Tips for flying with a toddler that I actually found useful as a first-time mum

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There are so many tips for flying with a toddler out there so when I took my toddler on our first solo flight together I listened – here are the ones that I actually found useful

Useful tips for flying with a toddler

• As a first-time mum, the idea of flying with my toddler for the first time was quite daunting – but a few travel tips from fellow parents were absolute game changers.
• Invest in a travel pram: If you’re going to be travelling regularly, a pram that can easily be unfolded one-handed or zip through narrow airport queues etc makes all the difference. I had the Stokke YOYO which was brilliant as it was easy to manoeuvre, not to mention it didn’t take long when airport security needed to scan it. Most airlines let you take the pram up to the gate, but as I was solo parenting, I decided to pay extra to have it in the cabin on my easyJet flight, a choice which proved handy when we landed and my son just wanted to run off in every direction.
• Lean on cabin crew if you need to: I was so worried that I’d be an annoying passenger, but crew were actually really helpful in helping me put my pram in the overhead lockers, and assisting with explaining how the baby’s extender belt worked. The most stressful part for me was boarding/getting off the plane, and asking for help was daunting but staff were more than happy to accommodate (I suspect because it then made the process smoother as I wasn’t blocking other passengers).
• Distraction is key: Pack fidget toys and snacks, as well as toys that can be ‘stuck’ to the tray table and not hurled across the aisle. One fellow mum told me to remember that the airport/plane is an exciting and stimulating place for toddlers – so I leant on that too, and it turned out that the highlight of my toddler’s flight was intently staring at the safety card in the plane seat!
• Ears popping: A tricky one here as it depends on your child, but I had come prepared with a bottle of milk and a sippy cup, which I encouraged him to drink during take-off and landing to help ease the sensation.
• Don’t stress about other passengers: This was easily the best advice I was given. I was so conscious of getting in the way/my child being loud/trying to stop him disturbing others. The reality is that, unless you’ve got a kid who’s actively kicking someone’s chair, most passengers don’t care. In fact, a lot of people around me turned into free babysitters because they pulled faces at my child and chatted to him. I was conscious to make sure he wasn’t in their way, but most people on a flight are in their own little world anyway!
• Beware the baby change: Annoyingly, in a lot of airports, baby change facilities don’t necessarily have toilets in them for adults. That meant that once I’d changed my toddler’s nappy, I then had to navigate the queue into the ladies’ toilets, and then figure out where to leave my pram and bags outside the cubicle. One mum previously suggested putting key valuables in a smaller handbag that was on my person, so at least I could leave the bulkier bags outside in the pram.

Have you got any great travel tips to share for parents? Email us at webtravel@reachplc.com .

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