Concerned about how to pack your diaper bag for your upcoming flight with your baby? I get it! Flying with babies can be overwhelming!
Babies have so much stuff that you end up feeling like a Sherpa carrying all the gear up Mount Everest. Your carry-on bags are so packed that the zippers are bulging. And you can forget about using whatever is at the bottom because there is no way you are unpacking and repacking that bag!!
Read more about the tricks to flying with a baby here.
I am a huge advocate of packing with a minimalist approach.
We used to go everywhere with a checked bag, carry-on and personal item EACH but we realized we were never even using most of the stuff we brought. In fact, it was more expensive and harder to get places because of all our stuff!! It’s a major reason that I now only bring 1 carry-on and have my diaper bag as my personal item. Only two small bags for both of us! We pay less and are able to take more opportunities as they come.
Read more about the benefits of packing less.
But whether you pack five bags or one, taking a minimalist approach when packing your diaper bag for a flight will save you both headache and backache. It will be easier to get around, and to find stuff when you need it!
For everything beyond the diaper bag, read more about the Ultimate Baby Packing List
What kind of diaper bag should I bring with me for my flight?
A backpack style bag.
It’s important to start with a good bag because it makes organization and access so much easier. Backpacks are easier to carry around and things shift around less in them than a purse style bag. Also look for one that has lots of pockets (both inside and out) so things are easier to organize and find later.
Here is the exact one that I have used on over 14 flights with my baby. It comes with attachable clips so it’s easy to hang from the stroller and let you wear your carry-on on your back!
Try to consolidate all the baby essentials (see below) into just one backpack diaper bag for your flight. Keep it all in one bag, so you know that you have everything you need in that bag.
Here’s a pro packing tip – break items down into categories and put them in Ziploc bags. This is a game-changer for three reasons:
- You can then put the filled Ziplocs vertically in the diaper bag so you are never digging to find something stacked on the bottom
- When you need something you just take out the one Ziploc, everything else stays organized
- It’s easy to quickly find what you are looking for because it’s not jumbled all together in one giant pocket
I can’t resist not putting at least one picture of Link from our last flight to Spain.
Essential items for your diaper bag when flying
We’re going minimalist here remember? But babies still need lots of stuff and you want to be prepared so that both you and baby are happy and comfortable.
Did you know that you can bring extra liquids when traveling with your baby. This can be things like baby food, juices, breast milk, etc. Read more about it on the TSA official site.
These are the things you need to put in your diaper bag to make it through your flight.
PS. You will notice that several things are for baby to suck to relieve ear pressure. This is super important for flying with babies! Read more about it in this awesome post about Flying with Babies
- Diapers – one for every hour you’ll be traveling for a 0-6 month old, one per two hours for older babies
- Wipes – great for bums, faces, hands, clothes, tray tables…
- Diaper cream (small tube)/changing pad
- 2 spare outfits for baby ( maybe 1 more if you check your bags)
- A warm layer (hat, socks, swaddle or jacket), planes get cold
- Spare shirt for you
- Plastic bags – for stinky diapers and dirty clothes until you can wash them
- Earplanes – to avoid painful ears at takeoff/landing read more about them here
- Binky w/ clip strap – so helpful for relieving ear pain and as a comfort object, the strap helps you avoid losing it
- Sucking candies (like suckers) – for older babies/toddlers helps relieve ear pressure
- Spare blanket – something lightweight that can fold up small, great for a million different things!
- Meds: Tylenol, Benadryl (if using), caffeine pills (for you!), etc.
- iPad loaded with age appropriate games, movies, pictures, songs, books, etc.
- kid headphones – these I have for Link and LOVE because they are so soft and he can fall asleep with them, plus you can just place them near a baby that refuses to wear them and they can hear (but not the people behind you!)
- 1-2 small toys – things you are ok to lose, non-throwable, and ideally new and exciting
- Chargers for everything you need (phones, iPad, etc.)
- Proof of age (copy of birth certificate) – I have never been asked for it, but I know people who have for older or very young babies
- Knowledge of travel by non-traveling parent if you’re traveling alone (use this this as a guide)
Depending on your baby’s age:
- Bottle – I just bring one and sterilize it in between
- Formula – I consolidate it into a Ziploc or pre-measured formula dispenser
- Or breast milk in a cooler
- Nursing scarf and nursing pads – these are the ones I have
- Sterilizing bags – I LOVE these, so easy to use and all you need is a microwave!!
- Snacks (protein bars, dried fruit, fruit pouches, etc.)
- Water bottle or sippy cup
Getting ready for take-off with a sucker and the Earplanes in. His great travel headphones are on the armrest.
Optional to have items for your diaper bag when flying
- Hand sanitizer – I prefer to just find a bathroom and wash my hands or use a wipe
- Warm water in thermos (if you need for formula) – TSA may make you open this to test fumes
- Sanitizing wipes
- Baby utensils
- More first aid supplies – thermometer, saline spray, nose Frida
- Bib/burp cloth
Ok great, I got everything. But how am I supposed to fit all this in my diaper bag for the flight?!
Again, make sure you’re starting with a good diaper bag! Lots of pockets and sections for organization will or make sections using gallon Ziplock bags.
Put heavier and bigger items on the bottom. Use the internal pockets to organize your big items you don’t want to dig for, like diapers and wipes. Other items group with similar items in Ziplocs. For example, put clothes in one, meds in another, etc. That way you can easily grab the one you need without messing up everything else.
Look how tiny diapers can smoosh down to when you put them in a ziploc!
Use outside pocket for quick access items, like headphones, suckers, binkies, Earplanes, etc. Use a secure pocket (either inside or out that is hard to access) for important documents like passports, credit cards, cash, and copy of birth certificate.
Be sure to separate the items that will need extra screening by the TSA.
This is liquids/gels, like baby food and milk. You are allowed them but they will have to check them. Put them together in a grocery bag or Ziploc and pack at the top of your bag so you can pull it out to be checked. Don’t forget that gel teething rings have liquid in them! I once got held up because I didn’t know to separate them!!
You can read more about this on their website here.
Traveling with a baby isn’t ever easy, but having a well-prepared diaper bag can help A LOT! We have been on over 14 flights with my one year old and have really figured what to bring and what not to.
Follow this diaper bag packing guide to prepare for your next flight with your baby and have everything you need.
Any tricks or items that you like to pack your diaper bag for flying?
