My husband and I love to travel. LOVE IT. So when we had our son, it seemed only natural that we would share this big part of our lives with him. (Plus my extended family lives halfway around the country, so we’ve logged plenty of air miles visiting them.) In his three years of life, our son has already racked up 19 flights. There’s been some trial and error, but in the course of those three years I’ve found these four items that make flying with little ones so much easier.
Backpack-style car seat bag
Car seats are heavy, bulky, awkwardly-shaped, and, of course, absolutely necessary to take with you. Lugging around a car seat is never going to be fun, but this backpack bag makes it less miserable. We originally had a shoulder strap car seat bag that broke; we replaced it with this one and let me tell you, the backpack style is 1000% better. A bonus if you’re checking the bag (instead of taking it on the plane with you): there’s plenty of room to shove extra diapers, wipes, and toys in there. Extra space in your regular luggage is a major win.
Child-sized suitcase
Who likes carrying around a bunch of your kid’s stuff in your purse? Anyone? No? Then have them carry it! And make it so they actually look forward to doing it. We let our son pick out his very own suitcase that was just his size. There are lots of options out there, but he chose this one and it’s held up well so far. We loaded it with toys, books, snacks, and a change of clothes. He loved pulling it through the airport . . . for a little while. Which leads me to my next must-have.
Luggage straps
File this under ‘simple but revolutionary ideas’. It’s literally just a strap that hooks two bags together. But when you can pull two bags with one hand and have the other hand free to wrangle your wild child, well, that’s pretty wonderful. I keep one with me to connect our son’s bag to my carry on when he gets tired of pulling it, and I also have one to connect our checked bags together once we get our destination (because ‘packing light’ is overrated). Best $9 I’ve ever spent.
Headband headphones
I’m a big proponent of making travel as enjoyable as possible for everyone involved, and that generally means our son watches a show or plays a game at some point. I got a child-sized pair of traditional headphones, but for the life of me I couldn’t get them to stay on our son’s head – maddening for both of us. When I saw a friend post a picture of her son in some headband headphones, my problem was solved. They’re genius! The speakers are in a fleece headband, so it’s next to impossible for them to fall off. Plus you can adjust the placement of the speakers, they’re volume-limited, and there are lots of different styles.
I also have two bonus items for you. They aren’t specific to air travel, but they’re too good not to mention:
Tablet holder
If you’re going to be spending some time in the car (and you’re not opposed to screen time), I highly recommend this tablet holder. It can attach to any car headrest, and you can adjust it to fit any size tablet.
Inflatable bed
We don’t co-sleep and our son has outgrown pack-n-plays, but he’s also not quite ready for a full-blown, adult-sized bed. We found this inflatable bed and it’s been a great solution. I love that it has sides so he can’t roll out when he moves around during the night.
Happy travels! What’s your next family vacation destination?
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