Flying with Kids: Age-by-Age Survival Guide

The good news: babies under about 6 months are often the easiest age to fly with, since they sleep a lot and can't yet run off. Request a bassinet bulkhead seat as early as possible — these are limited and usually restricted to babies under a certain weight, often around 20 lb (9 kg).

Nurse, bottle-feed, or offer a pacifier during takeoff and landing; the sucking motion helps tiny ears equalize pressure, which is often what causes in-flight crying, not distress. Pack more diapers and a full change of clothes than you think you'll need — for both baby and yourself.

This is, honestly, the hardest age to fly with — old enough to want to move, too young to reason with. Aisle seats give you room to stand and bounce a fussy toddler without climbing over anyone. Bring a few small, screen-free activities (sticker books, a magnetic drawing pad) for takeoff and landing when screens have to be stowed, and save a genuinely new toy for the moment things start to unravel.

Snacks are your best tool. Pack more than feels necessary, favor things that take time to eat (like a snack that requires unwrapping or peeling), and offer something to chew or sip during descent to help little ears adjust.

This age can genuinely enjoy flying if you set it up right — many airlines will let kids visit the cockpit during boarding or hand out a set of wings, which turns nerves into excitement. Download shows and games before you leave, since in-flight Wi-Fi is unreliable at best, and bring headphones sized for a kid's head.

Involve them in the process: let them carry their own small backpack through security, hold their own boarding pass at the gate. Kids this age handle flights better when they feel like participants, not cargo.

Most kids this age can handle a flight with much less hands-on management — the challenge shifts from meltdowns to boredom. A mix of a good book, a handheld game, and a journal for noting things they see out the window goes further than a tablet alone.

This is also a good age to start explaining what's actually happening — what turbulence is, why ears pop, what the safety briefing covers — since curiosity replaces anxiety for a lot of kids once they understand the mechanics.

Teens mostly want to be left alone with their own entertainment, and that's fine — a seat near an outlet for charging and a downloaded playlist or show solves most of it. Where teens actually need support is with the parts of travel that are new to them: reading a boarding pass, understanding security screening, or navigating a connection alone if they're flying solo for the first time.

If it's their first time flying without you, walk through the whole itinerary together beforehand — gate numbers, what to do if a flight changes, how to reach you — rather than assuming they'll figure it out on arrival.

Regardless of age, book seats together at the time of booking rather than hoping the airline sorts it out — many now guarantee young children a seat next to a parent at no charge, but it's not automatic. And build in extra time everywhere: security, boarding, connections. Rushing is stressful for adults; with kids, it multiplies.