Flying with children

The seat: lap, car seat or ticket

There are three ways a small child travels, and the difference is the seat and the ticket:

• A child under two can travel on the lap of an adult, without a seat of their own. One adult may carry only one lap-held infant, and the adult must hold the infant during takeoff and landing and whenever the seat belt light is on.
• A child travelling in an approved safety seat must have a purchased ticket, so they have a reserved seat.
• A child who is two or older needs a seat and a ticket like any other passenger.

Booster seats are not permitted during the flight, even when they bear labels saying they meet a safety standard, so a booster is for the car and not for the plane.

The car seat on board

If your child travels in an approved safety seat, you must purchase a ticket for them so they have a reserved seat, and the airline has to know about it when you book. Restraints that meet the safety requirements and carry the right label are the ones accepted.

If your travel destination asks for a passport or a visa, you will need a passport for your child and possibly extra documentation, so check the entry rules of every country on the route before you book.

Ears and pressure at takeoff and landing

Takeoff and landing are the hard part for small children. As the cabin pressure changes, the pressure inside the ear can stay unequal, and that is painful, though it does not last long.

What helps is swallowing, because it opens the Eustachian tubes:

• Give the child plenty of fluids through the flight, water being best, because it encourages swallowing.
• Give a bottle or a pacifier, or breastfeed. If your baby takes a bottle, keep them sitting up.
• Keep the child awake for takeoff and landing: a sleeping child swallows less often, so it is harder to keep the pressure equalised.
• For a child old enough, yawning and chewing gum help too.

A provider may suggest not flying if your child has an ear infection, because the discomfort is greater. If you are unsure, ask before you book.

What to pack for the flight

Everything for the flight goes in one small bag that fits under the seat in front, because the overhead bins fill up and bags may be checked at the gate. It holds:

• A change of clothes, and a spare layer: the cabin is colder than you expect.
• A snack, a bottle and a cup, for the take-off and the wait.
• One quiet toy, and headphones for the noise of the engines.
• The medicines and the first-aid kit, and a copy of any recent medical reports if your child has a long-term condition.

Check with your airline before you fly

Every airline sets its own rules and they change, so check before you book: how your child travels and whether the seat has to be paid for, what you can carry on board, and what happens if the flight is delayed or the family is separated.

Sources

• Official page of Delta Air Lines on infant travel: a child under two can travel on an adult's lap, one adult may carry only one lap-held infant, a child in an approved safety seat must have a purchased ticket and a reserved seat, booster seats are not permitted even when they carry a label saying they meet a safety standard, and the infant must be held during takeoff and landing and whenever the seat belt light is on. — delta.com (checked 21 October 2026)
• Official health information of MedlinePlus, the U.S. National Library of Medicine, on travelling with children: bottles, breastfeeding or pacifiers help prevent ear pain, a child should not sleep during takeoff or landing because children swallow more often when they are awake, and a provider may suggest not flying with an ear infection. — medlineplus.gov (checked 21 October 2026)
• Nemours KidsHealth, a children's health nonprofit, on a child's ears during a flight: drinking plenty of fluids encourages swallowing, which opens the Eustachian tubes, a bottle, a pacifier or breastfeeding helps, and staying awake for takeoff and landing keeps the pressure equalised. — kidshealth.org (checked 21 October 2026)