Crying in First Class: Traveling on an Airplane with a Toddler and What Will Help Keep Your Sanity

A young child sleeps in a car seat on an airplane, wrapped in a thick, pink knitted blanket. The child's head leans to the side, with a pacifier in their mouth. The airplane window next to the child shows the view of airport ground equipment outside.

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Crying in first class: To say Zoey is a frequent flier is putting it lightly for this 18-month-year-old. In July, we traveled from Denver to LA to Oahu, totaling 7 hours in the air. In August, we went from Denver to Charlotte (3.5-hour flight). And in September we will be traveling to Disneyland for the Oogie Boogie Bash (a 2-hour flight). 

Normally, it is Tony and I tag-teaming to make sure Zoey is occupied during the flights; goodbye in-flight movies. But this last trip to Charlotte, it was just Zoey and I (in one seat). Not only was I exhausted by the end of the flight, I was sweating. It’s a lot of work to keep a toddler on your lap and happy, but it’s doable. 

Here are some tips I can share to help you travel on long trips and short ones with your kiddo. 

  • Buy That Seat: Whether you are looking to buy your kiddo their own seat, which I would recommend if it fits your budget, or looking to upgrade to stretch seating – just do it. I like the security of putting Zoey in her car seat while on a flight in case of turbulence – or rough landings. If you have an older kiddo, stretch seating is nice to give them more space to stretch out or stand up without them kicking/bumping their neighbor in front of them. 
  • Important: Make sure your car seat is FAA-approved. Gate agents will look for the label that says your car seat is approved for airplanes. Most car seats are, except I was shocked to find my Graco SlimFit was not. So, make sure you read labels. I would recommend a lighter car seat when traveling to make it easier navigating the concourse. 
    • Cosco brand is what we typically fly with and it’s comfortable enough that Zoey had no complaints in it for that 5-hour flight to Oahu.
      Cosco Convertible Car Seat
      Cosco Convertible Car Seat
      $89.99

      Pros:

      • Affordable
      • Lightweight – 13lbs
      • 5-point harness
      • Rear-facing up to 40lbs / forward-facing up to 65lbs

      Cons:

      • Minimal padding
      • Straps twist easily
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      01/08/2025 12:25 pm GMT

    1. Keep Cool: Not only do you need to keep your cool, but you need to stay cool. I found that when Zoey gets hot, she gets more easily frustrated. When I keep her cool – which is tricky on planes – she is more amendable to sitting on my lap or taking a nap in her car seat. 
      1. Portable Fan: I bring this little desk fan along with me. It’s easy to put on the tray table and you don’t have to worry about stringing it or wrapping it to keep still. Plus, when you get to your destination – it’s nice to keep on your side table if you get hot easily at night.
  • Entertainment: Whether you are an iPad lover or not, keeping your kiddo entertained throughout the flight is where I feel most parents panic. Me being one of those parents. Here are some of the things we have on hand in our personal bag so it’s easy to grab from underneath the seat:
  • LittlePeople Toys: Zoey is at the age that pretending to be people or animals makes her giggle. We make sure we have her smaller miniature people or animal toys to run across the seat, window, or tray table
  • PlayDough: For the older kids, I would buy travel playdough that they can roll and make shapes or animals with. It keeps their mind occupied while having fun
  • Post-Notes and Stickers: I could have just bought stickers and a piece of paper and Zoey would have been happy on the flight to Charlotte. Despite having a short(er) attention span because of her age – she loved playing with stickers and post-it notes. We stuck them on the seat, pulled them off, put them on the window, pulled them off. It was rinse and repeat for 15 minutes. 
  • Books: Whether I’m reading the words or just pointing at the actions on the page, Zoey enjoyed having books with her on the flight. We are still at the board book phase and she liked turning the pages. These are some of Zoey’s favorites: 
  1.  
  • iPad: When I am all out of ideas and I can tell Zoey is getting restless – I break out the last-resort; the iPad. I have interactive games downloaded to let her color or draw line designs or bake a pizza. And then I have Disney+ app with episodes and movies saved. 
  • Snacks: We pack some easy-to-eat pouches for Zoey when we are traveling. They pass TSA no problem and are so convenient when lunch time happens in the air. Plus, I’ve researched the heck out of the quality of the food. 

No matter what anyone says, when you are traveling with a kiddo that cannot be reasoned or negotiated with, it is stressful. Give yourself grace and remember, you’re doing your best to keep your kiddo happy and entertained. And most of your surrounding passengers will be understanding – and even sympathetic – while you sweat to keep your kiddo calm. Your flight will be over before you know it so keep your game face on. You got this!

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