International Flights with a Young Kid

If you’re feeling nervous about international flights with a young kid, you’re not alone. With family around the world, I was anxious about how I was going to survive all future international flights with a young kid in tow. It’ll be a new experience, that’s for sure!

I did what most new parents did. I read blogs for tips to make journeys on international flights with a young kid as painless as possible. Babies go through new phases of development every couple of months. With each international flight, it’s a totally different experience depending on the phase of development. Yes, babies do keep you on your toes.

Before the age of two, Lady Yeya made five long-haul flights (California x 3, Dominican Republic, and Mauritius) and two European flights (Marseille and Prague). We took advantage of kids under two fly for “free” as a lap child to the extent possible. Indeed, we made the most of my year-long maternity leave and 5.5 weeks of annual leave.

Lady Yeya’s First Year of Travel

Lady Yeya made her maiden voyage to beautiful California at 3.5 months old on a direct 10.5 hr flight to Oakland International Airport, a short-lived route on BA that is now cancelled. In retrospect, of all the five international flights with a young kid, this flight was by far the easiest. In fact, I was actually able to watch a movie outbound to California with Lady Yeya cradled in my arms. The upside of travelling with a newborn is that they are tiny and sleep around the clock to the humming white noise of the airplane. Plus I was exclusively nursing which makes feeding the baby a lot easier without worrying about bottles and sterilisation. If you have a newborn, definitely take advantage of this and go on a few trips!

For our trip to St. Remy de Provence when Lady Yeya was 5 months old, we took the 6-hour train journey from London St. Pancras to Avignon on Eurostar but flew home from Marseille. We would have been happy to take the Eurostar back to London. However, this would require a train change and go through border control at Lyon. It’s a bit of a hassle with a newborn. Plus the train pulls into London St. Pancras fairly late. Seeing how Lady Yeya has an easy temperament, we would have been fine travelling back on the train with the help of the baby carrier. 

When Lady Yeya was 8 months old, we flew to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic on a direct flight on BA. Lady Yeya packed on 5 kilos since birth. She was more alert and requiring a lot more attention. She was just starting to sit up on her own but wasn’t crawling. Thank goodness, Lady Yeya was and still is a brilliant sleeper. We had to bring baby food and lots of snacks with us as Lady Yeya was now on solids. We made it to Punta Cana in one-piece to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. 

An unexpected family death took us back to California when Lady Yeya was 10.5 months in the dead of winter. Obviously, we weren’t prepared for this trip. Lady Yeya was more mobile, bum shuffling around and more vocal. All outbound winter flights to San Francisco are day flights leaving London Heathrow around 11 am. Because we are chasing the sun to the west coast, the cabin was never dimmed or quiet, making it difficult to nap. Unfortunately, we got stuck in a noisy section of the cabin with revellers ready to celebrate New Year’s Eve upon landing in San Francisco. I had to use the baby carrier and gently rock Lady Yeya to nap at the rear of the plane. It was an exhausting flight, but the BA flight crew were very helpful and allowed me to sit in a quieter section of the plane when she needed a nap. 

Lady Yeya’s Second Year of Travel

At 14 months and weighing over 9 kilos, flying as a lap child was no longer fun on 10.5 hours flight to San Francisco. She was too big to sleep comfortably in her bassinet seat. Overall, the flight was smoother than our last trip to California. My nappy bag was full of books, toys, and lots of snacks, snacks, and more snacks. We took a mid-afternoon outbound flight, with her napping in transit to London Heathrow and used the BA lounge for a bit of relaxation before the flight. On the way back to London, we took a night flight back which made flying so much easier because she slept most of the journey. At this age, the jet lag is real for toddlers so mum and dad, be ready for this! 

Three months later at 17 months, Lady Yeya boarded a quick flight from LCY to Prague for a short weekend jaunt with family. The flight was a breeze, nothing like long-haul flights, but the preparation was the same as any other long-haul international trip. Lady Yeya just started to walk so we let her burn off some energy at London City.

At 20 months, it was Lady Yeya’s last flight as a “lap child” to the idyllic island of Mauritius. She was excited about the idea of going “night night” on an airplane as both legs were night flights leaving around 9 pm local time. She slept through most of the flight albeit uncomfortably on mum’s lap. Overall she did great flying to and from Mauritius. But, we were ready for her to get her own seat on her next flight. 

Regardless of the age of your tot, make your international flight with a young child stress-free with good organisation and mental preparation. Here are my top tips for international flights with a young kid. 

Pre-Planning Tips: 

• Birth registration and passports: Make an appointment to register your child’s birth before his/her arrival, provisionally for 7-10 days after the due date. We weren’t able to get an appointment to register her birth for a month. The British passport was easy and all done via post. The American passport was a process requiring both parents to go to the U.S. Embassy by appointment and waiting through several queues.
• Kids Under Two Fly “Free”: If you are going on international flights with a young kid, you should take advantage of this. Well, it’s a bit of a misnomer — it is only “free” because your young child is sitting on your lap. There’s no such thing as a free lunch as you’ll still pay taxes for your lap child’s seat. Depending on your baby’s size and mobility, flying as a “lap child” may not be worth it. You may regret not buying your child a seat for extra comfort and space. 
• Pick a direct flight and choose flight times strategically: I try to take a red-eye direct on long-haul international flights with young kids. Not only is the cabin dimmed but also a lot quieter so you and the baby can rest. Failing this and cost permitting, pick a flight that works best for your baby’s sleep routine.
• Bulkhead Seats with Baby Bassinet: It’s worth booking the bulkhead seats with the baby bassinet as there is more leg space. The downside is that it can be quite noisy as bulkhead seats are usually by the toilets. Fellow passengers don’t always remember to close the toilet doors so the fluorescent lights shine through the gaps. This is very annoying especially when you’re trying to sleep. Parents bring eye shades!
• Pre-Order Baby Food / Formula at Boots: Take advantage of pre-ordering baby food and pre-made formula for pick-up at Boots after security. You’ll need to order at least 5-7 days before departure. This was very helpful when Lady Yeya started on solids. It’s also very handy to have extra pre-made formula in hand in case of emergencies. 

At the Airport:

• Dress comfortably in layers for parents and baby: It’s all about being comfortable in transit and in-flight. I always go with the athleisure look with a zip-up hoodie with zip pockets for small items. I also bring a lightweight black scarf in case the cabin gets chilly and can be used as a nursing cover-up. Dressing in layers applies to your baby as well as the cabin temperature tends to change.
• Get to the airport early: Strategically pick your transit time to coincide with nap times for a stress-free journey even if that means you arrive at the airport early. Toddlers can eat their meal and burn off some energy before boarding the flight. 
• Use a baby sling: When travelling with a small baby, use the sling so you can be hands-free to pull your hand-luggage through the airport. If your little one doesn’t sleep well, the baby sling is your saviour whilst in flight. As Lady Yeya got bigger, we used an umbrella stroller to get around the airport. Then we gate checked the stroller and picked up from the gangway when we arrived at our destination.  
• Final nappy change at the airport: Before you board your flight, be sure to do a final nappy change at the airport. If it’s a night flight, change your baby into their sleeper. Airplane toilets are tiny! 
• Pre-Boarding: Take advantage of pre-boarding if you have an infant and especially helpful if you have a late evening flight. That said, if you have a day time flight with an active toddler, then perhaps pre-boarding isn’t ideal for you. The energy is better spent in the waiting area. 
• Take off and landing: To help with the pressure change, use a bottle, nurse, or use the dummy during take-off and landing. 

Hold Luggage and Carry On Bags:

• Check-in baby gear: It’s impossible to “travel light” with young kids especially with all the baby gear for your little one. Airlines allow you to check-in two baby items such as prams/strollers and car seats for free. Up until Lady Yeya was about 8 months, we travelled with her Bugaboo Bee for a more comfortable ride and naps. Then we switched to the Maclaren umbrella stroller when she was too big to be carried around in the baby carrier.
• Luggage / Holdall Bags: We purchased a few practical travel items for a smoother journey. We got a new 4 wheel style carry-on luggage and a new kid’s holdall weekend bag with trolley sleeve. This allows you to slide the sleeves over the luggage handle for ease of hauling all your bags around the airport. Your poor shoulders will thank you. Luggage clips are helpful so we can connect our smaller luggage to our larger ones just in case mom was out of commission and dad had to handle all the bags on his own. 
• Carry On Luggage:  In case of an emergency such as lost luggage, delays, or diversions, I always pack an extra change of clothes for each person plus some basic toiletries and some extra nappies and wipes. You never know so it is best to be safe than sorry. The rest of the carry on has Lady Yeya’s “overflow” items, things that couldn’t fit in the holdall bag or diaper bag.

Diaper Bag:

• Nappies: The general rule is one nappy per two hours, plus a handful of extras for blow-outs because flying can upset the baby’s tummy. Place all nappies in Ziploc bags in case there is spillage. 
• Changing Mat: Remember, the airplane toilets are small. Take only the essentials – mat, nappy, nappy cream, wipes, nappy sack. 
• Baby Medicine: This includes a touchless thermometer, Calpol, diarrhoea medication, nasal decongestant spray, Milton cold water steriliser tablets, etc. Also, pack some medicine for the parents such as paracetamol and cold medicine.
• Extra clothes for Baby and Mum: Extra vest and sleeper for baby and an extra shirt for mum. You never know when spit-ups, blowouts, and spillage happens. Again put all extra clothes in Ziploc bags.
• Cleaning Up: Wet wipes, anti-bacterial wipes, hand sanitizer, extra Ziploc bags, and rubbish bags (for trash and soiled items).
• Muslins: These are lightweight and packable. It is worth bringing extra to use for swaddling, blanket, cover-up, nursing, and more. 
• Fun / Comfort: Bring some lightweight books, toys, comfort items/favourite blanket, dummies and the iPad for the toddlers.
• Food and Feeding: Bottles, sippy Cup, bibs, utensils, cooler bag, formula, snacks, and food pouches.
• For Mums: Lightweight scarf, lip balm, hand cream, face cream, tissue pack, earbuds, and eyeshades. I always bring a practical size crossbody bag to hold important items such as passports, phones, and a pen. 

I hope these tips are helpful for new parents travelling with their little family. Here’s to stress-free international flights with a young kid! With that, happy travels and enjoy all the wonderful travel memories with your little tot.