Flying with Kids at Christmas: A Stress-Free Holiday Travel Checklist

Holiday flights are some of the busiest of the year, and kids feel the rush as much as we do. A little planning ahead turns a hectic travel day into the start of the celebration.

Flying with kids is a lot on any day. Flying with kids in December adds full planes, long security lines, winter weather and a suitcase of presents to the mix. The good news is that most of what makes holiday travel stressful is predictable, which means you can plan for it. Here’s the checklist we use, from booking to landing.

Four to six weeks before: book and plan

• Book early and choose flight times on purpose. Holiday fares and seats go fast. Early morning flights are often less likely to be delayed, and a flight that lines up with nap time can be a gift with little ones.
• Avoid the tightest connections. With crowded airports and winter weather, a longer layover or a nonstop flight can save a lot of stress, even if it costs a little more.
• Pick your seats. Sitting together matters more than ever on full flights. Choose seats as soon as you book, and check again a few days before.
• Check ID and ticket rules. Lap infant policies, car seat rules and documents vary by airline and country. If you’re leaving the country, every child needs their own passport.
• Plan the gifts. Shipping presents ahead or ordering them to your destination keeps your bags lighter. If you carry gifts, TSA notes that wrapped gifts may need to be unwrapped for screening, so wrap them when you arrive or use gift bags.

One week before: get kids ready

Kids handle travel days better when they know what to expect. Talk through the day in simple steps: the car to the airport, security, waiting at the gate, the plane, and who will be waiting at the other end. A countdown they can color in each night helps little ones see the trip getting closer, and it gives them something fun to do during the busy weeks before.

If your family likes advent traditions, our printable Christmas Countdown includes an advent chart, daily activity slips and a holiday trip sleeps chart, so you can count down to Christmas and to the trip at the same time.

The holiday carry-on checklist

Pack your carry-on as if you might be delayed for a few hours, because in December it can happen.

• Snacks, more than you think you’ll need, plus a few treats saved for hard moments
• Empty water bottles or sippy cups to fill after security
• Any medications your children need, in original packaging, plus copies of prescriptions
• A full change of clothes for each child, and a spare shirt for you
• A warm layer for each person: planes and jet bridges can be cold
• Diapers, wipes and a changing pad for little ones
• Comfort items: the blanket, lovey or pajamas that mean bedtime
• Kid-sized headphones and a charged tablet with downloaded shows
• Chargers and a small power bank
• A bag of new activities, saved for the flight
• Copies of IDs, tickets and any medical or allergy information

If you’re traveling with a child who has food allergies, as our son does, pack enough safe food for the whole travel day plus delays, keep emergency medication within reach (not in an overhead bin), and talk with your allergist and airline before you go. Our post on traveling with food allergies has more detail.

Screen-free activities for the plane

Screens are a great tool, and many families use them on long flights. A few new, holiday-themed activities give you something to rotate in when attention runs out. Think in short chunks: a new activity every fifteen to twenty minutes goes a long way.

• Holiday coloring and puzzles that fit on a tray table
• Stickers and a small notebook for little ones
• “I spy” at the gate for planes, trucks and luggage carts
• A travel journal where kids draw what they see and who they’re going to visit

We made a Christmas Kids Travel Activity Pack with holiday pages for the airport, plane and Grandma’s house, and a Big Airplane Activity Book with mazes, coloring and games for longer flights. Print them at home, clip them to a clipboard and hand out a few pages at a time.

For toddlers, simple matching and tracing pages tend to work better than complicated puzzles. Our Toddler Travel Busy Book is made for little hands.

Airport day: give yourself extra time

• Arrive earlier than usual. Holiday security lines can be long. Check your airline’s app for wait times and delays before you leave home.
• Check in online and travel light. Every bag you don’t have to carry or check is one less thing to manage.
• Let kids move before boarding. Walk the terminal, watch the planes and find a play area if there is one.
• Take a bathroom break right before boarding.
• Keep one adult free. If you’re traveling with a partner, one person handles bags and boarding while the other handles kids.

In the air: keep it simple

• Takeoff and landing: swallowing can help with ear pressure, so offer a drink, snack or pacifier.
• Bring out activities slowly. Don’t open the whole bag at once.
• Walk the aisle when the seatbelt sign is off.
• Be kind to yourself. Holiday flights are full of families. Most passengers understand.

When you land: make it part of the memory

The trip is the gift. Let kids record a few favorite moments each day: a drawing of the plane, a snowman, who they saw. Our Christmas Kids Travel Journal turns holiday trips into a keepsake you can look back on together.

Before you go, grab our free family packing checklist so nothing important gets left behind.