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July 26, 2012 by Leslie Harvey

Toddler Packing List for Airplane Carry On Bags

Toddler Packing List for Airplane Carryon Bags: Essential items for your toddler's carryon bag for your next airplane flight. Things to keep your toddler entertained, fed, happy, and quiet!

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.

(Trips With Tykes uses affiliate links. See our full disclosure policy here.)

Toddler Packing List for Carry on Bags

  1. rsz_91virsyxhyl_sl1500_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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 4167ZLStbaLToddler 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.
  5. 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).
  6. 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.)
  7. 81Yvf2LNNqL._SL1500_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.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. Ziploc bags: Great for holding and containing food wrappers or soiled clothing or diapers.
  11. 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

Follow Trips With Tykes’s board Travel with Toddlers on Pinterest.

Packing Lists

Follow Trips With Tykes’s board Packing Lists on Pinterest.

 

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Comments

  1. 2

    Anonymous says

    June 28, 2013 at 7:30 am

    What a great idea about the towel!

    Reply
  2. 3

    Anonymous says

    October 6, 2013 at 5:49 pm

    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!

    Reply
  3. 4

    Antonio says

    January 22, 2014 at 11:06 pm

    Thanks for sharing your info. I really appreciate your efforts and
    I will be waiting for your next post thanks once again.

    Reply
  4. 5

    Reed Adler says

    January 25, 2014 at 3:21 am

    I was just looking for this information for some time.

    After 6 hours of continuous Googleing, at last
    I got it in your web site. I wonder what is the lack of Google strategy that do not rank this type of informative
    websites in top of the list. Normally the top web sites are full of garbage.

    Reply
  5. 6

    Laura J says

    August 25, 2014 at 1:23 pm

    Oh great ideas! I love the idea of the triangular crayons so they wont roll off! Brilliant!

    Reply
  6. 7

    Jenny says

    October 4, 2014 at 6:15 am

    Love these ideas, especially the triangular crayons! Thank you! We are flying 8 hrs in a plane with 3 kids soon.

    Reply
  7. 8

    Barbara says

    January 22, 2015 at 9:07 am

    Very good advices! I’ve recently wrote an article about the same topic

    Reply
    • 9

      Anonymous says

      May 9, 2016 at 2:08 am

      This is a very good advice ! Atleast , packing is easy

      Reply
  8. 10

    Jessica says

    February 23, 2015 at 11:28 am

    Awesome tips as always. I’ve never thought of triangle crayons!

    Reply
  9. 11

    Anonymous says

    May 15, 2015 at 6:27 am

    would not have thought to bring ziplock bags/a towel. Genius! Thank you!

    Reply
  10. 12

    Helena says

    July 2, 2015 at 1:05 am

    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!

    Reply
  11. 13

    natalietanner says

    October 13, 2015 at 7:28 am

    Great tips! I’ll be sharing this with my readers. You can never be too prepared when you travel with the kids!

    Reply
  12. 14

    Sarah says

    February 11, 2016 at 9:49 am

    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.

    Reply
    • 15

      tripswithtykes says

      March 11, 2016 at 11:34 pm

      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.

      Reply
  13. 16

    Briana says

    August 31, 2016 at 12:49 pm

    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!

    Reply
  14. 17

    Dianna says

    September 14, 2016 at 12:37 pm

    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!!

    Reply
  15. 18

    Keri|flipflopweekend.com says

    August 16, 2017 at 7:02 pm

    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!

    Reply
  16. 19

    Stay With Me Mom says

    September 13, 2017 at 2:01 pm

    You arrive to my life in the rigth moment !! We arĂ© going to travel next month 8 hours in airplane đŸ˜±

    Reply

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About

Leslie Trips with Tykes

Welcome!  I’m Leslie, a mom of two (ages 11 and 7) who loves to travel. Trips With Tykes is a family travel blog devoted to simplifying the logistics of traveling with young kids. With a little knowledge of airline rules & good planning, family travel can be really fun, even if it still involves the occasional in-flight tantrum or battle with TSA over your toddler’s juice box.

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