Choosing the best flights for babies and toddlers is really a matter of personal preference. Do you care more about booking direct than saving some money with an indirect flight? 95% of the time I will pay more for a direct flight, but there are times when an indirect flight may make sense. Are you a morning person or a night owl? Will your child sleep anywhere? Or is the plane likely to be a tough place to get your baby to fall asleep? You know your children and yourself best.
Every family is going to have a different travel style and different needs. When picking the best flights for babies and toddlers, it comes down to what you think will work best for your family. But there are things to consider. In this post I discuss the pros and cons of different flight times and flight options and other things to think about.
I will say before we get started that if this is your first time flying with your baby or toddler or both(!), do not stress too much about picking the perfect time of day or flight route. There are things you can do to try to set your family up for a successful flight. And with this blog, I try to offer some ideas and share what has worked for my family. But, ultimately, how your baby or toddler handles flying is a bit out of your control. Maybe it will be smooth sailing. Or maybe you will be counting the seconds until you can walk off the plane. Either way, just know others see you doing your best. You will not be the only one on the plane who understands the challenges of flying with a young child. Let that bring you a little peace of mind.
Choosing an Airline
Airlines all differ in their policies and it is important to confirm your airline’s baggage, seat, and child gear policies before booking to avoid any unexpected snags in your travel.
I once traveled on Delta with a 50 lb checked bag, but then flew on Spirit Airlines on the back end of the trip. At the time, Spirit Airlines had a 40 lb checked bag limit (that has changed). I had not looked at the baggage policies and was stuck with an oversized bag fee from Spirit Airlines at the check-in counter. I learned the importance of confirming the airline’s policies. Also, a ticket on one airline could seem cheaper, but if you add hidden fees and restrictive policies it may not be the best option.
Here are the policies that I confirm before booking a plane ticket:
1. Stroller Policies
Will the airline let you gate check your large double stroller or wagon? If you have a stroller that can fit in the overhead compartment on the plane, will the airline allow you to carry it on? If so, does it count toward your carryon quota?
2. Carseat Policies
Confirm your airline’s carseat policies and make sure you book seats that can accommodate the carseat. Most airlines will not permit you to place a carseat in an aisle seat. All US airlines will require that a carseat is FAA certified for use in aircraft.
4. What are the limitations of each ticket fare type (basic economy, economy, economy plus, etc.)?
If you are flying basic economy (or with some other discounted ticket), what are the limitations of that ticket? Do you have carryon baggage limitations? Will you be able to select your seats when you purchase your tickets? If you will be assigned seats, don’t assume that because you are flying with a toddler, you will be seated together. We never buy basic economy when traveling as a family. The policy of most airlines is that if you want to sit with the other members of your party, you need to buy a ticket that allows you to pre-select your seats.
5. Blowup bed, pillow, and accessory policies.
Most airlines list their policies for blowup beds, footrests, etc. All US airlines require that bulky items like the Flyaway Kids Bed be stored away until after takeoff and before landing. If you are planning to use the Flyaway Kids Bed, there is an approved airline list on the company’s website, but also check your airline’s website. Know, however, that ultimately what you can and can’t use is up to the discretion of the flight attendants.
Choosing a Flight Time
I don’t let the flight time dictate my travel schedule too much. Often we don’t really have much choice on flight time due to work or there being limited flights to the destination. If we want to go somewhere, we go. But sometimes we have options. In those scenarios, I do try to book our flights strategically.
My favorite time to fly with my children depends on their ages. When I just had a baby, really any time other than after bedtime worked for us. My babies have slept well on me or in my arms, so naps on the go at that age has been no problem for us. Trying to get an overtired baby to bed at our destination two hours past bedtime has, however, proven very difficult for us. Or, even worse, getting a child back to sleep after a late night nap on the plane.
If I am flying with a toddler or if I have a toddler and a baby, I opt to follow the toddler’s schedule. In my opinion, an exhausted baby is easier to work with than an overtired toddler. But maybe that is just our family’s dynamic.
Here are some things to consider as you look at departure times for your family.
Early Morning Flights (Before 9 am)
Depending on how far you live from the airport, these early morning flights can be really tough. You may have to wake your kids up pretty early to get to the airport on time. A 6 am flight is my second-to-last choice (last choice being the short 5 hour or less red-eye). To make a 6 am flight, we have to leave our house sometime around 3:30 am. 8 am is much more doable because we are only waking up our kids about half an hour before they would normally wake up.
To make these early flights a little easier, we keep the kids in pajamas. We will usually have a snack on the way to the airport if the kids are awake and then eat breakfast on the plane. I try to offer a fun breakfast that they would not normally get and use that to entertain them for a bit. Some of the fun options that my kids have enjoyed include empanadas, breakfast burritos, bagels, and yogurt parfaits. I avoid sugary foods before and during the flight.
There are three big benefits of flying out in the early morning.
- You arrive at your destination earlier in the day, especially if flying east to west.
- You are less likely to experience flight delays.
- I find that getting out the door can be easier because I am all packed the night before and just transfer the kids from their beds directly to the car. Leaving later in the day when the kids are running around making messes and walking off with packed items tends to make for a more hectic departure from our home.
Mid-Morning Flights
Mid-morning is when my children have the most energy, making this a hard time to fly with my toddlers who just want to move. The good thing about flying at this time is that, if it is a short flight, you may be at your destination in time for a normal nap time. But the tough thing about naps after mid-morning flights is my kids are so excited to be at our destination that they don’t want to take a nap right away.
Late Morning – Early Afternoon (Nap Time) Flights
This is my favorite time to fly when I have both a baby and a toddler with me. The toddler’s nap usually overlaps with the baby’s nap, so in a perfect scenario, I can end up with my toddler and baby sleeping at the same time. But my kids do sleep well on the go and the younger ones will often fall asleep during takeoff if they are tired. If your children don’t sleep well outside of their beds, this could be a more difficult time to fly.
I try to time the flight so my kids are sleepy during takeoff. The rumble of the plane as we take off will often lull my children to sleep, especially if I am feeding the baby to prevent ear pain. If the flight is earlier than their normal nap time, I will try to make sure my kids are up earlier that morning. I also have them run around a lot in the morning before we head to the airport.
If my toddler and/or baby do not take their afternoon naps on the plane, we can usually roll into an early bedtime when we land and then reset overnight and the next day.
Mid-Afternoon Flights
A flight that leaves at 3 pm can be tough because you need to leave for the airport during the early afternoon nap time. If we opt for a 3 pm departure, I do it knowing my toddler won’t get a real nap that day. They may get a catnap in the car on the way to the airport, but that is probably all.
Late Afternoon Flights
Late afternoon can be a good time to fly. Usually my children are not as energetic in the late afternoon as the mid-morning hours. They are more likely to sit and do a calm activity at that time. But it can be hard to get them to bed when we have just landed at our destination and they are excited. If we fly out in the late afternoon, I will need to have enough food for them to have “dinner” on the plane. I have forgotten to think ahead about meals before and found myself stuck on a delayed flight through dinner time. Having hangry kids on a flight is not fun for anyone.
Evening Flights
We often fly in the evening after work. Evening is not a bad time to fly if you are willing to delay bedtime a bit. But I do recommend trying to keep your toddler awake on the plane. If they fall asleep on the plane, that late catnap can make it really hard to get them back to sleep at the destination.
Overnight/Red-Eye Flights
Red-eyes can be miserable for us adults, but our kids actually do pretty well on them. Do make sure, however, that it is a true red-eye, like a 9 hour flight to Europe. Some shorter flights going from Western US cities to Eastern US cities will have a red-eye option because, even though the flight may only be five hours, once you add a three hour time change, that takes up most of the night. But five hours is way too short to get any meaningful sleep once you factor in takeoff and landing. So we avoid those short red-eyes at all cost.
Check out my blog post Changing Time Zones: How to Tackle Jet Lag with Little Ones for some tips for red-eye flights.
A Long, Direct Flight or Two Shorter Flights?
I know well the pros and cons of both. I once flew solo to Hawaii with an extremely wiggly and energetic 14 month old. It was an eight hour flight on a small, single aisle airplane. The flight left in the morning and landed in the late afternoon. My wild child napped for 45 minutes on the entire flight. We probably walked the aisle 30+ times. It was the longest flight (not by hours) that I have been on and I have traveled all over the world.
Since then, I have opted to break up a flight that long if it is not overnight. This allows us to stretch our legs a bit, grab a bite to eat if needed, and use the bathroom. It has also worked out well if we leave in the morning, to keep my kids awake for the first leg, and then let them doze off to sleep as we take off on the second flight.
There are some big downsides to choosing an indirect flight, however. The biggest one being, if your first flight is delayed you may miss your connecting flight. You also have to go through the boarding process twice, which can be a lot to juggle with little kids.
If you do choose to fly indirect, confirm that your connection time is long enough for you to get to the next gate. If you gate-check a stroller or carseats, you will have to wait for those items before you can move on to the next gate. Some airlines will sell tickets with ridiculously short connection times. I like to have at least 1.5 hours, although I have booked a connecting flight with slightly less time in between. Indirect is always a bit risky, but sometimes has its appeal. For a conversation about why I sometimes choose to fly indirect, check out my post Reasons to Fly Indirect with Young Children.
In conclusion…
My least favorite flight departure times with a baby and/or toddler are very early in the morning (like 6 am), mid-afternoon (like 3 pm), and a short red-eye (five hours or less). I try my best to avoid those flight times, but don’t always have a choice. Early afternoon nap time usually works best for us.
My advice is to pick a time that you think will work best for your family and then don’t sweat it. You will learn what works for you and what doesn’t by trying it out. I do believe that kids and parents get better at flying with practice. The more my family flies (which is a lot at this point), the more our kids know what to expect and the more confidence I gain. So pick a flight and start building up that confidence! You can do it!!
