The Ultimate Travel Hacks for Long Flights with Babies & Toddlers

It had been too long since we’d been on an international trip. Since 2019 in fact, with plenty keeping us grounded in Australia for the last five years – our caravan trip around the country, a certain pandemic, two pregnancies, and two books focused on Australia to research and create for. So we were super excited to finally be heading on our first trip overseas in five years.

However, this time there was so much more to think about. On our last overseas trip it was just the two of us, with minimal luggage, not worrying about flight times or time changes, or space in the overhead compartment. This time we were a family of four – travelling to Hawaii with a toddler and baby, trying to figure out how many snacks, nappies and changes of clothes we might need for the flight in a worst case scenario.

It’s not like we hadn’t travelled with babies before – in fact, Macey has been on more than 60 flights in her short little two year old life, as well as plenty of ferries and helicopters and even a seaplane. But the long flight with TWO babies made me nervous, and I spent so much time trying to figure out the best way to do it all. In doing so I definitely over-packed and over-worried, but we had great flights both ways so I thought it would be helpful to share what worked for us.

If you’re planning a long haul flight with your little ones here are some of the best travel hacks we found to make our lives so much easier.

The JetKids by Stokke Bed Box

Wow oh wow, what can I say about the JetKids by Stokke Bed Box. This incredible little case does it all. It’s a carry on suitcase to pack your little ones onboard essentials into, with plenty of space for snacks, activities, blankets and special toys for their flight. It expands on your flight into a bed, filling the space between your child’s seat and the one in front, giving them plenty of space to lie down and spread out to get some proper sleep during their flight. Plus, it’s the ULTIMATE way to move your little one around the airport in a fun and exciting way, as they ride on top of the case.

Macey couldn’t get enough of her bed box. This is the first time we had used it and it was an absolute game changer. She was literally riding it through the airport laughing in delight and screaming GO DADDY, GO! It also made it so easy to get around as we had a connecting flight on the way over and had to change from the domestic to the international airport in Sydney. Once we were on the flight she was able to stretch her legs out and get comfy, giving her plenty of space to sleep through the flight without needing to lie across us to get comfortable. In fact, she slept for 8 hours of the 9.5 hours from Sydney to Hawaii, and more than 5 straight hours on the way home, even though it was mostly a day flight. It was absolutely incredible – we couldn’t recommend it highly enough.

We have the Pink Lemonade Bed Box, shop here from JetKids by Stokke.

A baby carrier from Chekoh

Honestly, my lifesaver both at home and when travelling. This Chekoh baby carrier is the most comfortable baby carrier I have ever worn, and my daughter is absolutely loves it. She goes straight to sleep and has slept for up to two hours in there before, snuggled up with me while I keep going. Airports have so many lights and sounds, and everyone is moving so fast all the time, Chloe found it difficult to nap in that environment for the first time, so this was perfect to settle her when she started to get a little overtired. We could keep moving through the airport and I even boarded the plane with baby in the carrier, even keeping her asleep on my chest as we took the carrier off and put her seat belt on for take off.

A baby carrier is also invaluable during any trip, so you can keep adventuring and exploring while keeping baby happy and napping throughout the day! It’s important to note that you will most likely have to take your baby out of the carrier to go through security at the airport – so keep that in mind for when you decide to put it on. I put mine on straight after security and it worked perfectly.

We have the Ivory Cord Clip 2.0 Carrier, shop here from Chekoh.

Fly during the night

Flying on a night flight worked really well for us. Especially one where take off was a little past our kids normal bedtime. By the time we got on the flight they were both so tired, they went right to sleep as soon as we started to take off. Our night flight from Sydney to Hawaii was 9.5 hours long and they both slept for most of the flight, with Chloe waking up just for feeds and nappy changes and Macey just waking up for the breakfast service before we landed.

The Bed Box also definitely helped with how long Macey slept during the flights, she was able to get way more comfortable with the extra space. For Chloe I found that taking her a sleep sack for the flight was also really helpful to keep her a little bit in her night-time routine and let her know that it was time to sleep.

A travel pram that fits in the overhead compartment

Finding a travel pram that folds up and fits in the overhead compartment during your flight, that your baby or toddler also likes to nap in is like finding gold. We’ve always used an easy, foldable travel stroller since we first started travelling with Macey, taking them onboard every flight with us and it has made life so easy. On every flight, every excursion, every island, Macey has had more naps in her travel stroller than I can count. The best thing about a stroller that fits in the overhead compartment is that your baby or toddler can literally be pushed around in comfort through the whole airport, right up until you’re about to board your flight, and then you also immediately have it straight after. Giving your tired arms a break, and baby more room to travel in comfort. We’ve also been known to shove jumpers and neck pillows in the bag as well, to save room in our carry on luggage.

For this trip I also bought a generic toddler board with a seat for Macey to ride on (our current stroller doesn’t have a matching one), and opened up the back of the pram so she could see through as we moved around. It wasn’t the best set up, as the toddler board was a little wobbly and Macey probably would have preferred to still be in a stroller herself, but it did the job while we were in Hawaii. For the first few days, where she took the odd nap to get through the jetlag we also let her jump back in the stroller and popped Chloe in our Chekoh carrier so that everyone got their naps in and were ready to keep going.

An Essential Guide To Honolulu

Avoid the hype about the seat with the bassinet

This is a personal preference, but we are not a fan of the front row with the bassinet. The main reason being that you cannot put the arm rests up in these seats (as this is normally where tray tables and entertainment are stored), which we feel gives you less room to spread out as a family. We like to be able to lift up the arm rests so Macey can lie on us if she wants to, and feel like it just generally makes you feel like you have a little more room. It’s also good to note that you have to take your baby out of the bassinet whenever the seat belt sign comes on, which mean you might have to disrupt their sleeping if you have a little bit of turbulence during your flight.

The one benefit of the bassinet seats is of course how much extra legroom they come with, so you have to weigh up the pros and cons of what makes you more comfortable on a flight for this one. It’s does give you more space for little ones to play and move around without having to walk around in the aisles.

Instead, a better option for us has been asking the airline staff at check in if there are any spare seats on the flight that we can be seated with. If you’re not travelling on a full flight they have always been happy to help move us around to give us an extra seat if they can so we can spread out a little more with babies, which means we can put them down and let them stretch out too once you’re cruising in the air.

Other packing essentials for your flight

A few other things that are important to consider when packing for flights with babies and young kids –

Bring any special items that your babies are attached to to keep them feeling safe and secure (blankets, stuffed toys, dummies, etc), especially anything that they use for comfort when they’re going to sleep.
Pack 1.5 times the nappies you would usually use for the time period of your flight (in daytime hours, not overnight), it’s always better to have too many than not enough in a nappy situation!
Remember a few changes of clothes (not just one), in case of spills, blowouts and accidents, as well as a change of clothes that suit your destination to change into when you’re landing or at the airport, so they’re comfortable as soon as you arrive.
Include plenty of things to keep them entertained, including a few new things to keep them excited and interested. Things that have worked well for us include colouring books, stickers, drawing boards, small toy figurines, pop fidgets, soft cover story books, and plenty of different teethers and connecting rings/links for babies.
Lots and lots of snacks are always necessary, try not to rely in airplane food for your littlies since it can often be unreliable.

And if you’re breastfeeding during your flight, it can be super hard but make sure you drink as much water as possible and stay super hydrated, cos flights leave everyone feeling a little dehydrated, including babies.

USA Travel Guide

One more must have: Water wings by La La Luna

This one’s not for your flight, but if you’re heading on a tropical getaway with a toddler packing a pair of water wings for the pool is a great idea. Macey can be a cautious kid, and normally takes a minute (or hour) to warm up to getting off the step of a pool, preferring to splash where she can touch the bottom. But after a couple of swims in her water wings she gained SO MUCH confidence!

From not even wanting to get off the step with one of us holding her on the first day, by the end of the trip she was swimming on her own in her water wings, saying ‘don’t help me Mummy, I do this all by myself!’, kicking her way all the way across the pool and even jumping in. It was so great to watch and the water wings made her feel so safe while she was in the pool, giving her the confidence to try all sorts of new things.

We have the Ocean Water Wings from La La Luna, they have so many beautiful colours and cute prints to choose from.

Long haul flights and travelling internationally with babies and toddlers can sometimes feel stressful and overwhelming. Especially from Australia, it takes us so long to get anywhere internationally! But watching your little ones discover a new place for the first time, learn new words and new things that they probably wouldn’t have at home and exploring their new holiday environment is absolutely worth it every time. Things might have to slow down a little bit compared to how you used to travel as a couple, but if you’re thinking about it, here’s your sign to always take the trip!