In order to make your flight with kids as hassle-free as possible, organization is key. With a good planning and preparation you will minimize the stress level for you, your little one and all other passengers on your flight. Here is a list of 5 travel essentials that you should bring on any flight with kids:
1. Nasal spray or drops
Kids often have trouble with their ears for take off and landing. To avoid this situation, you should use a nasal spray or drops on them 30 minutes before take off and landing. This will widen the connection that we have between nose and ears and will make pressure compensation much easier for your child. When Levi was still a baby, I always used sea salt nose drops. When he grew older we switched to nasal spray or, when he had a bit of a running nose, we used a decongestant nasal spray from the pharmacy.
2. Neck pillow
You should bring this travel essential as soon as your child has his own seat booked. It makes falling asleep much easier for your kid. Also during his nap, the head will be secured in a comfortable position. There are a lot of cute neck pillows for kids on the market. Make sure they can be tied to your luggage in some way, so it is easier to carry them around.
3. Snacks, snacks, snacks
First things first: There is no limitation of liquids or foods that may be carried on the plane when you travel with a baby or toddler. This means you can bring everything, from your own water bottle, to hot water, baby food or smoothies. Just make sure that you organize everything well in your luggage as, of course, you must unpack all the liquids at the security check at the airport. When Levi was a baby, we brought snacks like smoothies or rice cookies. When he was a bit older, we also brought fruits and vegetables. Apples, berries, mandarines, cucumber or carrots are perfect snacks for traveling. When we fly long distance, we also bring “bonus snacks” that Levi usually doesn’t eat that often, like gummy bears, pretzel sticks or lollipops.
4. Books and movies
When we travel we have the “no rules” rule when it comes to media usage. We bring an ipad with us with lots of series and movie downloads. Make sure that you also bring very good headphones with you, ideally noise cancelling and wireless. For take off and landing, when you may not use electronic devices, we bring a selection of Levi’s favorite + some new pixie books. They are small size books and don’t take too much space in your luggage. Scolling through pictures and videos on your mobile phone can also be some source of entertainment.
5. Jet Kids Bed Box
The JetKids BedBox combines 3 things in one product. It is a ride-on suitcase in hand luggage size, which offers a lot of storage space for toys and snacks. At the airport your kid can sit and ride on it, which makes it much easier and faster to make your way through the airport with little ones. The main asset of the JetKids BedBox is that a standard economy class seat in the air plane can be turned into a bed like sleeping area for your kid. Just place the bed box in the leg room and use it to extend the actual seat until you reach the seat in front of you. With the included mattress and side panels, your little one will have a comfortable space for his own to sleep. Not all airlines accept to place the bed box into the leg room. Check with your airline upfront. Worst case, you can also store the bed box like a normal hand luggage in the storage space above your seat. *Ad/ not sponsored, bought by myself.
You can also download my full checklist for traveling with kids here:
