flying with kids essentials

I love family travel. But let’s be real: the one part of the journey that can fill even the most seasoned parent with dread is the flight.

If you’re a parent, you know the feeling. The anxiety starts building days before you even pack. “How will my child handle being cooped up for hours?” “What if they have a meltdown mid-air?” “How do I keep them quiet?”

I get it. I’ve been there. That pressurized cabin, thousands of feet in the air, with a high-energy five-year-old? It feels less like a vacation and more like a high-stakes mission.

But here’s the good news: it is absolutely manageable. After dozens of flights, I’ve refined our carry-on strategy down to a science. I now have a bag of essentials—the items that have saved my sanity time and time again.

Today, I’m sharing my top 5 non-negotiable, must-have items for flying with kids, complete with the why and how we use them. By the time you finish this article, you’ll be ready to pack your carry-on with confidence and maybe even feel a little lighter heading to the airport.

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Why Preparation is 90% of the Battle on a Flight

The first thing to accept is this: a successful flight with a child is 90% preparation and 10% execution.

Unlike a road trip, you can’t just pull over when things get chaotic. At 30,000 feet, there’s no “running to the store” for a forgotten item. And once a child’s “I’m BORED!” declaration starts, it’s incredibly difficult to reverse.

The goal is to avoid that worst-case scenario—the one where you’re stressed, your child is crying, and you can feel the side-eye from other passengers.

That’s why my carry-on is packed with surprises and solutions, ready to be deployed the second I sense trouble. Let’s pack yours.

1.The Pre-Loaded iPad (An Offline Essential)

This first one seems obvious, but the crucial detail is in the execution.

Do not, I repeat, do not rely on in-flight Wi-Fi.

I learned this the hard way on a flight where the Wi-Fi repeatedly cut out. My daughter’s favorite YouTube show froze, and the meltdown that followed was… memorable. Most in-flight Wi-Fi systems are simply not built to handle streaming video, if they connect at all.

Our family rule is now iron-clad: download everything in advance.

Most subscription services (YouTube Premium, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+) have download options. I load up our iPad with her favorite movies and shows, but I also make sure to have a few educational apps and simple, offline-friendly games.

Pro-Tip: Download a few brand new things they’ve never seen before. The novelty is a powerful tool. Making it a “special airplane-only” treat builds excitement and encourages quiet viewing time.

2.Volume-Limiting Kids’ Headphones

This item is the essential partner to the iPad. Please do not be the parent who lets their child’s game sounds blast through the cabin.

The free headphones airlines provide just don’t work for kids. They’re too big, constantly fall off, and require you to fix them every three minutes. It’s a low-key form of torture for parents.

More importantly, they are not safe. An adult volume level can be damaging to a child’s sensitive hearing.

This is why volume-limiting headphones are a non-negotiable for us.

These headphones are specifically designed to cap the audio at a level that is safe for young ears, giving me total peace of mind. Honestly, protecting their hearing is an investment, not an expense.

While wireless Bluetooth options are popular, I strongly recommend a wired set for travel. There are no batteries to charge, no frustrating pairing issues, and they can plug directly into the airplane’s in-flight entertainment system (you may need a simple two-prong adapter, but it’s worth it).

3.Coloring & Drawing Kits (The Analog Option)

As great as the iPad is, you can’t (and probably don’t want to) rely on screens for an entire 8-hour flight. At some point, you need a backup.

Enter the analog options: coloring and drawing.

But again, be strategic. Crayons will roll. Markers will stain. A dropped crayon on a dark airplane floor is gone forever.

We exclusively pack mess-free coloring kits. Think “Water Wow” pads (where you just use a water-filled pen) or “Crayola Color Wonder” sets, where the markers only show up on the special paper. These are genius. My daughter can color to her heart’s content, and I don’t have to worry about her redecorating the tray table or her clothes.

I always buy a brand-new coloring book for the flight and keep it hidden until we’re airborne. The “big reveal” buys us at least 30 minutes of focused, quiet time.

4.Origami (A Lightweight Activity)

When the novelty of coloring wears off, I pull out my most lightweight and surprisingly effective time-killer: origami.

This is a classic Japanese craft that I’ve found fascinates kids (and even nearby adults!). A small pack of colored paper is feather-light, takes up zero space, and can be used for hours.

Now that my daughter is five, she’s getting better at folding. The only problem? I can never remember the steps to make anything cooler than a basic airplane.

This is where the iPad comes back into play. Before we leave, I pre-download several origami tutorial videos from YouTube. “How to fold a dog,” “How to fold a frog,” etc. We watch the video together, pausing and folding, and it’s a wonderfully calm, interactive activity.

Plus, you can play with the finished creations afterward!

5.Snacks (Especially for Takeoff and Landing)

This last item is quite possibly the most important one. Snacks are not just for hunger—they are your secret weapon against the most common cause of in-flight meltdowns: ear pain.

That sharp pain during ascent and descent is caused by the change in air pressure. As adults, we know how to yawn or “pop” our ears to equalize it. Kids don’t. That pain is terrifying and sudden, and it’s the number one reason young children start screaming on a plane.

The solution is simple: you must get them to swallow.

Our routine is locked in. As soon as the plane starts taxiing down the runway for takeoff, I hand my daughter a lollipop, gummy bears, or a small box of raisins. Anything that encourages prolonged sucking or chewing. I do the exact same thing as soon as the “fasten seatbelt” sign chimes for our initial descent.

A sippy cup or straw bottle with water or juice also works perfectly.

The key is to have special snacks they don’t get every day. And when it comes to quantity, my rule is: Pack twice as much as you think you’ll need. Between ear-popping duty, hunger, and potential flight delays, this is not the time to run out.

Conclusion: A Great Flight Makes a Great Vacation

Flying with children will always be an adventure. It’s challenging, and it requires a different level of planning.

But with a little bit of strategic preparation, you can dramatically reduce the stress and friction for everyone. These five items are our trusted “teammates” that have seen us through countless flights, turning what could have been a chaotic experience into a calm, manageable one.

When you can avoid the “I’m bored!” meltdowns and actually enjoy some quiet time watching a movie or folding paper airplanes together, the vacation truly starts the moment you board the plane.

I hope these tips help turn your anxiety about the flight into excitement for the destination.