I currently have a three year old and almost two year old and we have flown with them five times so far. We now have getting from the car, into the airport, through security, on the plane and off down to a science.

From the Car to the Plane

We always do curbside check with our luggage. I am not a light packer and there is no way we are dragging both kids, the luggage and the rest of our stuff from the parking lot to the baggage counter. We curbside check our luggage, load both kids into our Valco Baby Duo double stroller and my husband goes to park the car while I wait with the kids. We also bring each kid their own backpack and use this stoller hook to hook the bags onto (so much easier than shoving them under the stroller).

My husband comes and meets us carrying the travel car seats in these easy backpack carry bags. We also always wear Little Sleepies pajamas. They’re bamboo so super comfortable and breathable for whatever climate your coming and going from.

Going Through Security

Going through security actually isn’t that bad. We usually only bring the two kids backpacks and a diaper bag. The stroller has to go through separately and we walk the kids through. Waiting for them to check the stroller is the worst part.

Keeping Them Entertained at the Airport

Our gate usually has a kids play place which honestly saves us most of the time. I highly recommend letting the kids run it out before getting on the plane. The last time we flew our flight was delayed four hours so my almost two year old napping on the plane was no longer an option. Thankfully I packed our Kyte Baby Sleep Sack, plus the Valco Baby Duo double stroller reclines almost all the way back and has very large sunshades, so he was able to nap in the airport.

Getting on the Plane

This is where my husband comes in. We normally don’t use the stroller all the way down to the airplane door because we put it in a stroller bag to protect the stroller. So my husband quickly puts the stroller in the bag, then carries both car seats in their bags down to the airplane door to be gate checked. He manages this while I manage the kids. The kids can both now basically carry their own bags.

On the Plane

This is where things get tricky. I reluctantly got Amazon Fire Tablets for both of the kids plus headphones for the plane., but these have saved us. They normally don’t get to use them any other time besides maybe a restaurant here and there or when I really need to shower alone for five minutes. I kept reading mixed reviews on these and people saying to get an Ipad instead but honestly I’m super happy with the fire tablets. They hold a decent amount of downloaded shows/movies, plus a lot of apps. They’re also easy to navigate and have easy parental controls.

My three year old is pretty content with using the tablet most of the plane ride but my almost two year old does not have that long of an attention span. We use things such as Sticker Wow, reusable sticker books, these writing tablets plus a ton of snacks. These snack cups are perfect for the plane and at your destination.

What I Pack in the Kids Bags

I always bring their tablets, headphones, games, snacks, an extra pair of pajamas in case of accident while traveling, outfit for where we land (usually Florida so warm weather clothes) and a bathing suit. We normally don’t bring a carryon because of all of the extra things we already have with the kids. In the diaper bag I pack the diapers, wipes and then anything for my husband and I.

Getting Off the Plane

This is the easy part and we basically do everything backwards. Being able to put both kids in the stroller and power through the airport is key. Then we have a bathroom break and do diapers as we wait for our luggage. After that we get our rental car, my husband installs the car seats and off we go!

It’s not fool proof but this is what has been working for us! For a list of all of the travel essentials visit my Amazon page here.

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