Flying with kids: the complete pre-trip checklist

A scannable flying with kids checklist: what to do two weeks out, the night before, and on the day, plus exactly what to pack flying with kids. Print it and tick it off.

This is the bookmark-and-print version. If you want the deep, walk-you-through-it guide to a kid's first flight, that's our first-flight guide. Go read it. This post is the checklist you actually pull up at the gate.

It's organized by when, because that's how flying with kids actually goes wrong: the right thing done at the wrong time (passport found at midnight, ear-pressure plan invented mid-descent). Work top to bottom. Skip what doesn't apply.

A note that runs through all the flying with kids tips below: warnings beat surprises. The single highest-leverage thing on this entire list isn't an item you pack. It's walking your child through the day, in order, before the day arrives. More on that in the last section.

Two weeks before

[ ] Check every passport's expiry, because many countries require 6 months' validity beyond your travel date
[ ] Confirm whether your destination needs a visa or travel authorization (ESTA, ETIAS, eTA) for the child too
[ ] Sort any required documents for a child traveling with one parent or a different surname; a notarized consent letter or a copy of the birth certificate heads off awkward questions
[ ] Book seats together now, not at check-in; airlines split families when you wait
[ ] If your child needs the bulkhead, a bassinet, or specific seating, request it on the phone
[ ] Flag any medical or accessibility needs with the airline (this also unlocks priority boarding on most carriers)
[ ] Start the rehearsal: begin reading through the trip, in order, so the airport stops being an unknown

The week before

[ ] Refill any prescriptions; pack meds in original labeled packaging in the carry-on, never checked
[ ] Check the liquid rules for baby formula, breast milk, and medicines; these are exempt from the 100ml limit but you must declare them at security
[ ] Charge and pre-load a tablet: offline shows, a couple of new games, headphones that actually fit small ears
[ ] Confirm the car seat / stroller plan: gate-check tags, or a travel cart, or renting at the destination
[ ] Weigh the bags at home so the check-in desk isn't the first time you find out
[ ] Do a "loud whoosh" preview of the plane toilet on YouTube if your child is sound-sensitive; the flush catches more kids than takeoff does
[ ] Keep reading the trip walkthrough nightly. They'll memorize it. Memorizing it is the point

The night before

[ ] Lay out travel-day clothes for everyone, child included: comfortable, layered, easy on/off shoes
[ ] Pack the carry-on (full list below) and put the passports in one named pocket you'll use all day
[ ] Set two alarms
[ ] Pre-fill water bottles to empty-and-refill after security, so you're not buying drinks airside with a melting-down toddler
[ ] Charge everything: phones, tablet, battery pack
[ ] Talk through tomorrow one more time, in order: wake up, car, big airport, bag goes away, security, the wait, the plane. If your child is anxious, the night-before specifically has its own playbook
[ ] Get them to bed on time even though you're tempted to "tire them out"; overtired kids fly worse, not better

Day of travel

[ ] Eat a real breakfast before you leave; hungry plus new plus tired is the meltdown trifecta
[ ] Leave earlier than feels necessary; a margin you don't need beats a sprint through the terminal with a stroller
[ ] Have the child use the toilet right before security and right before boarding
[ ] At security: shoes and jackets off, tablet out, liquids declared. Tell your child what's about to happen before you're at the front of the line
[ ] Use the wait at the gate to do the boring-but-necessary: last toilet trip, fresh diaper, refill the water, hand out the first snack
[ ] Decide priority vs. late boarding deliberately: board early for setup time, or board late to cut the strapped-in wait. Pick based on your specific kid
[ ] Start the ear-pressure plan at takeoff and again at the first sign of descent (see below)

Carry-on bag (the essentials)

This is the answer to what to pack flying with kids: the bag that has to get you through a delay, a diversion, and a blowout without opening the overhead.

[ ] Passports, boarding passes, and any consent/medical documents
[ ] All medication, in original packaging
[ ] At least one full change of clothes per child, and a spare top for you, because the spill lands on both of you
[ ] Diapers and wipes for double the flight length, plus a couple of diaper bags
[ ] Wipes regardless of age; everything sticky on a plane finds your child
[ ] Snacks, more than you think: a mix of slow ones (raisins, crackers) and a treat held in reserve
[ ] Empty water bottle to fill after security
[ ] Tablet, headphones, charger, and a battery pack
[ ] A small zip bag of new-but-cheap distractions: stickers, a tiny notebook, a fresh coloring book
[ ] A light layer; planes run cold and a sleeping kid needs covering
[ ] A plastic bag for rubbish and for the clothes that don't survive

Ear pressure (the plan, not the panic)

Ear pain at takeoff and descent is the most common cause of mid-flight crying, and it's almost entirely preventable. Have the plan ready:

[ ] Babies: breastfeed or offer a bottle/pacifier during takeoff and descent, since swallowing equalizes the pressure
[ ] Toddlers and up: a drink with a straw, a lollipop, chewy dried fruit, or gum if they're old enough
[ ] Don't let them sleep through the start of descent; wake them to drink, because sleeping means not swallowing
[ ] Name it in advance: "My ears feel funny for a minute, then they pop, then they're fine." A warned kid rides it out; a surprised one panics

For the child specifically

The logistics above keep the day running. This section is what keeps your child okay, and it's the part most checklists skip.

[ ] Pack the actual comfort item, not a backup. The familiar one, the one that smells like home
[ ] Bring the trip walkthrough onto the plane, not in the checked bag. The point is pointing at the security page while you're in the security line
[ ] Narrate, don't distract, at takeoff: "this is the bit where it goes fast, this is the bit where the ground gets smaller"
[ ] Keep one home routine intact at the other end: the bedtime story, the specific cup, whatever it is
[ ] Plan a slow first morning at the destination. New everything is tiring; don't book the big day for day one

The one thing under all of it

Everything here is downstream of a single idea: a trip is a long sequence of new things in an order your child didn't get to study first, and you can fix that by turning the sequence into a script they already know.

You rehearse the day, in order, in advance. You can do it by talking it through at bedtime, by sketching stick figures on folded printer paper, or by handing them a coloring book that walks through the trip page by page: same character, your destination, one calm sentence each. WanderCrayon makes that last version automatically from a few questions about your child and your trip, and it prints at home. Bring it to the airport and it doubles as the kid's own version of this checklist, a page to point at for each step of the day.

The format doesn't matter. The rehearsal does. Print this list, tick it off, and have a good flight.