Pre-Schooler Flight Essentials

Last Thursday was Charlotte’s first flight, and she did an amazing job! I had crowd-sourced my people and asked for tips and tricks for flying with a three-year-old, and everyone helped me out a ton. I took what they told me and combined it with what I already knew about traveling with a toddler, and that’s all I needed to feel confident and prepared as we headed out for our first cross-country flight and vacation with our pre-schooler.

We packed her carry-on bag with only the necessities that she would need for her first flight and for our trip, and she was occupied and content 98% of the time. We all know that traveling with a child can be stressful, but it doesn’t have to be. Here are some pre-schooler flight essentials that will most likely help save your sanity and keep you and your child happy.

The Carry-On Bag

I tried to pack as minimally as I could, but there are some things we just couldn’t live without. It’s always better to be over-prepared than not prepared enough. This is what I packed in Charlotte’s carry-on and what was used the most:

• Backpack // The first thing you’ll need is a backpack. It was a little heavy for Charlotte, so I had to carry it, but it was no big deal for me. Backpacks are best because they free up your arms when walking around through the airport and are great for your vacations that require lots of walking. This thing went everywhere with us.
  • We counted her backpack as a personal item, and her duffle bag with her clothes was brought on as her actual carry-on bag.
• Dramamine // Some people recommended Benadryl for the flight, but our flights were in the middle of the day so I did not want to go that route. Since it was Charlotte’s first flight, I didn’t know if she would get motion sickness. I packed the Dramamine and gave her the recommended dosage 30 minutes before take-off. It didn’t make her drowsy and no queasiness happened!
• Dum Dums // For take-off and landing, I usually chew gum to equalize the air pressure in my ears, but I knew I needed something else for my little bird. Someone on Instagram recommended that we give her lollipops, and it worked pretty well. I took Dum Dums because they’re small and don’t make a huge mess. She only held on to her ears once and that’s when she wasn’t sucking on a Dum Dum.
  • I will say to take more than you think you’re going to need. We went through all of them quickly, and I had to end up using Blow Pops. It wasn’t the easiest to get her to give the lollipop back once she got to the gum part.
• Snacks // Snacks, snacks, and more snacks! You really can’t have enough. I made sure to pack Charlotte’s favorites (Annie’s snacks, Annie’s fruit snacks, and Horizon yogurt pouches) in a gallon size plastic baggy to make sure they got through security okay. Having them in a plastic bag also makes them easier to find when rifling through your bag.
• Contigo Water Bottle // This water bottle has been our favorite for a good two years. It is the only one that does not leak and that I trust to carry around in my purse. However, leave this empty until you make it through security, and then fill it up with whatever you prefer to give your child to drink. I filled it up on the plane with apple juice from the flight attendant.
• Coloring book & colors // Preschoolers love to color and play with stickers. I packed Charlotte’s favorite coloring & sticker book, and she played with this a couple of times. Charlotte’s daddy and myself were covered in stickers at one point, but it kept her occupied and happy. Definitely worth packing!
  • I also packed her colors in a plastic baggy. Everything and anything that could possibly come loose, I packed in a plastic baggy.
• Water Wow // This has made the travel roundup before, and it’s a clear winner. Melissa & Doug’s Water Wow is one of my favorite things to tote around for Charlotte to play with. I pull this out at restaurants, at church, at the doctor’s office, and in the car. All you do is fill up the water pen, and it “paints” the pages. It dries up and then it’s good to go for another round.

• iPad & sturdy case // We have several electronic tablets, but when it comes to traveling, nothing beats an iPad. Load it up with your child’s favorite apps (that don’t require wi-fi) and downloaded movies. I also just got this new case, and it worked great. The cover folds horizontally, perfect for watching movies and playing games.
• Child Headphones // These Kidz Gear Wired Headphones are perfect for little ears, limiting audio volume to only 80% of original maximum volume. Some people have complained that they’re not loud enough over engine noise, but Charlotte was able to hear just fine.
• Disney Movies Anywhere App // Two of my friends told me about this app, and it was a lifesaver! You might have already heard about this, but if you haven’t, let me tell you. This app is gold. You know the inserts that come with most Disney movies? You’ll need those. I had about 7 movies that came with digital copies, so all you do is plug in the code, and it shows up in your library. If you want the movies to play WITHOUT having to stream it, all you do is download the movie onto your device.
  • Just make sure that when you’re on the plane that your iPad is set to airplane mode, otherwise it will try to connect to in-flight wi-fi if there is any and it won’t play your downloaded movies. A sweet lesson I learned the hard way.
  • You’ll also have the option to sync these movies in your iTunes videos, Amazon videos, and a few other places. You can then decide where you want to download them. I just kept them in the Disney app. If I had to do it again, I probably would have downloaded the movies in my iTunes videos just because you can see every scene in the settings and fast forward and rewind better.
• Disney Jigsaw! Puzzles App // This app is by far Charlotte’s favorite app that does not require wi-fi. It comes with a handful of puzzles, and it’s adaptable for your child’s ability. There are in-app purchases if you want to buy more puzzles, just make sure you check it out before your flight.

• Anker Portable Charger // Since you’re little might drain the battery on your device at any point on your trip, this portable charger will save you. It works for any device that has a USB cord.
• Wet Ones // You know you’ll be dealing with sticky fingers and germs on table tops at some point. Wet Ones is our go-to to wipe the germs and yuckiness away.
• Tide Pen // I used this bad boy more than once. I still pack a bib for Charlotte, but somehow the people in my family are always staining their clothes. I never leave home without this. (Funny story: I even had to buy Shout when we reached our destination for a big disaster I made with my makeup and a white dress.)
• Socks // It might get chilly on the plane, so something I always pack for myself and now my babe are a pair of socks.
• Pillow & Blanket // We are so thankful to have a tiny toddler pillow (from Pottery Barn Kids) because this little thing travels with us everywhere. I also brought Charlotte’s favorite blanket. It’s small and transports well, so it came with us and I’m glad it did. She was comfy cozy the entire trip.

More Tips

Some things I learned about traveling with a pre-schooler for the first time are this:

• Travel with an umbrella stroller. We love our big, fancy stroller, but it was just too much to lug around, especially to a city like NYC. You also don’t have to worry about damaging a super nice stroller when you gate check it. Also, strollers do not count as a carry-on.
• If your child is a wiggly worm and needs to be better confined, you might want to look into a Child Airplane Travel Harness. We actually had borrowed one from a friend, but we ended up not needing to use it.
• Check into your flight points. If you have a credit card that offers reward points for flying, check into those! We had enough to get our seats almost for free and to be put into first class. It definitely made for a more comfortable trip.
• Change your child’s diaper (yes, we’re still in diapers) before you board the plane. Or take your little one to the potty before you board. The airplane bathrooms can be a little bit scary even for an adult.
• Bring a copy of your kid’s birth certificate just in case. I brought a copy, but I never needed it.
• When going through security, stay calm. Some airports let little kids keep their shoes on while others will ask them to be removed. Don’t get frustrated. Just stay relaxed and know you’ll be okay.
• We didn’t have to travel with a carseat, so I have no tips for that. We booked GroundLink transportation and requested a carseat in our vehicle for our transport to and from the airport. Worked out perfectly. We also had to use an Uber once in the city and requested a carseat for that as well.

And that’s about it! Thanks to all of you who offered suggestions before our flight. It definitely made our first flight experience a great one.

Have a great day, friend!

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