Long Flight with Kids - What to Pack?

We’re getting ready for a pretty big trip that we spontaneously decided to take. SO today I’m prepping my packing lists and ordering some last-minute stuff from Amazon! I’m going to share what to pack for a long-haul flight with kids. Our kids are 2.5 and 5, so this is geared toward younger kids for sure. If you want to see everything in one place, I created a “Travel with Kids” vacation list on Amazon.

What to Pack for a Long Flight with Kids

What’s in my carry on

My bag is a mix of stuff for me and stuff for the kids (mostly for the kids, to be honest). Here’s everything I am packing in my carry on for the long flight.

My belt bag, which I’ll take out when I want to run to the newsstand in the airport or into the bathrooms. It holds my cell phone, card holder, and a hand sanitizer. Everything else will either go in my Dagne Dover duffle bag (I have the medium size and use it as a carry on) or this backpack I got recently.
Snacks, for both the kids and us adults! I am packing graham crackers, animal crackers, fruit snacks, and applesauce pouches
Lollipops and gum to help with the take off and landing.
A packing cube with a change of clothes for each kiddo, plus an extra shirt for me.
My headphones
Kindle (who knows if I’ll actually read!)
Diapers and wipes
A see-through packing cube with hand sanitizer, Evian facial spray (THE BEST), and Sea Bands. I tend to get motion sickness so I always fly with these!

What to pack for a 2 year old

We packed everything here in our 2 year old’s backpack for the flight.

Car seat: Our son has never been on a long-haul flight before, so we are bringing his car seat. We’re hoping this will help him sleep easier since it’s a familiar spot. This is the travel car seat we use when we fly, because it’s SO lightweight. (Read my review of our travel car seat here!)
Tonie box and headphones, along with our set of Tonies. His headphones work with plane jacks as well.
Color Wonder markers and pages: A must-have if you’re traveling with little ones.
A cozy blanket
His lovey that he normally naps/sleeps with
His water bottle
This little writing tablet that he loves to draw on
His favorite milk cup in case he wants a cup of milk before taking a snooze (hoping this happens!)

What to pack for a 5 year old

We packed everything here in our 5 year old’s backpack for the flight. The plan is for her to carry her own backpack, though we’ll see how that goes!

Toniebox and headphones, along with our set of Tonies. Her headphones work with plane jacks as well.
Color Wonder markers and pages: One of our favorite travel items!
A cozy blanket
Her favorite stuffed animal
A squishmallow which is a favorite stuffy but doubles as a pillow
Her water bottle (I’ll empty it before we go through security and then will fill it up for the plane)
Her camera (she loves to take photos and this one is super kid-friendly)

Other stuff we’re bringing on the plane for the long flight

Sweatshirts for the kids and us
Our travel stroller which can fold up and fit in the overhead bin or can be gate checked. We’re probably going to bring it on the plane with us because we have a connecting flight. This stroller fits down the airplane aisles, so if our 2 year old falls asleep we can put him right into the stroller and wheel him off. Much easier than trying to haul a bunch of bags and carry a 2 year old at the same time!
3 carry on bags: One with all of my clothes, one with all of my husband’s clothes, and one with all of the kids’ clothes for the whole trip. (We plan to check a bag with our hiking backpack, the kids’ life jackets, and our toiletries.)

For more travel-related content, you’ll want to go to the Travel Guide (for Families) hub!

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