Tips for Flying with 2 Toddlers on a Plane: The 5 Products I NEEDED to Survive

We just got home from our very first airplane ride with the girls, and let me tell you, that was an adventure! Steve and I are expert travelers–I think we flew every month the first year we were dating–but that’s nothing like flying with littles. So, let me share with you my tips for flying with 2 toddlers on a plane, this time focused on my favorite 5 products that made the trip oh so much easier!

The flight didn’t worry me that much. Worst case, they cried. I had dealt with crying babies before.

But, the stuff. I was so worried about the stuff we had to bring and how we were going to carry it all.

So, I did a ton of research beforehand and found a lot of great tips on flying with toddlers on a plane. Some didn’t work for us, but most were a huge help (more on my favorites in a future post).

So, here are my 5 must have items to buy when traveling with toddlers.

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1. Travel Blanket

A lightweight travel blanket is a multi-tasking hero during flights and long layovers.

This blanket was used as a blanket on the plane, a carseat/stroller cover during airplane/airport stroller naps, a place to play on the ground in the terminal, padding on over the carseat after our baby had a blowout on the plane (so she didn’t sit in poop for hours) and for countless games of peekaboo (pre-poop of course).

2. Noise-Cancelling Headphones for Littles

Noise-cancelling headphones for kids are an underrated product. We bought our first pair for E when we went to Disney when she was just 18 months old. And, I’m convinced that’s why we had such a great trip.

Now, I’m not talking the fancy $100 ones. Just grab these from Amazon for babies, or these for toddlers/bigger kids, and they block out enough noise on the airplane, as well as the noise for crowds, amusement park rides, and fireworks. Both girls have now fallen asleep in rides or during fireworks shows with these on. We don’t take a trip without them now.

Note: these do not have audio capability, so we have separate headphones for the tablet.

3. A Backpack for Each Kid

I’d seen this trick for older kids, but I have to say, it was a godsend for our little ones too. I put all E’s snacks, toys, tablet, change of clothes, water bottle, and lovies in her little backpack. Hazel’s had diaper changing stuff, formula, baby toys, change of clothes, and baby snacks.

If you’re looking for one for a toddler, the mini size of these PB Kids one is perfect. Emory has the blue princess one with her name monogrammed, and we love it for road trips and now airplane travel.

We put them in the stroller at the airport and under their seats during the flights. And, it was so nice to have each girls’ things in a dedicated bag, instead of digging through a communal bag for 1 little thing.

4. Lightweight Carseat

I did a lot of searching for tips on traveling with toddlers on a plane. After reading this recommendation on a lot of different sites, we bit the bullet and spent $100 on 2 lightweight carseats for the flight and our rental car.

I didn’t want to worry about dragging our 25lb seats through the airport, having our expensive seats broken or lost during transport, or having the rental car place sell out of seats.

These Cosco seats at Walmart were great. They weigh only 10lbs, were easy to install on the plane and the rental car, and easy to clean. And, they’re convertible, so it worked perfectly for rear-facing Hazel and forward facing Emory.

5. Carseat Carrying Bag

Ok, I think my favorite product to make traveling easier with kids is this carseat carrying backpack.

For 2 10+ hour travel days with 2 littles and 2 carseats, these were lifesavers. They were under $25 each, were easy to use (just put the carseat in and pull the drawstring closed and buckle the flap), and you could use them as a backpack!

So, I could be pushing a stroller full of kids, have our carryon backpacks under the stroller, and carry 1 carseat on my back at the same time.

Yes, I looked like a pack mule, but it worked like a charm.

When we checked in to our return flight, Steve dropped me off at the airport with the kids, the luggage, and 1 carseat, so he could drop off the rental car without worrying about the stuff.

Thanks to this backpack (and a luggage cart), I was able to check and tag all our bags, while also pushing the kids in a stroller, and not worry about the cumbersome carseat flopping everywhere.

What Did I Miss? Tell Me in the Comments!

I’d love to hear your tips for flying with toddlers on a plane! Tell me in the comments below!

Looking for more travel posts? Check out my post on Planning Your First Trip to Disney World!

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