How to Entertain Babies on Flights (0-18 Months)
Amanda Kellner Klein shares a suite of helpful tips for keeping little ones busy on flights. Short answer: snacks and toys. Did we mention snacks?
There is much to be gained from traveling with infants and younger toddlers.
Their little faces lighting up at the sight of new places and people. The shared experiences of dedicated time together. And then, there are the flights we take to make this travel happen, which tend to be adventures themselves!
Entertainment for babies while flying is highly age-specific and benefits from some pre-planning. I consider there to be two types of in-flight entertainment for little ones: food and toys. I’ll share my best tips for keeping little ones engaged on the go, learned from flying with my daughter since she was four months old, all the way up to her current 18 months of age.
Under Six Months
Whether bottle-feeding or nursing, popular advice is to feed the baby on take-off and landing, as it is known to reduce the potential for ear pain. If the baby doesn’t want to eat, the sucking motion of a pacifier usually does the trick in these moments.
Even though I keep a feeding schedule at home, airplanes are one place I’ve found where we can be more free-flowing. Travel brings with it changes to the usual environment that small children may be accustomed to, so they may want to be fed more frequently than they usually are at home. If you need to warm milk on the go, I recommend the Baby’s Brew bottle warmer, which is compact and works to warm milk within minutes.
At this age, a small toy bag will work beautifully for entertainment in-flight. I recommend a combination of differently shaped teethers, small rattles that make fun noises, and small stuffed toys.
The best part about this age? Small infants can be expected to sleep more while flying than when they are older! Bring along their swaddle and pacifier from home to instill a sense of familiarity for easier nap times, and prepare for a bit of pre-nap crying as is normal at this age.
Six to Twelve Months
In this stage, milk or formula remain key elements of airplane entertainment, following the same suggestions as above.
Once solids have been introduced, snacks will play a big role in getting through flights. I prefer to pack a stackable container with multiple compartments that can house different snacks; puffs, crackers, and fruit are our go-tos. Pouches are also easy in-flight snacks, just remember to pack a bib to avoid a smelly Salmon-flavored pouch ending up all over your baby’s shirt, as happened to us on one flight!
We also started to pack a Busy Baby mat in our carry on bag at this age. With its strong suction and reusable bungee cords which prevent utensils, bottles or toys from being dropped, the mat provides a clean eating and play surface while in transit.
This is the age that everyday items become the most incredible toys. Don’t overlook the fact that a hat or a plain old cup from the airplane drink cart can be turned into entertainment! You may be pleasantly surprised with the random things babies can engage with.
I like to pack a few age-appropriate, cognitively stimulating toys such as little canisters that they can open and close, or put things inside. Spinners and Squigz are fun to attach to the windows or tray table. And, a couple of favorite books from home can go a long way.
Takeaways before Takeoff
// Feeding or pacifier on takeoff.
// Bring a snack sorter to make the most out of snack time.
// Activity kits like Mini Voyager keep littles entertained for longer stints.
// Don’t rule out airplane treasures like seat pamphlets as potential activities.
// Befriend seatmates!
// Screens aren’t so helpful at this age.
Twelve to Eighteen Months
By one year of age, food may actually outweigh toys in importance while traveling.
I bring all of the food items listed above, plus some sort of snack sorter that turns finding a snack into a game. This could be the Match Up tray which hides little snacks in eighteen small compartments, or Snack Spinner with an interactive button. Mechanisms like these extend snacktime into much needed entertainment on flights. If there’s room for a small ice pack, I’ll pre-make an egg omelet or oatmeal balls to bring for travel day snacking as well.
It’s exciting to introduce a child’s first personal item for the plane at this age! Check out the Mini Voyager kits, which are customizable travel toy kits that contain age-appropriate toys in a simple drawstring backpack. I have my daughter carry the backpack as her personal item. Key toys for this age include: Water Wow drawing pads, post-it notes, painter’s tape, a busy board, nesting cups and a pop fidget toy.
The airplane itself is solid entertainment at this age, too. Between walking the aisles and befriending seatmates nearby, we’ve made it through several flights successfully without using many of the toys we packed! Lately, the pamphlets in the seat back pockets have provided long moments of amusement for my toddler.
A note on screen time: whatever your opinion may be, I’ve found screens to be less effective than I would have imagined for an under 18 month old child. At this age, a child may be entertained by a movie on screen for a few minutes, but this alone may not be enough to get through a long flight. I usually pack a pair of toddler headphones and try them out with the in-seat entertainment system at various intervals, but I don’t bank on screen time for flights.
Coming prepared with age-friendly snacks and toys can make the flight experience more seamless for the whole family, ultimately getting you to those new people and places, and the dedicated time together that traveling as a family is all about.
More Travel with Kids Tips
// Read Amanda’s fabulous Substack Carry On for some of the most thoughtful travel tips parents who love to travel.
// Amanda’s curated holiday travel list with Tiny Essentials.
// How to navigate jet lag with infants and toddlers… it’s possible!
// Flying this season? Here’s 5 tips for surviving flights during the holidays.
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