What to pack to fly with a baby

When flying with a baby, packing correctly can help make the flight much less stressful. Making sure you’ve sufficiently thought out what you will need and when so you can pack accordingly makes the difference. I have flown hundreds of times pre-baby and now I get to enjoy traveling with my baby. Here are some tips on what to pack to fly with a baby that we use every time we fly!

Baby items you can bring

First, let’s talk about what you can bring. Every country’s transportation authority and every airline will have different rules. Be sure to check with your specific airline for your specific destination. 

Formula

Generally, airports allow for formula and any specific water to be brought through security. This will need to be flagged to security and they will need to test it, but technically this is usually allowed if you are traveling with your baby present.

Breastmilk

Breastmilk gets a little bit more complicated as it depends on if it is frozen or not and it depends on what country you’re in. For example, in the US, you are allowed to travel with frozen breastmilk in your carry-on but in the UK, you are not. Check out my Complete Guide to Flying with Breastmilk: US & UK for more info but always make sure to check the rules and regulations for your specific airport pair and airline. 

Baby Equipment

Airlines also allow parents to bring baby items like car seats, strollers, and travel cots for free! Most things you will need to check into the hold at the airline desk when you first arrive at the airport, but you can often take your stroller with you through security and check it at the gate. If it is gate-checked, they will give it back to you at the gate once you arrive at your destination so you can use it in the airport. If you have a travel stroller that folds to fit in the overhead bin, you can actually take it on board with you (note: the overhead bins on smaller, domestic flights aren’t big enough for travel strollers so you should be prepared to gate check it). The rest of the baby equipment you check can be collected at baggage claim. 

The other exception is if you choose to use your airline-approved car seat on the flight. You can read this post for more information on this. 

Checked Luggage

Assuming you do choose to check some free baby equipment, you may as well check a bag while you’re there, especially if your ticket qualifies for a free one. When traveling before I had a baby, you wouldn’t catch me paying to check a bag for anything but now, I plan on it every flight. 

Even for short flights, my husband and I prefer to pack everyone’s clothes in one suitcase. We use packing cubes to keep everything separate and cram as much into that suitcase as possible. This makes it so what we carry onto the airplane are only just the essentials keeping our hands as free as possible, a luxury all parents can recognize. 

There are, however, things I’d recommend you to not pack in a checked bag. This list includes:

• anything needed during the flight
• anything needed in the airport
• anything valuable or irreplaceable (including things you can’t purchase in your destination, i.e., specific formula, specific diapers, medicine, etc)
• important documents

Carry-on Luggage

I used to live and die by my carry-on and while I still love her dearly, I try to carry-on as little luggage as possible as stated before. So, in my carry-on luggage, if I bring any, I will usually only bring one for my family. In it, I will put anything I couldn’t put in the checked luggage for fear of losing it but I will also put in at least one extra change of outfit for everyone for the same reason. 

If I am bringing a carry-on, I will also put charging cables, a sound machine, or any other small equipment we need to bring but don’t need until our destination. 

Read also: An honest review: Mountain Buggy Nano Travel Stroller

Diaper Bag

Flying with a baby is where having a big, spacious diaper bag actually is a benefit. This is truly where, with good foresight and packing, you can do yourself some massive favors. Equally, it is also where you can go seriously wrong. 

Diapers

First, naturally, we start with diapers. It may seem like overkill, but I like to bring at least twice the amount of diapers that I think I’ll need. This is in case of any delays or unforeseen circumstances. You may not be able to run and grab diapers from the store or even from your checked bag. 

Wipes

The same thing applies to baby wipes. Also, remember that you will also use wipes for things like cleaning hands after eating, wiping down airplane seats, and wiping snotty faces so you not only need extra for wiping bums, but you need extra for all the other bits as well. 

Outfits

Next, if you don’t have extra clothes in your carry-on, I’d bring at least a couple extra outfits for baby (again, think about potential delays) with an extra shirt for yourself and maybe even one for your partner as well. This one has saved me a couple of times now. 

Specialty Items

I’d also recommend bringing any specialty items (I’m thinking diaper rash cream, teething gel, medicine, etc).  While you may be able to get these at a shop in your destination, in the case of delays, you may wish you’d brought some from home. 

Toys

Lastly, toys! New toys or toys they haven’t seen in a while. I’ve also seen people wrap toys (like a present) all in the interest of making it more exciting so they’ll stay engaged with it longer. We like using things like spinners, busy books, and this indestructible book. 

Snacks

As far as snacks go, if your baby is starting foods and you want to bring purées/snacks with you, these are often allowed through security without counting towards your liquid count (again, check with your departing airport). I do, however, like buying these things in the airport so they don’t need to fit inside my luggage since I can get them in a carrier bag and take them on board. Then, I also have a trash bag to collect trash! Win-win!