Make Time Fly in the Sky: 3 Tips for Flying with Kids Under 5

The next time you’re planning to travel by plane with little ones for a Walt Disney World vacation, try these travel tricks to help make your trip fly by. Here are three of our favorite hacks to make traveling with kids under the age of five as easy as possible.

1. Take Control of the Timing

One rule of air travel is that as the day goes on more things can happen that can cause delays to subsequent flights. To avoid aimless airport waiting as the result of a flight delay, do your best to book an early morning flight for you and your little ones. Though the early morning may not jibe with your toddler or young child’s current routine, the benefit of the morning flight leaving on time will likely outweigh that of trying to adhere to your child’s existing schedule (only to have a flight change interfere with it anyway). Another bonus to flying in the early morning is those very little kids can be dressed in their travel clothes the night before and simply lifted out of bed in the morning and deposited into their car seat without any fuss.

2. Conquer Crankiness & Cravings

Regardless of the length of your air journey, your two major enemies will be boredom and hunger. Attack hunger by packing more snacks than you think you will need. Many flights offer no meal or limited snacks for purchase, so there’s no guarantee that the plane will be equipped with food that your young child likes or will eat. Overcome this by packing plenty of your own. While dry snacks like puffs and veggie straws are easy to pack and transport, if you’re feeling extra creative, consider putting together a tasty kid-approved bento box filled with nutritious treats that will cover you throughout the flight. It’s also smart to bring along a few special snacks that are limited when on the land to keep hunger and crankiness at bay.

3. Encourage Endless Entertainment

To address boredom once you are up in the air, distraction is the name of the game. Keep little ones busy with quiet activities that can keep them engaged for hours. Ideas include quiet books, magnetic puzzles, and travel activity books. Revealing a brand new toy or activity book once you are in the clouds is another great way to surprise and delight your small traveler. In the air is also a good place to dole out precious screentime, especially if it’s extremely limited at home. Be sure to preload your tablet before you board just in case your flight experiences a disruption in internet service once in the sky.

When you land at your Central Florida destination, choose from a host of comfortable lodging options including Wyndham Orlando Resort & Conference Center/Celebration, Staybridge Suites Orlando Royale Parc, and Fairfield Inn Orlando Airport. Close to International Drive, check out Aloft Orlando International Drive, Comfort Inn International, Element Orlando International Drive, or Best Western International Drive. And near the magic of the Disney complex, consider the Crowne Plaza Lake Buena Vista or the Fairfield Inn Orlando Lake Buena Vista.