The biggest travel parenting mistake I’ve witnessed is parents simply being unprepared for traveling with their tots. If you are traveling with an active toddler on an airplane, you need lots to entertain your little one packed in your carry on bag.
After many plane flights with my daughter, I’ve developed extensive infant and toddler packing lists the past few years. Here’s the first installment of my packing list – tried and true items I carry aboard airplanes with my three year old.
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Toddler Packing List for Carry on Bags
Crayons & coloring/activity books: Triangular crayons work best for airplanes, as they won’t roll off an airline tray table. My daughter also loves the Play Pack coloring books that come packaged with a small set of crayons included.- Wet Wipes: I’m not a germaphobe, but planes are nasty. I wipe down the tray table with Wet Wipes as soon as we board because I know that my daughter will be touching it a lot and (gasp!) even placing food directly on it. It’s also a good idea to wipe down armrests and seat belts for good measure.
- iPad: The best toddler travel invention ever. Load it with a few of your child’s favorite movies or TV shows and even some apps that your little one will like. I’ve found that the iPad mini works especially well for toddlers. If the cost of an iPad or other tablet is prohibitive, consider getting a portable DVD player as those can be purchased much more cheaply these days.
Toddler earphones: There is nothing that drives me crazier as a passenger than hearing other passengers’ movies or video game sounds. Don’t bother your seatmates and give traveling parents a bad name… get your child some earphones to block the noise. Kidz Gear is a brand that has held up well for our family and comes with a volume restricting adapter to protect little ears.- New small toys: Stop by the Target dollar section or the Dollar Tree the week before your trip to load up on small and inexpensive distractions. Whenever possible, I like to try to get a toy related to the destination we are visiting (for example, something Mickey or Minnie related when we take a Disneyland trip).
- Snacks: Bring double the snacks you will think you will need in case of delays or just an exceptionally hungry day. Kids can be picky and may not like the offerings on the plane or in the airport. Don’t worry so much about perfect nutrition but rather what will keep your child quiet and occupied. My rules on treats are definitely relaxed when we travel – I regularly bring gummy snacks and cookies for tough moments. (Need snack ideas? Check out my post on 50 snack ideas for kids on airplanes.)
Drinks: The TSA liquid restrictions make travel with milk and juice a bit challenging, but you should know that if you are traveling with an “infant or small child,” you can bring some liquids aboard above the three ounce limit. I like to travel with ultra-pasteurized milk boxes from Organic Valley or Horizon and with a juice box or two (see my tips for air travel with toddlers and milk). You can always also bring an empty water bottle or sippy cup and fill it after you pass through security.- Stuffed animal, lovey, and/or blanket: If your child is going to be traveling at nap time or on a redeye flight, bring the items that he or she would use at home for sleeping. Plus, planes can be cold and a blanket might come in handy even if your child doesn’t nap.
- Extra clothes: I always travel with extra clothes for my child. There’s always a chance of a diaper leak or explosion for younger toddlers or a potty training accident for the older ones. You may also want to consider extra clothes for yourself if your child is prone to collateral damage.
- Ziploc bags: Great for holding and containing food wrappers or soiled clothing or diapers.
- Small towel: I bring a small hand towel aboard most flights to have at the ready for spills. Those airplane napkins don’t cut it when something really disastrous happens.
Don’t forget to check out my MASTER packing list for all ages and stages of travel.
Need more toddler travel advice? Check out these related articles:
- Favorite Toddler Travel Gear
- Where Should My Baby or Toddler Sleep On Our Travels?
- Air Travel with Toddlers and Milk
- The Lap Child Debate: Should You Buy an Airline Seat for Your Infant or Toddler?
- Car Seats on Airplanes: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know
And don’t miss these boards on Pinterest:
Travel with Toddlers
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Anonymous says
What a great idea about the towel!
Anonymous says
Very helpful! Ive never been on a plane and ill be traveling to the childrens hospital in Totonto with my 21 month old and a 2 1/2 year old . Big relief that we will arrive with happy kids 🙂 thank you!
Antonio says
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I will be waiting for your next post thanks once again.
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Laura J says
Oh great ideas! I love the idea of the triangular crayons so they wont roll off! Brilliant!
Jenny says
Love these ideas, especially the triangular crayons! Thank you! We are flying 8 hrs in a plane with 3 kids soon.
Barbara says
Very good advices! I’ve recently wrote an article about the same topic
Anonymous says
This is a very good advice ! Atleast , packing is easy
Jessica says
Awesome tips as always. I’ve never thought of triangle crayons!
Anonymous says
would not have thought to bring ziplock bags/a towel. Genius! Thank you!
Helena says
What a useful read! The idea with the towel is very smart, I’ll be making my first long trip with my little boy, so thanks for sharing these ideas!
natalietanner says
Great tips! I’ll be sharing this with my readers. You can never be too prepared when you travel with the kids!
Sarah says
I’ve tried to bring horizon milk boxes on the plane before and they made me throw them away. It may depend on the particular TSA officer (one time they let me bring a full bottle, but made me pour it out on the return flight). I wouldn’t risk trying to bring them, though, they’re too expensive to risk having to throw them out.
tripswithtykes says
I’d love to know what airport! I’ve taken them through TSA at at least a dozen different airports upwards of 25 times and have never had to toss them. On some occasions, I’ve had to agree to the enhanced patdown to keep them unopened, but never had to throw them away. TSA rules permit milk (and juice and formula) for babies and toddlers, so I think you had an errant officer.
Briana says
Thanks for this list of ideas! I took my toddler on a cross-country flight, and I referenced this many times while packing. Worked great!
Dianna says
We will be flying with my 14 month old during meal times. We love the pouch meals like Plum Organics Mighty 4,” for example when we are “on the go,” but it occurred to me that these may count as liquids rather than food for TSA purposes. Have you had any experiences carrying these through security? Thanks so much! You’re website has been very helpful!!
Keri|flipflopweekend.com says
Excellent list! We got stuck at security, because I thought I could bring an unopened bottle of water for the kids. They let one bottle through, but gave me a bit of a hard time. The empty water bottle is a great idea!
Stay With Me Mom says
You arrive to my life in the rigth moment !! We aré going to travel next month 8 hours in airplane 😱