No matter how light we pack, one bag we never neglect is my carry-on. I’m a big believer in kids having their own small bag, and I actually have a list of things that my kid’s carry-on themselves – like their own change of clothes, their own water bottle and healthy snacks, their own Leap Pads, Yotos, and stuffies (you can read the whole list here), but there are some things that just always go in mom’s bag.
These are the things that you will want to have handy at the airport, and on a long flight or a short one. (I always pack in a soft sided carry-on that can go directly at my feet. I don’t want to be separated from these things if the seatbelt light is on or if I’m trapped on the inside with two sleeping kids right next to me!)
14 Carry-On Essentials for Moms Traveling with Kids
This isn’t the carry-on checklist of everything you might need for yourself.
I’m not going to include things like your passport and phone charger and the protein bar that will keep you going and save you $10 on an in-flight meal. Those are on you.
But as far as traveling with kids is concerned, no matter how long the trip, or where the destination, these are the things that you might not think of until you’ve actually done travel with kids…
And after that, you’ll know that you do not leave home without these them.
Extra Water
My kids both carry their own small water bottles, but inevitably someone will spill it or drink it all in the first hour and my extra big water bottle has been a good backup to have, over and over again. (Just make sure it’s empty until you get through security, and fill it on the other side.)
The Unhealthy Snacks (Bribes)
The kids have access to their own healthy snacks that they don’t have to ask for – dried fruit, granola bars etc. We tell them at the start of the flight that they can help themselves to those things when they’re hungry. BUT… there’s a definite benefit to having a bribe available to break out if the situation is going south. I keep the bribes in my own carry-on. (Also, when the kids are asleep I can help myself.)
Family Games
I don’t require the kids to keep the family games in their carry-ons, mostly because games tend to have pieces, and pieces in a child’s carry on tend to go missing. Games are more for the airport, less so for the plane, but you do NOT want to be caught out in a 6 hour delay without at least a couple games. At the VERY least I keep a set of dice and a deck of cards in my bag, but I also usually have something a little more kid-centric, like Memory or Spot-it. (I have a complete list of the games we travel with here.)
Antibacterial Wipes
I’m not usually a fanatic, but on planes I DO wipe the area the kids sit in (tray tables, seat backs, arm rests etc) as soon as we get on, because they touch EVERYTHING and then they put their fingers directly into their mouths. At least if I wipe their area down I can relax when I see them doing it, and I know we have a slightly reduced chance of starting the trip with a stomach bug or a runny nose.
Wet Wipes
The littler your kids, the more of these you need. Once they get to about 8 it seems like just a small package will do for the entire trip.
Something for the Air Pressure in Their Ears
If your kids are pacifier age, a pacifier is a good idea. If they’re a little older, gum or suckers can work well. Don’t confuse these things with the bribes (above) and use them before it’s time for the air pressure to be an issue.
A Large ZipLock Bag (or Two)
Just fold them up and tuck them at the bottom, and they’ll be waiting there for you when you need them. Hopefully, you won’t need them. (But you might – for wet / dirty clothes, leaking bottles, or anything that’s just unexplainably… yucky.)
An Extra Shirt for You
If your kids are over 6, you can probably skip this one. If they’re under 6, it’s an essential. (And you have the large ziplock bag to pack away the shirt that gets covered in whatever it gets covered in… so you won’t have to throw it out!)
Lidocaine Cream + Bandaids
Hear me out on this – we discovered lidocaine cream when our oldest smashed his thumb between two free weights, and we have not gone anywhere without it since. This stuff turns melt downs from scraped knees, bug bites, blisters and silvers into a thing of the past. And bandaids are just common sense when you’re going anywhere with kids.
Children’s Tylenol / Ibuprofen
If you’re pro giving your kids pain killers when they’re hurt / teething, I like to have it on hand. A child in genuine pain (the kind that can’t be made to go away with lidocaine cream or bandages) will have a miserable flight – and so will you.
A (Charged) Portable Charger
We rely heavily on devices on an airplane (you don’t have to, but your flight will be nicer if you do lol). Our go-tos are the Leap Pad and the Yoto Mini – and we put those and their chargers into the kid’s carry-ons. More than once, however, we’ve run into a dead device or a broken seat outlet and a portable charger will save the day.
A Headphone Splitter
You only have to fly once with a child who’s headphones died, device doesn’t have sound or any related issue to know that a headphone splitter is the best 5 ish bucks you might ever spend. We have actually purchased one AT the airport before (more than 5 ish bucks there!) when we forgot it at home. Hopefully you’ll never use it and it will just be a tiny piece of reassurance in your bag.
An Ipad With Movies Downloaded
Unlike the devices that belong to the kids, this one belongs to me and goes in my carry-on, because they don’t have free range access to it. A movie is one of the best ways I know to make that extra long middle part of a 7 hour flight zoom by.
A Light Blanket
A hoodie for each kid is on their own carry-on list, but a blanket is flexible and handy – as a nursing cover, as a pillow, as a back up hoodie when the hoodie they have gets puke on it… or as a blanket. You know, all the ways.
