Packing Carry-On Bags for Traveling with Kids
When I take a flight with my kids, I think of it like going on a movie set - once we're there, we can't leave! That means what I pack in carry-ons need to get us through any situation🤪
There’s just a week-and-a-half left until Christmas Day, and things are feeling like they’re in fast-forward mode! On top of all the holiday festivities at school and with friends, and ordering/planning gifts for my three kids, we’re traveling for Christmas and New Year’s which means I need to start thinking about packing! I have a packing system I love using for packing my kids’ suitcases for these longer trips (click here for a previous Substack I wrote with those details), so I’ll follow that plan and it will be fairly straightforward. I also have a simple plan for what I pack in my own carry-on to keep my strength up on these days (click here for a previous Substack I wrote with those details to help yourself!). So, that means that what I usually spend most of my time focusing on is what I will pack in a carry-on to help my kids (and therefore me!) throughout the flight. Kids’ needs change as they enter different ages/stages, so that’s why packing these carry-on bags will take a bit of planning – they change for each trip!
Packing a carry-on bag for a flight reminds me of packing a bag to bring to a movie set. When I was working on a movie set, the biggest thing I had to keep in mind when packing is the fact that once I was on set for the shoot day, I couldn’t leave! There are no breaks long enough to run errands so that meant I was relying on the food that’s being prepared for the set, and that anything I brought with me was all I’d have access to – there’s no opportunity to grab takeout or stop by a Target for a sweatshirt if the weather changed and it got cold. Plus, movie set days often go longer than planned, so I found it necessary to be prepared for a long day and night!
When I was a new mom over 10 years ago and I was thinking about what to pack in carry-on bags for my son, I compared it to my movie set days and how I had to be prepared for anything to happen… After much trial and error over 10+ years of flying with my three kids (ages 5, 8, 10), I have discovered many things that work well to keep flights as comfortable as possible for us all!
Since this is such a busy travel season I thought it would be great timing to share how I pack carry-on bags for traveling with my kids:
STANDARD ITEMS I PACK IN CARRY-ON BAGS FOR TRAVELING WITH KIDS
I use two bags – one for activities and clothes, one for food and toiletries. I store them up above in the overhead and bring them down as needed. I use LL Bean canvas totes (at the time of writing this they’re on backorder but this style or extra large in nylon is great and this style with a long crossbody handle is great) in a size large with long handles so they fit over my shoulder, and with a zip top so nothing spills if they tip over.
BAG ONE – Activities & Clothes
This bag is filled with items to keep my kids busy during the flight, and with backup clothes they may need on the flight and when we land.
Some of these activity items are their favorite items so they’ll be happy to see them, and some are new that I buy for the trip. Most importantly, I do NOT show them these items ahead of time – once they get tired of doing one activity I’ll bring out another one – I’ve found that the fun of getting something “new” is what helps them stay busy which makes for an easier flight for all of us!
Ages 1-3
Coloring kits that do not mark anywhere but that page
Big Picture Books to Prop Up Across the Car Seat (Richard Scarry books are great because there is a lot to look at and talk about on each page!)
Post-it Notes (they are great to stick on and off every part of the seat, window, armrest, etc!)
Electronic Learning Toy (lots of buttons/moving parts keeps them busy!)
Favorite Cozy Blanket that Smells like Home (you can put this across their lap in the car seat)
Favorite Stuffy/Lovey
Ages 3-5
Activity Books and Washable Markers (large coloring books with easy to color pages)
Character Figures (little figures like Bluey, Paw Patrol, princess characters that they can play make believe with)
Painter’s Tape (fun to stick on and off the seat)
Ages 5-10
Activity Books with Washable Markers (this age the books can be filled with games, word search, stickers)
Sketch Pad (make sure it has a hard cardboard back so it’s easier to draw on)
Travel Board Game (travel size Guess Who and Battleship are great ideas for the plane and really handy to have on a trip in general)
UNO (fun to play together)
Clothing
Complete Change of Clothes in a Ziploc Bag (this is in case of a spill, airsickness, etc. – the Ziploc bag will carry the soiled clothes after the kids change) – I often put this backup clothing in each kids’ own backpack, but if their backpack is too full (and for when my kids were younger and didn’t have backpacks) then I’ll put the clothes in this big bag
Clothes Needed at Arrival (if you’re traveling to a colder place than from where you departed, you’ll need to bring jacket, hat, gloves and if you’re going to a sunny place you’ll need sunglasses)
BAG TWO – Food & Toiletries
This bag is necessary no matter how short the flight! You never know what food will or will not be available at the airport, or on the plane. And, you may get stuck with a delay and that could mean hangry kids! Plus, eating snacks helps pass the time😉
I usually organize the food by packing each kid a lunch box for them to open and use as a tray to eat out of. I love our PlanetBox lunchboxes (we’ve had them for 8 years and never had to replace them!) and if I want to use a smaller one then the Lunchbots smaller box has great dividers. I pack a full lunchbox for each kid and then replenish with backup snacks (that are also stored in this food carry-on bag) as needed. As my kids get older and can eat out of snack bags without spilling everywhere, instead of a lunchbox I sometimes pack three sets of each snack in the snack carry-on bag and then hand them out as needed.
Snacks (dried fruit, crackers, granola bars, hardboiled eggs, baggies with dried cereal – Thrive Market has great options)
Heartier Food (homemade muffins, mini bagels with cream cheese, sunbutter & jam sandwiches)
Fresh Fruit (clementines, apples, bananas are all easy to bring)
Empty water bottles (I fill them up at filling stations or buy bottled water once through security)
For baby bottles, I always made sure I had twice as many as I thought I needed, and I brought liquid formula through (TSA did a special check of them) and I always had sticks of powdered formula for easy backup to mix with water if I needed to (if you’re bringing breastmilk check this link for details about how to bring it on the airline)
When my kids were in diapers I’d travel with one diaper change per hour on the plane just in case, and I’d organize them by putting an entire change into one Ziploc/Hefty Zip bag so all I had to do was grab that Ziploc bag and my kid to change them – no need to lug a big diaper bag to the tiny bathroom and I could put the soiled diaper and items into that Ziploc bag and throw it away - here is what was in each Ziploc:
diaper
a few wipes in a smaller Ziploc bag to keep the wet but not get the diaper wet
small pack (sample size) of Aquaphor/cream
Toiletries (I pack travel size toothpaste, Band-Aids, Aquaphor, kid retainers so they don’t get lost in luggage)
Disinfectant Wipes to Clean the Seat, Tray Table, and Hands
Disposable Placemat for Tray Table (these stick on the tray table and were especially important when my kids were under age 4 since they wanted to touch everything!)
Large Ziploc/Hefty Zip Bags (for major spills and sickness - I’ll often keep the backup snacks in their manufacturer bag and put them inside these large Ziplocs so I can find them easily in the bag, and so I have backup Ziploc bags for sickness)
KID BACKPACKS
Kid backpacks are part of my overall packing plan for kids (click here for details of that plan) and since they’re a carry-on item I wanted to highlight what I have my kids pack in them. The key is that once my kids turned three, each one packed and carried their own backpack filled with what they can’t live without!
Their favorite stuffy, blanket, book, and whatever else they need for comfort and that can’t be replaced if they were to get lost in checked luggage…
Sweatshirt/sweater in case it gets cold
I have them pack their backpack themselves so even if I carry it for them, they will see the bag and know that their favorite items are inside
SPECIFIC THINGS TO CONSIDER FOR EACH TRIP
For this year’s holiday trip we are flying in the evening, changing planes, and traveling from sunny Los Angeles to snow. Those are major elements I have to think about when packing the kids’ carry-on bags for the flights! I always consider these points when packing carry-on bags:
1. Flight Time
Since it’s an evening flight, I’m bringing snacks that could be considered dinner in case restaurants are closed at the airport
2. Connecting Flights/Changing Planes
I’m packing backup clothes for the next day in case our checked luggage doesn’t transfer
3. Change of Weather
I’m dressing my kids in warm cozy clothes so when we land they’re not freezing cold!
I’m packing snow jackets, hats, and gloves so we have those when we land
TWO FAVORITE TRAVEL ITEMS I CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT
I have to give a special thank you to two favorite items I couldn’t live without when traveling with my kids from ages 6 months to 6 years:
The Yoyo Zen Stroller (it folds up and fits under the seat in front of you or the overhead bin and has a carrying strap to go over your shoulder, you only need one hand to push it, and it is amazing on arrival because it’s easy to maneuver and get on and off all transportation)
The Mommy Hook (a huge carabiner that attaches to the stroller handle and will carry your carry-on bags and car seat from it easily)
Traveling in summer 2019 with the same best travel stroller, the Mommy Hook holding the carry-on bags, and my daughter C is holding a handle to “help push” the stroller❤️
I’ll start packing these bags two days before the trip just to make sure I have enough of each thing (mainly enough food!). And, although I’m prepared for it, I always cross my fingers there will be no delays so I won’t need to use all these things – maybe by being ready for a delay, it won’t happen, right?!
Happy travels!
❤️, Amanda, your Type A Mom friend
Such a valuable post. But I'm never more grateful to have teens than when I travel.
I can’t even imagine how much simpler travel is when kids pack for themselves!!