What to Pack for Kids on the Plane (Ages 3-8) + Best Airplane Activities
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When talking about traveling with other parents, one of the main concerns seems to be flying with children. Just the thought of kids on planes makes many people anxious. But if you are prepared well, there is really no need to stress!
Air travel with toddlers and preschoolers is probably the most challenging because young kids need to be entertained all the time… So the most common question I get is what to pack and how to entertain kids at the airport and during the flight.
In this post, we share some tips about what our children pack to take on the plane. Travel essentials and plane activities for kids that have been tested time and again.
When this article was first written, our boys were 5, 5, and 7 years old. Their carry-on luggage has been packed in pretty much the same way since they are out of diapers. 43 flights and counting at that time.
I have updated this article recently to include our top airplane activities for kids. We have flown with our kids numerous times since and I stopped counting the number of flights. I can tell you that it does get easier and their carry-on gets lighter with the years. But the basics, our top tips for what to pack in kids’ hand luggage remain the same. Take a look!
How to pack when flying with kids
When it comes to packing for kids, remember that less is more. While packing for a family road trip you can always add a few extra items, when flying with kids, take only what you really need!
Don’t pack a bag full of toys. The chances are big that your kids will take all the toys out of the bag, play with them for 2 minutes, and announce that they are bored or that they want that one toy they left at home.
We have a pretty strict one toy per kid policy when traveling and I have to say that it works pretty well. We used to take more toys with us when the kids were little but quickly stopped doing it. Here is why.
Why we never take toys when we travel with children
- Toys take lots of space in your luggage.
- Familiar toys are boring and they stay in your suitcase or in the hotel room most of the time.
- Toys get lost or broken. Tears guaranteed.
- If you have more than one child, the chances are very big that they will fight over the toys. Even more tears guaranteed.
- Kids can play with pretty much anything when traveling: stones, seashells, leaves, dry plants, etc. etc. Actually, not having toys stimulates their creativity and you’ll be amazed at how well they can keep themselves busy without any toys whatsoever. Try it!
Should each child have their own carry-on bag?
Do you really need a separate bag for a toddler? If you are not sure, don’t take it. While young kids love the idea of having their own travel bag, they quickly get tired of it and you end up carrying all the bags at the airport.
That being said, packing a bag for each child has a lot of advantages as well and older kids can usually handle a backpack or a small carry-on. Here you can read more about kids luggage and the best kids’ travel bags for all ages.
If you want to get a cool travel bag for your young child which they will want to carry themselves, take a look at the amazing selection of kids’ travel items from Trunki. They have original ride-on suitcases, little backpacks, and many other cool travel bags that any preschooler will love!
When we rent a car abroad (which is pretty much all the time), we always take Trunki Boostapak (car booster seat and backpack in one) for our kids and so they each have a separate carry-on bag. This doesn’t mean, however, that they are allowed to fill it with toys…
TIP: You can also just take a regular kids’ travel backpack or give each child a packing cube that they can use to pack their stuff.
READ ALSO: Guide to the best travel booster seats
What to pack for kids on the plane
When flying with kids, make sure your kids wear comfortable clothes that are somewhat stain-resistant. Always dress in layers and keep their feet warm as it can get cold on the plane.
We never take pajamas, joggings, or other special clothing for kids to wear during the flight. When traveling with three young children you learn to keep things simple.
Below, you can find a list of what to pack in kids’ carry-on. Read on!
Kids’ Hand Luggage Packing List
The first tip to successful packing is to let the kids help you pack. Make sure you have the last word, though.
Let them choose one toy or a travel game to take on the plane. It will keep them busy for a while as choices like that are not easy for a child, but they will appreciate the fact that you let them decide and will be more willing to cooperate.
The kids will probably try to negotiate to take a few extra toys. You can let them pack more if it makes them and you happy, but remember that you have to set a limit somewhere.
You can agree on some rules that you are all comfortable with, for example, you could let the kids pack whatever they want as long as it fits in one little packing cube, a ziplock bag, etc.
The following items are always in our carry-on luggage when flying with children:
- Twistable crayons, pen, and paper. If you take one item on a plane, make it this one. Make sure you have enough paper and I really recommend twistable crayons. They don’t break easily, they don’t need to be sharpened, and they don’t make kids’ hands dirty. Ideal on a trip!
- Workbooks. Workbooks have always been a big success with our three boys. Read also this post for some great travel books for kids.
- Boogie board writing pad. Boogie board is just another way for kids to draw, but it does miracles when the traditional methods fail.
- One cuddly toy, a blankie, or whatever ‘friend’ your child sleeps with.
- Lollipops. It took us many years, lots of flights, and aching ears before we came up with this simple yet very effective solution. Now we always have lollipops in our kids’ hand luggage. Give them to the kids during take-off and landing and you’ll see that it does wonders. Not only do the kids sit quieter in their seats, but it’s also the perfect way to help them avoid ear pain due to the changing pressure.
- UNO or single-player travel games. One-player travel games are ideal to keep older kids busy during the long flight, while UNO is the perfect game to keep the kids busy while waiting at the airport.
- Digital tablet. We hardly ever use it on a plane, but it’s proven helpful a couple of times when we had to wait longer at the airport. Amazon has really affordable Kindle Fire Kids tablets that might be a good choice when traveling with young kids.
- Warm socks. This is particularly useful on long-haul flights with children as they can keep their shoes off during the entire flight.
- Medication. You don’t need to take the whole medicine cabinet with you, but make sure you always have some painkillers, nose spray, and band-aids with you.
- Some snacks. Depending on the time and the duration of your flight, you may want to take some food with you for the kids. Apples, grapes, and cookies are always a big success with our kids. Sometimes we take sandwiches as well. Try to avoid any food or drinks that can be messy. You don’t want to deal with dirty clothes or sticky fingers on the plane.
- Paper tissues and wet wipes. No explanation needed, I suppose.
- On long flights with young children, we also take one set of extra clothes. Try to pack something that would fit any of your kids and avoid having to pack a separate outfit for every child.
Airplane Activities for Kids
Since so many of you asked about the best way to keep kids busy on the plane, here are our personal (& tested many times) suggestions for the best plane activities for kids:
- Drawing. Pack paper and twistable crayons. In addition, kids might like to draw on a boogie board. It’s easy to pack and can keep them busy for hours!
- Stickers. It’s incredible how many hours young kids can spend playing with stickers. Sticker playsets, especially the reusable ones, don’t take much space in your carry-on and can keep younger kids entertained for a long time.
- Workbooks. From about the age of 3-4 years, you can start introducing workbooks to your children. The good thing is that at that age, children are not familiar with the homework concept yet and actually enjoy learning through play. This is a great activity when flying with kids because you are there to help them if they need any help.
- Digital tablet. Don’t use the screen as a babysitter on the plane because it will backfire on you. But there are moments when it can help you get through the long flight! When you want to eat or use a bathroom, for example, or when everything else fails and all you care about is that your kids are quiet for a few minutes, some screen time can be a savior. If used in moderation, the screen always captures kids’ attention and keeps them happy. But if you let them watch movies and play games on a long-haul flight for hours in a row, you’ll end up with a tired kid that cannot be reasoned with.
- 1-player travel games. For somewhat bigger kids, from about 5-6 years, you can find some really nice single-player games that they can play on their own. It challenges them and keeps them busy for a while. Furthermore, many of these games are very small and easy to pack in your hand luggage.
Having said all this, no activities will work well in keeping very young children busy if you yourself are not involved as a parent. So don’t expect to put on your headphones and watch three movies during the flight. If you want to avoid tantrums and survive the flight, you really have to be there for your kids.
So, these are our tips for airplane travel essentials for kids. If you are looking for more tips for traveling with kids, make sure to check these articles as well:
- Best travel gear for kids
- Gift ideas for traveling kids
- Survival tips for road trips with toddlers
- Tips and tricks for traveling with kids
READ ALSO: Best Family Travel Destinations & USA Spring Break Vacation Ideas
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i have a 15 year old who has autism so she still likes all the kid tv shows such as peppa pig or thomas the tank engine also she has a bear, blankie and a dummy/paccifier she cant live without have you any tips on what to pack x
Hi Aliccia, you know your child better than anyone else. If she likes certain tv programs, why not download some of them on a tablet/smartphone and take that with you? It doesn’t take much space. The same with her favorite toys – pack one or two that you know will keep her happy. I’d definitely take a (e-)book if she likes to read.
But my suggestion, in general, remains the same as for any child – do not overpack! For a child that age, taking a book/magazine or a tablet/smartphone should be more than enough for the flight.
Good luck!
Love the tips, Jurga! Thanks for sharing.
Glad you found this useful, Tim. Happy travels with kids!
Hi I am Emily, I have 3 kids, a 2 month old, Olivia (Via), twin 6 year olds, Victoria and Elizabeth (Tori and Liz) and my husband is already at my family’s new house, so I have to take a infant and twins on a 15 housr flight all by myself any tips for flexible packing?
PS:my kids are sad (since dad is away) so I want something like a fun first plane trip!
Hi Emily, all my best tips for what to pack for kids on the plane are already in this article. I think that the 6-year olds will be quite happy with in-flight entertainment and the baby will sleep a lot, so it’s better to pack as little as possible. You’ll need your hands to take care of the kids, and all the baby stuff will probably require quite a lot of space anyway. If I were you, I’d pack as little as possible.
If you are looking for something fun for your twins that doesn’t take much space, I can recommend boogie boards. My boys loved drawing on them and could spend a long time just doing that.
Great tips! I always go to a toy shop after Security and pick up two new ones for the plane. My personal rule is 4/5 toys per flight.
That’s a lot of toys, but I guess every kid is different and also every age and every flight is different. We always stuck to the rule of no toys and it worked well for us. Now that the kids got bigger, all they take is their Kindle e-reader…
Thank you so much for all these useful tips!
My two boys are 3.5 & 7 and we are about to have a long long trip. Is there any chance you could suggest some books and games that you have found to be interesting and educational for this age on Kindle Fire.
My older one loves Captain Underpants, but he has finished reading all the books.
Hi Aleksandra, our kids absolutely loved Geronimo Stilton books at the age 6-8. I see that some of them are available on Kindle as well, so you can also download them on the Kindle Fire too.
They loved (and still do) all kinds of kids jokes books and riddles and brain teasers. They can read and tell the same jokes and riddles again and again. Great entertainment for the whole family 🙂
I’m not really familiar with many games for that age group, as we never had any games on tablets when our kids were that young. Somehow we managed to resist that for a very long time… Now the twins are 8 and our oldest is 10 and they do have some free games on their tablet, but they just download some themselves and change every week, so I really wouldn’t know what their favorites are. Usually it’s related to soccer 🙂
If I were you, I’d take some ‘screenless’ activities as well (activity books used to do wonders for our kids at that age, and also a game like UNO (or UNO Junor) is always in our hand luggage). Kinds need some down time and staring at the screen for hours will leave them exhausted and they won’t be fun to deal with…
Hope this helps. Have a great trip!
Those are some AWESOME ideas. Especially the wipes lol. We traveled nearly 30 hours and omg I was ready for a clean feeling after 3 lol. I found it funny that you said the kids will find a way to entertain themselves without the crazy cool gadgets tho. I tend to keep my kids away from electronics because I want them to explore and be creative (I am most certainly not saying it’s better than other ways, all kids are different!). We got on our flight with in flight movies and they chose to draw, color, tell jokes….they were 7 and 4 at the time. Now they are 2 years older but still the same. We chose to over-pack ?and it’s true…i ended up carrying most of their stuff lol. I definitely appreciate the time you took to type this up. It definitely helps FOR SURE!!!!
Thanks for sharing your experience, Abby. Indeed, every family, every child, and even every trip is different. We had 20+hr flights when kids kept themselves busy with just some paper and crayons, but as they get older, they use electronics more too.
One thing we now always take with us is their Kindle e-readers and it’s a life-saver. We just buy a couple of new books to download before every trip. It’s so light to take and the battery lasts for days. Last year, we got stuck at the airport the whole day (and ended up spending the night due to a canceled flight) and their Kindles kept them busy the whole day. I still rather have that than a digital tablet – reading books has a very different (calming) effect on kids than agitating games (last thing you need in a stressful situation).
Anyway, thanks once again for sharing this – I’m sure it will be helpful to other readers.
Happy travels!
This is such a great list! I would also suggest a light jacket for the plane. A jacket, blanket, and thick socks make all the difference on a cold flight.
Absolutely, Amanda. Just, I’d rather go for a sweater – it’s not really pleasant to sit with a jacket on, no? We always have a sweater at hand on the plane – temperatures can vary so much during the flight.
Hi, I’m Flor from Argentina. I have never fly before, this will be my first time in a plane, also my husband and kids (2 years and 5 years). We are going to travel 12 countries of europe from July to september this year. I got really worried about the ear pain your kids had when you fly. Does this happen always in children? And What is the cheapest ways to travel with children? Do you have any tips?
Hi Florencia, you shouldn’t worry too much about the ear pain, just be aware that it happens quite often. Many people experience it on the plane, but usually it’s gone very quickly too. It helps if you can swallow a few times. Chewing gum helps with adults, but for kids it’s a bit difficult, that’s why we always take lollipops. Just in case 🙂 Some people experience more serious problems, in that case nose drops can help or special ear plugs. But, once again, in most cases you or your kids won’t feel anything.
As for how to travel cheap with kids. Flying is usually the most expensive part of any trip, so if you can travel by car, it will save a lot of money. Of course, you might be able to find cheap flights here in Europe, so if you don’t take too much luggage and manage to find great fligt deals, it can also be ok.
Other good ways to save money is by staying at apartments where you can cook. It’s usually cheaper than a hotel room for a family too. We never stay at AirBnb’s, but find plenty of family accommodations via Booking.com.
What saves the most, we find, is booking your trips well in advance. Everything is so much cheaper if booked upfront and you also have more choice in terms of accommodations.
For the rest, try to always look for special family tickets wherever you go. Children’s meals at the restaurants are often 1/2-1/4 of the adult’s meal price here in Europe.
Hope this helps.
@Jurga,
Hello! My name is Saanvi and I am 10. I LOVE going on trips and planes especially!! Do you have any ideas for DIY entertainment because my Mom said she wouldn’t buy me anything. Thank You!!!
Hi Saanvi, our kids can keep themselves busy for hours with just some paper and a pen/pencil; we sometimes also take sudoku puzzles and they also like to read books when we travel. Also, long-haul flights usually have in-flight entertainment so you won’t get bored.
Happy travels!
WHERE CAN I ORDER FIRE KIDS TABLETS/ KIDS DIGITAL TABLETS.
THANK YOU
Hi, you can order Kindle Fire on Amazon. I think they deliver worldwide.
Such an informative blog. We Will be travel to Melbourne with three boys
aged 1,3 & 6 next year. What type of car you rent at Melbourne and is the trunki booster complied the Australian regulation? I am wondering whether we can fix the booster by ourselves in 5 seater car for most of the car rental only provide 2 car seats.
Hi Vivian, we rented a car in Adelaide with a drop-off in Melbourne. It was category F (station wagon), but was actually quite small compared to the other cars we had during that trip. However, it was a brand new Mercedes C break, so we didn’t complain. In Australia we rented two car seats (because our twins still needed them, they were too young for a booster) and we had one Trunki with us that we put in the middle (for our 5-year old). Since we rented several cars at different locations, it was cheaper to buy Trunki than rent a booster every time. In any case, you can put three boosters on the back seat, but you can never squeeze three car seats next to each other.
Trunki BoostAPak is certified ECE R44 /04 for European standards and I think it’s acceptable everywhere in the world for kids from about 4 years old. So it is definitely ok for a 6-year old. If you’re not sure you can check Australian regulations (try this Australian website for more information).
Our twins are 8 years old now and we still use our Trunki’s on every single road trip abroad, pretty much everywhere in the world, and never had any issues. I think EU standards are so strict that anything that’s approved here, is usually ok anywhere else :).
I will be travelling for the first time with my 2yo and 4yo boys. My husband and I will also have help from my mother-in-law and sister-in-law. Yay! Thanks for this list. I especially love the tip about packing an extra outfit that will fit all kids to avoid packing for all.
Hi Linda, that sounds so easy, 2 kids and 4 adults. We usually have 3 kids for 2 adults and manage somehow :). Relax, you’ll be fine. Just don’t overdo the tablet or screen time, because the kids get so excited that they don’t sleep well afterwards, and you really want them to sleep if it’s a long flight. Have a great trip!
flying on a five hour flight next week just wondering do they let you bring toy cars on board the flight
Hi Sinead, normally you can take toy cars with you, no problem. Not sure about ones with batteries or remote control, but those wouldn’t be appropriate to take with you in any case, as they disturb other passengers. I’d say if you take something, make sure it’s not much bigger than the size of your son’s palm (like Hot Wheels or MatchBox cars). You have to understand that the only space he’ll have to play with them is his tray table, so don’t take any bulky items and in general just pack a few things. Paper and crayons can usually keep your kids busy for hours…
This list helped me survive a long road trip that was 5 hours long with my three year old! He loved the boogiebaord, and I bought him one of the ride on backpacks! Our road trip was 10 times better with the items you listed! Thank you again!
These tips were great! My kids had an awesome time on our way to California! I bought the boogie board and it was a big hit!
Good to hear that, Aubrey!
Thanks Jurga
The article was indeed very informative as I have 2 daughters- 6 and 9. They are very similar to what you have portrayed and I feel, I will try following your tips for the vacation we are off in the next 5 days.
Uma
Let me know how it goes, Uma! Our kids are now similar age (7-9) and we still pack exactly the same way for all our flights. Except that now we take Kindle e-readers for each of the kids – reading books is the best way to keep them quiet at the airport, on the plane, but also in the hotels/restaurants when on holiday.
Great tips!
Thanks, Natalie. Glad to hear that.
Love this! My kids are accustomed to long road trips. We’re a military family and drive from NY to TN two times a year – it’s a 16 hour drive with no stops. One of my biggest tips is to start driving at night (either after dinner or after bedtime) – we knock out as much as we can while the kids are sleeping. Of course, our drive is also super super long. We usually bring video games (Leapsters, Gameboys) and little sketchy pads. It keeps them occupied for a majority of the trip 🙂
Thanks for sharing your experience, Beth! 16-hour road trips must be really challenging with kids. In a way, long flights are easier as you are free yourself and can keep them busy, while in a car you have to focus on the road as well. We used to drive at night when the kids were little, but it’s so tiring… I think I would break such a long drive in two days now…
This is so helpful! I am terrified of an 8-hour flight with our two kids next month. I would be really anxious to take such a long flight with only paper and some crayons, just ordered fire kids tablet for both of them, hope it will keep them busy.
I totally understand you, Karen. We’re flying to the U.S. next week and I just realized that we fly during the day. Which means we’ll have to entertain the kids for about 8-10 hours as well… Digital tablets do wonders and will definitely keep your kids busy during the flight. Just make sure they are well charged! Have a good flight!