Traveling With Little Ones? Here Are 5 Must-Have Essentials

Parents tend to overpack for a first flight with a baby or toddler. Most of what matters fits in a short list, and a few of those things fly free. Avelo, the airline launching nonstops from McKinney National Airport this November, charges nothing to check a stroller, a car seat, a booster seat or a breast pump. A child under two can also ride on your lap.

These are the five things we'd pack first. Everything else is optional.

1. 1. A lightweight stroller you can gate-check

   A compact, one-hand-fold stroller gets you from the parking lot to the jet bridge with your hands free. Avelo checks one stroller per child for free, and you can hand it over at the gate instead of the ticket counter. A padded gate-check bag keeps it clean in the cargo hold and makes it easy to spot when it comes back up the jet bridge.

   Travel strollers on Amazon →Gate-check bags on Amazon →

2. 2. A car seat, or a CARES harness for bigger toddlers

   If your child has their own seat, an FAA-approved car seat is the safest way for them to fly. Check the label for "approved for use in motor vehicles and aircraft". Kids between 22 and 44 pounds can use a CARES harness instead. It's the only FAA-approved harness-style restraint and it packs down to the size of a water bottle. If you rent a car at your destination, bringing your own seat also saves the daily car seat fee.

   CARES harness on Amazon →FAA-approved car seats on Amazon →

3. 3. Kid-sized headphones with a volume limit

   A show or a game buys you the quietest hour of the flight. Adult earbuds don't fit small ears and don't limit volume. Over-ear kids' headphones capped at 85 decibels are more comfortable and protect their hearing. Wired headphones don't need charging, which is one less thing to go wrong mid-flight.

   Kids' headphones on Amazon →

4. 4. A spill-proof feeding kit

   Pack a spill-proof cup, a snack container kids can't dump, and more snacks than you think you need, since delays happen. TSA lets you bring formula, breast milk and toddler juice in more than 3.4 ounces. Take them out and tell the officer at the checkpoint, and expect a few extra minutes of screening. Giving a bottle or pacifier during takeoff and landing can help with ear pressure.

   Snack containers on Amazon →Spill-proof cups on Amazon →

5. 5. A backup-outfit kit in your carry-on

   Spills and blowouts happen in the air, not at baggage claim. A packing cube with a full change of clothes for your child, a spare shirt for you, wipes, a portable changing pad and a few gallon zip-top bags turns a mess into a five-minute fix. Keep it in the bag under the seat, not the overhead bin.

   Changing pads on Amazon →Packing cubes on Amazon →

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For the flight itself, like when to board and how to handle security with a toddler, see our guide to flying with toddlers from McKinney. And if a sick kid could cancel your trip, it's worth pricing travel insurance with trip cancellation before you book.