On-board Luggage for Kids

A guide for the Packing Parent!

Naturally, everything has to be consolidated! Always check on board luggage allowances for each child, but even if they are generous, be realistic about who is going to end up carrying all of the additional bags.



Chances are that on arriving at an interim or final destination you will be required to carry a baby or tired toddler, as well as any bags.

Plus, at certain destinations, you may find that, instead of landing and simply walking off the aeroplane down a tunnel into the terminal, you may instead need to walk down steps from the aeroplane and have to catch a bus to the terminal, which makes carrying children and luggage (or even carrying luggage and holding hands) a little trickier.

If your little one is mobile but still at the age when instructions need to be repeated more than once (or your child is a bolter) consider a set of reins.

For a baby, consider some sort of pouch or sling to carry him or her, so as to keep both hands free.

Naturally, for any child that is not toilet trained you will need to take an adequate amount of nappies on board with you in your cabin luggage for the duration of the journey, plus extras in case of accidents and delays.

Try and purchase a compact nappy bag which can carry the essentials for a couple of nappy changes and can be easily hooked on a door. There isn’t much space to put things down in an aeroplane toilet, and it is best not to put anything on the floor (in fact, never look too closely at the toilet floor…).

If you can’t get a suitable nappy bag, have a look at the selection of toiletries bags for me as an alternative. They may not be in the brightest colours but some are a good size and very functional.

Also take on board a stash of clean empty carrier bags. They are useful to contain the remains of any children’s meal after it has been finished with; generally your meal will be handed to you before the children’s meal is taken away, which means you can end up with a variety of half emptied containers and trays around your feet or carefully balanced over any cot (if sitting in a bulk head seat).

Finally when considering on-board luggage for kids, bags are also useful in case of any accidents to put in any dirty or wet clothes or toys. A bag can also be useful to cover a seat if your child spills a drink all over her seat.

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