experience, offering the sippy cup for your child to take frequent drinks during landing and take-off helps promote swallowing, which can balance the pressure, as well as providing snacks for the same reason. The pacifier can also of course encourage sucking and swallowing, which should be enough to get you up and down without problems. 6. Avoid layoversTry to book direct flights as much as possible. It may seem like a good idea to break up your long travel day with a layover, but the stress of transitioning from plane to plane is just not worth it. You risk having to wake your child up from a good nap, you’ll have to pack up all of your things, you may have to go through security again, you’ll be exposed to new germs at the new airport, and on and on. It’s easiest to just settle yourself and your little one into one flight and look forward to arriving at your destination. 7. Pack light for youOn my pre-child flights, I would pack books, adult coloring books, my tablet, and all kinds of other entertainment for myself on the plane. Yeah, as a mom travelling with a kid, you are going to spend most of your time entertaining your little one or trying to catch some sleep, so don’t bother with all of the unnecessary stuff for yourself. A pair of headphones (for listening to some music, watching the in-flight movies, etc.) and your phone (reading, games, etc.) will probably suffice, even on a long international trip.  8. Request a child’s mealMost international flights will provide a special children’s meal if you request it ahead of time, which provides more kid-friendly options for picky eaters as opposed to the standard meal that is served to the other passengers. The meal is generally served prior to them coming by with your meal (they bring it out before going down the aisles to serve everyone else). This buys you a little time to get your child fed before your own food shows up, which can be a little tricky to manage with the limited space on the tray tables.9. Find an empty gate at the airportOur strategy at the airport is usually to find our gate so we know where we need to be when it’s time to board and then we go searching for an empty gate where we can set up camp until that time. Finding an empty gate allows your kid some more space to run around and explore without pestering other passengers. Usually my partner and I drop all of our things at our new gate camp and then take turns going to the bathroom, taking our daughter out for a walk around the terminal, etc. while the other stays and guards all of our bags so we aren’t having to schlep them around with us throughout the airport. 10. Divide and conquer getting on the planeIf you are travelling with a partner, I highly recommend that one of you boards when they call for boarding with families with small children, and that person takes on the car seat and the baby carry-on and gets everything set up first. The other partner and child/children should then get on the plane as close to last as possible. Remember that it can take over half an hour for all passengers to board the plane, and, once you’re on, you are on for several hours, so take advantage of letting your kids stretch and play for as long as possible before boarding! Carry-On Packing List For International Travel With a 1 Year-oldThere is a fine balance between being prepared and overpacking. You want to have everything you may need for any scenario on the plane, but at the same time you don’t want to be bulked down or have to dig too much through your bag to get what you need. Here is a list of the balance we have found that works for us, and that I hope will work for you too!Carry-on bagYour packing process starts with getting the right bag. We love love love love (did I say love?) this bag from Amazon that we’ve been using as a carry-on for ourselves for years, but it has become our official child carry-on bag now. It can be used as both a backpack or a roller bag and has tons of compartments for organization (including a laptop and insulated pocket). It’s totally durable and can fit under the seat but still has tons of room! When you are packing for your toddler it’s important to have adequate space but also to keep everything in a designated spot for easy access. The last thing you want to be doing if your kid is screaming on the plane is digging around a bottomless pit of a bag for the pacifier. Also be sure to avoid a bag that isn’t easy to carry or roll around the airport. Typical diaper bags that you wear over your shoulder are not ideal – they get too heavy and awkward too quickly for the distance you usually need to trek through the airport. ActivitiesDuring international travel with a 1 year-old, be prepared to keep your little one occupied at the airport, on the flight for several hours, and in the car from the airport to your final destination (for us this can sometimes add an additional several hours to the trip). The best activities are lightweight, quiet, and educational. You’ll buy yourself bonus entertainment time if the activity is something your child hasn’t tried before – shiny and new is bound to hold their attention longer. Check out my Ultimate List of Travel Toys for a list of perfect toys that will keep your little one busy in-flight. You can also find my Pinterest board for more activity ideas!BooksEspecially board books. They weigh down your bag a bit more but the entertainment factor is worth it so your kids can flip the pictures themselves and your pages don’t get bent in your bag. Try to get new books that your child hasn’t seen before to ensure extra attention. We usually bring 4-6 new books with us.Extra layered outfitYoung toddlers are of course prone to getting dirty over the course of your travels so having at least one change of clothes is a good idea. We make sure to always dress our little one with pants, a tee shirt, and a sweater (usually zip-up) and bring an additional of each of these items with. I usually don’t pack more than this for the sake of space, and as long as my kid isn’t covered in poop or spilled on by a full can of soda or something, I’m OK with her being a relative hot mess. I mean, after sitting on a plane for 8 hours do you really care if your kid has boogers on her shirt? This mama sure doesn’t! SnacksA lot of people recommend bringing tons of snacks, but so far I have found that we rarely eat half of the things we bring. Usually our international flights provide two meals, and we like to entertain ourselves at the airport by getting something to eat, so for us having 2 savory and 2 sweet snack options on the plane is usually more than enough to suffice. We just pack them in reusable zip bags like these. Headphones with cordIn-flight films can be a lifesaver for keeping your little one occupied for the long trip, but you have to have headphones with a cord for them to work with the airplanes’ screens. We personally have these JBL headphones that regulate volume for children’s ears and fit perfectly on little heads! Diaper kitWe pack all of our diaper changing items (diapers, disposable bags, wipes, butt cream) into one separate bag within our carry-on so we can easily just pull that out and take it to the bathroom for changes. Trying to lug your whole carry-on or fiddling with all of the supplies separately in the tiny airplane bathroom is a no-go.Baby wipesMake sure to also have additional wipes available outside of your diaper kit for easy-access clean-up. You’re gonna need ‘em. Wet bagWe always pack our diaper kit in a wet bag and take an extra one for keeping track of dirty clothes, bibs, etc. Ziploc bags work great, too, but of course the reusability factor of the wet bag is a huge plus. We have these wet bags and are big fans! Sippy cupMake sure to keep your little one hydrated throughout your travels and prevent spills by bringing your own sippy cup rather than trying to give your little one a drink from a bottle or cup. You’re going to likely use the cup anyway at your final destination, so might as well bring it on the plane. Sometimes the airplane pressure will make the cups leak a little, so be sure not to fill them up completely. We use our Munchkin cups and have never had any issues with leaking. Sanitizing wipesWith today’s heightened sense of hygiene in the midst of the Covid crisis, we mamas need to be overly cautious and wipe down as many surfaces as possible. Use the sanitizing wipes on the airplane tray table, seatbelt, and armrests, but also on tables at the airport, luggage trolleys, handles on your suitcases, etc. Remember that even if your child isn’t touching these objects, you are touching them and then touching your child! Hand sanitizerSimilarly you want to be sure to bring hand sanitizer and use it frequently throughout your day, preferably after you touch anything foreign in the airport, before you eat on the plane, etc. You can wash your kids’ hands every once in a while by putting ample hand sanitizer on your own hands and then rubbing your child’s hands between yours. Just make sure that the hand sanitizer is 100% dried off on their hands after before they put their fingers in their mouths or touch anything they will be eating as the alcohol in the hand sanitizer can be dangerous for them!  Mini medical kitI’ve become quite Danish in my ways when it comes to NOT using any unnecessary over-the-counter medicines or aids, so our medical kit is really nothing more than a plastic bag filled with some bandaids, kleenex, and disinfecting ointment. EarplugsAdmittedly my 18 month-old daughter is terrible about leaving her pressure regulating earplugs in her ears at this point, but I still take them just in case we really have issues with ear pressure. They take up absolutely no space and can be reused all throughout her childhood so I would rather have them to be safe. Pacifier and pacifier clipIf your child still uses a pacifier, make sure to pack at least three as they are bound to fall on the floor or get lost throughout your travel, and nothing is worse than a crying child on a plane that doesn’t have her pacifier. Pacifier clips like these are a great idea to avoid losing the binky on the floor constantly. Comfort toyIf your child sleeps with a lovey or stuffed animal, make sure to bring it in your carry-on to improve your chances of getting them to sleep as much as possible on the plane. Whatever you do don’t lose it, though! BibsMake sure to pack at least 2 bibs for your toddler to have one the plane, especially if you will be eating meals on the plane and potentially at the airport. Changing out a dirty bib is way easier than changing out dirty clothes.And here are the items that we skip in our carry-on for international travel with a 1 year-old:White noise machineAs religious users of the white noise machine (this Hatch sound machine in particular), we skip it on the plane as the loud noise of the engine already provides significant white noise for littles ones to get a good rest. PajamasFiddling with changing my kid into pajamas in a tiny airplane bathroom is just not worth it for me. I make sure she has comfortable clothes for the flight that she can easily sleep in. Too many toysDon’t go overboard packing too many toys. They take up a lot of space and they won’t hold your little ones’ attention for as long as a new activity, which you can often DIY cheaply. (See my Pinterest board here, again, for ideas). Toothbrush and toothpaste I’m not one to bother with brushing my kid’s teeth in the airport bathroom and especially not on the plane. Her little teeth will survive one skipped brushing, and, if not, they’re going to fall out anyway, right? BlanketMost long-haul flights are going to provide a blanket so don’t waste the space in your bag. If your child is wearing appropriate layers they should be fine maintaining their temperature on the plane, and, if not, the blanket provided on the plane will do just fine. Travel TimeCongratulations! You are now ready quiet, stress-free international travel with a 1 year-old! Ok maybe not quite, but you are as prepared as you can be and have all of the right tools for relatively smooth sailing (or flying).When you’re really ready to up your game, try traveling alone with kids (yes, multiple!), which you can read more about in my article How to Survive Traveling Alone with Kids.Happy travels, mama! How has your experience been travelling with your 1 year-old? Please share your favorite tips and tricks!