When flying with kids, toddlers and babies especially, you NEED a list to make sure you remember everything. I have such a Mommy brain (yes, even though my youngest is now already one and a half years old) that without a checklist, I forget even the most important of things!
True story, I forgot my daughters’ nappies on our long-haul flight from Melbourne to Kuala Lumpur in July last year. How did I even leave the house without nappies?!?!?! Oh God! Amelia was only 3 months old at that time and I just forgot! Luckily for me, Emirates was absolutely fantastic and know that there are parents like me who are so forgetful flying with them! They gave me a whole bunch of nappies to use for the flight and then some! Soooo much love for this airline that we fly with them almost exclusively when we travel internationally.
OK so back to that list, for the flight, we always make sure we have:
- Nappies (at least 2 for every 4 hours of flying per child)
- Baby wipes
- One set of spare clothes in case they soil themselves before you reach your destination
- A coat if you are departing from a summer climate and your country of destination is in their fall or winter season
- Snacks – you’ll want as much of these as possible
- Pumped breast milk or baby formula – there are no quantity limits on breast milk or baby formula (these have been lifted)
- Panadol and a syringe (even if they’re not ill pre-flight and buy the smaller bottle as you won’t be able to carry liquids which are more than 100ml per bottle onto the airplane) – so handy for emergencies!
- Any other medication or creams your child might need
- A teether (if your child is teething)
- Your child’s favourite toy(s) and book(s) – most airlines except budget arlines will give out a toy and a colouring book with a set of colour pencils for your child so don’t overpack!
- iPad or tablet with your child’s favourite games, shows, and videos on it – especially useful when travelling on a budget airline and that long pre-boarding wait!
- A Fly Babee – only if you have infants who are light sleepers, otherwise it is just an extra piece of baggage you don’t need
Try to pack all of the items into one bag as trying to manage several bags with child(ren) in tow can be quite the challenge, especially if you are flying solo. Bag the liquids into a clear bag and store it in an easily accessible part of your bag that you can just take out when you are at the baggage X-ray machine. Make sure all of your electronics – mobile phone, iPad, laptop, chargers, etc. are also stored together so it will be easy to take out and place in the dedicated tray when you are at the baggage X-ray machine.
Most importantly, your stroller. Don’t ever forget this for you’ll end up with a sore back and possibly really tired arms and legs even before boarding! If you are travelling with one or two children under the age of 5, and you are able to afford to spend on another stroller, I would highly recommend the Babyzen Yoyo. It is a little pricey but it has been such a life saver for us on several occasions when there were no trolleys that our older child – Alisha could ride on. It is small enough to fold to carry on board and place in the overhead compartment in the airplane so that when you arrive at your destination, your little one can just pop in and you can wheel them around instead of having to carry them. Some airports have trolleys for you when you disembark so you can have your little one sit on them, but some, like the Melbourne Tullamarine Airport in Australia, and Kuching International Airport in Malaysia have no trolleys until you are at the baggage collection area. And believe you me, you’ll need it when you are travelling without your partner with two children under 3 who wants to be carried and is very cranky at this stage after an 8-hour flight, and the walk from the airplane to the immigration clearance is a fair way away. If you can’t afford the Babyzen Yoyo, there are cheaper no name brands on the market that you can find on eBay but just make sure they are sturdy and safe.
Let me know if there are any other essentials you carry on board that I haven’t thought of and feel free to leave tips for me (and others) in the comments below! Happy flying!
matsematse 