tips & tricks for acing the airport with two kids

i’m not sure there are many other things as daunting as the idea of being stuck on an airplane with a screaming baby… maybe the idea of lugging all the kiddo gear for your toddler too? regardless, when we decided not to drive to Pennsylvania and fly instead, both Jason and i set out to simplify our travel process. and honestly, i can happily say, our trip went about as successfully as we could have hoped.

here are some of the tricks we used to make our lives easier while traveling via plane with a 2.5 year old toddler and 2 month old baby.

check your bags

when you’re already toting a baby and toddler, don’t be hero and have a bunch of carry-on bags. save yourself the time and struggle and just check your luggage. no matter how long your trip may be, you’re bound to be traveling with more than originally planned simply because kid “essentials” seem to include everything they own down to the bed.

instead, bring a tote bag or diaper bag large enough to carry only what you need - bottles with formula, a burp cloth, extra change of clothes for every family member (who knows who that baby will spit up on or who the toddler will spill on), extra pacifiers and small blankets or swaddles (one for each kiddo).

Rowan LOVED riding on the attached glider board. throughout the airport he’d ask to go faster.

toddler glider board

i was really torn about adding another piece of gear to our load, but i’m so glad we splurged on the toddler glider board attachment for our stroller.

technically, this board isn’t for our jogger since our handle bar doesn’t expand, but we just lifted the bar out of the way and extended board out and it worked amazing. we were able to breeze through the long walking sections of the Atlanta international airport without worrying that we were dragging Rowan behind. we’ve all seen a parent trying to rush somewhere with a child dragging behind.

we even left the board attached to the stroller when we checked the stroller at the gate.

only bring what your toddler can carry

we decided to slim down what we were allowing Rowan to bring on the plane in an effort to minimize what we needed to carry, but also limit what we could possibly lose.

we allowed him to carry a very small, toddler sized backpack. inside we included two matchbox small race cars, a travel sized color wonder marker coloring book and two snack pouches.

he loved having his own bag to carry and we were able to keep his entertainment easily accessible.

simplify your stroller

ah the stroller - both a blessing and a curse. my biggest tip is to make sure your stroller is a breeze to collapse and open. you don’t want to be the family that everyone is passing on the air bridge because you’re struggling to collapse your stroller.

we used our city mini jogging stroller (the same one we had with Rowan) and found it to be a dream to travel with. we also decided to use a gate-check stroller bag to wrap it in when we checked it at the gate. the bag allowed us to keep the glider board attached and the strap on backpack in the under basket without worrying that either would get lost.

easy socks & shoes

airport security is a pain as an adult, so traveling with a kiddo makes it doubly difficult, not to mention going through with a baby and all the gear. so make your life simple and put your kids in slide on shoes and socks.

we opted for his favorite yellow crocs and ernie socks. yes; i know, my style heart hurt at this decision but it was a cinch to get through security. after getting scanned, Rowan put his own shoes on while i focused on getting the baby situated and Jason tracked down the miscellaneous bins. plus the socks kept those kid toes off the nasty floor.

wear the baby on the plane

hold the baby OR use a carrier, i tried the plane ride both ways. and if i did it again, i’d wear the baby in the carrier. even though you have to take baby out of the carrier for take off and landing, i found having her strapped on made a couple of things easier:

boarding and disembarking the plane
having a snack in the middle of the flight
sleeping/dozing (no risk of dropping her)

and because i had strapped her on before boarding the plane, she fell asleep as we were boarding and immediately fell back to sleep once we were in the air. each baby is different, so this might not work for you, but definitely give it a try. i really enjoyed having my hands free for snacks ;)

with COVID restrictions being lifted (at least mostly in the states) and travel rates rising, i hope these tips helped ease your way through the airport on your next vacation. and if you have any other must-share advice, drop them in the comments below. we parents have to stick together. safe travels!

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toddler travels