I recently took my 17 month-old toddler, Baby P, on her first flight. I was very excited but also nervous about this so during the weeks leading up to this I did a lot of research. I watched several YouTube videos and read a lot of articles to help me prepare. When the trip came I felt very prepared and now that it is over I feel confident enough to share some tips and tricks!
6 Tips for Flying with your Toddler
1. Get a great strollerHaving a great stroller really made navigating the airport a lot easier. For this trip I purchased the Summer Infant 3D lite convenience stroller and it truly is convenient! Baby P sat in the stroller during long lines at check in and while waiting at the gate. The only time I needed to take her out of the stroller was to go through TSA screening. This process actually wasn't bad. The stroller easily collapses and opens so I was able to get her in and out of it quickly and without help from others.
I suggest keeping your stroller with you and checking it at the gate right before you board the plane. Be sure to stop at the gate attendant to have your stroller tagged for you. We dropped the stroller off right at the door of the plane during family boarding and picked it up at the door as soon as we got off the plane. I collapsed the stroller and carried her down the ramp to the plane so that I could drop it off at the door and board the plane seamlessly. These other parents boarding with children can be a little hasty, so this will help you board without losing your place. I did not buy a stroller bag for this trip but I did buy a travel bag for my car seat from Amazon. There was no damage done to my stroller or the car seat during the flight.
