It will keep their attention for a little bit longer than if you brought an older toy. 'Buy the baby one new toy specifically to open on the airplane. 'I still swear by the one-new-toy trick,' Shallcross says. Make sure you also have basics like hand-sanitizer, scented diaper trash bags, a pacifier clip ('this will save you the horror of watching a pacifier drop to the airplane floor,' says Traveler contributor and mom of three Juliana Shallcross), and one new baby toy.

Frequent flier, Skift aviation reporter, and father Brian Sumers recommends three days' worth of food for the baby to account for any mishaps.

The Líllé Baby Carrier is a comfortable and functional carrier that adjusts into six different positions, so you can keep your (hopefully) sleeping baby against your chest during flight and prop them on your hip while you're waiting to board.Ī well-stocked diaper bag with enough wipes, diapers, and formula/breast milk/food to get you through the flight and an hours-long delay, minimum, is a must.

(If it sounds like overkill, think about what your trip might be like if you forget the one bag with your baby's favorite stuffed toy. Do a count of your bags like they’re children on a field trip when you get to the airport, get through security, and get off the plane. To keep track of everything, make an itemized list of the major items (i.e., the car seat, stroller) the bags you’re checking and the bags you’re carrying on. If this is your first time flying with a baby, you'll be bringing significantly more items than you've flown with before. That way they’ll get to choose which items they just can’t live without, and you’ll get to set expectations about which toys are okay on the plane (leave the harmonica at home, please!).

Let your children help pack their carry-on bags (but secret away a few new toys in your own).

Practice putting your child’s stuffed animal or blanket through the X-ray and getting it back on the other side. Build a security checkpoint using a doorway as the metal detector and a cardboard box and towel as the conveyor belt and X-ray.

Line up some dining chairs to make airplane seats, and act out how you should sit down and buckle up on a plane.

If you’re headed to a new destination, make a trip to the library to pick up a few books set in that place.

Read stories about flying, like Airplanes by Byron Barton for toddlers, and Richard Scarry's A Day at the Airport for older kids.

Talk about your trip and your flight ahead of time, focusing on the aspects that are new to your child or might cause them concern.

Planes lap edition byron barton