Flying with toddlers can be a daunting task for parents. The thought of sitting on a long flight with a young child can be overwhelming.
As many of you know, I just flew across the country with our 8 year old and 21 month old.
Here are some tips for flying with toddlers:
- Register for CLEAR and save your spot in line for security. We used this service at both the Seattle and Orlando airports and it was amazing and FREE. We bypassed the security lines and got through in less than 10 minutes. This does take a little pre planning on your part because you need to make a reservation. You do have 15 minutes before and after your reservation time to check in so there is a little wiggle room.
- If you are flying with Alaska Airlines you can pre order snack boxes, this may be the case with other airlines as well but we flew Alaska. I pre-ordered the kids picnic pack when I was checking us in. I found this super great for a few reasons. It was only $7.50 and cheaper than buying snacks at one of the kiosks in the airport and I didn't have to lug it through the airport or dig it out of my carry on bag once we sat down. Plus my kids thought they were getting something SUPER special and they were excited to open it up and see what was inside.
- If you are flying with an almost 2 year old and looking at ticket prices and thinking "I can save SO much if I just put him on my lap" I'm here to tell you, DON'T DO IT. Traveling with an infant on your lap is one thing, a toddler...is a whole different story. I was so stressed after our flight to Orlando, I was really dreading the flight back and cashed in airline miles to get him his own seat. I get it, flights are expensive right now, but unless you have a super short flight, it's just not worth the stress in my opinion.
- Of course, bringing toys, a fully charged ipad, something to color and a whole lot of patience will make your flight smoother also.
Happy Travels!
Ashley