Editorial Team
Our content team
8 min read
Mallorca, 2023. Our son, three years old at the time, dumps his entire apple juice on my lap. Full cup. We're 30 minutes into the flight. I grab the backpack in a panic. Spare clothes? In the checked luggage, of course. 300 kilometers below us.
My wife and I look at each other. We both know it. When it comes to flying with kids, we've made pretty much every mistake in the book.
Flying with Kids: Our First Luggage Disaster
I think we had about 47 kilos of luggage. For one week. Four people. Two rain jackets (Mallorca in July), six pairs of shoes for the kids, a travel hairdryer nobody used. And yet we still didn't have the basics covered. Wet wipes? Bottom of the big suitcase. Spare clothes for the toddler? See above.
We're not alone in this. According to a study by Radical Storage with over 1,500 respondents, 71.7% of all travelers overpack. 40% come home with clothes they never wore. For us, that was the rain jackets. And the hairdryer.
On top of that, 63% of parents find traveling with kids stressful. I'm not surprised by that number. I would've been at 93% back then.
The chaos when flying with kids usually starts before the flight even departs. It starts during packing.
We made a decision: never again. Then we built a system.
What Changed for Trip Number Two
Six months sat between trip one and trip two, plus the realization that flying with kids doesn't have to be chaos if you actually know how to pack. A lot of Google searches. And honestly, a few arguments ("We do NOT need the hairdryer"). Here's what we changed.
One Packing Cube per Person, Color-Coded
Sounds so simple you almost don't believe it. But this was the turning point. Every family member gets one large packing cube in their own color. Dad blue, Mom green, older kid yellow, younger kid red.
Family travel blogger Emily Krause, mother of four, recommends exactly this: one packing cube per person in family colors. We use the Amazon Essentials 4-teiliges Packwürfel-Reisezubehörset, Gepäckorganizer mit Doppelreißverschluss, Netzoberseite, 100% Polyester because it comes with four cubes in different sizes. Under 20 euros. Night and day compared to the chaos before.
This packing cube system for travel doesn't just work for family vacations, by the way. Once you try it, you never go back.
Amazon Essentials 4-teiliges Packwürfel-Reisezubehörset, Gepäckorganizer mit Doppelreißverschluss, Netzoberseite, 100% Polyester
4.6
(40,017)
EUR 17.8
Amazon
The Carry-On Is Your Emergency Bag
On our first flight, the carry-on was stuffed with snacks and an iPad. On the second flight, we had a system. Spare clothes (for kids AND parents), wet wipes, diapers, medication, snacks. Everything within reach, nothing buried. It sounds like a lot, but it all fits in a medium backpack if you pack with intention.
German family travel blogger Kathrin puts it well: "Parents should also pack spare clothes for flights." I can confirm. Apple juice pants, you know the story.
For carry-on with kids, choosing the right carry-on bag with proper compartments makes a real difference. The Dikaslon Wickeltasche Rucksack Großer Wickelrucksack mit Multifunktions-Babytasche für Reise has been a lifesaver for us. Lots of compartments, easy access, fits under the seat in front as a personal item.
Dikaslon Wickeltasche Rucksack Großer Wickelrucksack mit Multifunktions-Babytasche für Reise
4.7
(43,835)
EUR 34.83
Amazon
Kids Carry Their Own Stuff (But Only What You Could Carry Too)
Our older daughter (5) got her own small trolley. The LÄSSIG Kinderkoffer Trolley Reisekoffer mit Teleskopstange und Rollen für Kinder Handgepäck. She loves rolling it through the airport. Inside: her clothes, a stuffed animal, some books.
The key: only pack what YOU could carry if needed. Trust me, you will carry it. When the kid gets tired, that cute little trolley suddenly becomes your problem. I learned that one the hard way.
LÄSSIG Kinderkoffer Trolley Reisekoffer mit Teleskopstange und Rollen für Kinder Handgepäck
4.6
(57,967)
EUR 76.37
Amazon
The Trick Nobody Told Us About
Every airline offers family boarding. Sounds great. Often isn't.
Here's what we do now: I board early with all the bags and grab the overhead bins above our seats. My wife stays at the gate with the kids. Playing, running, burning off energy. Then they board last. Buckle up, taxi, done.
As Babycantravel explains, toddlers stuck on a plane for 30 to 45 minutes before takeoff are already at their limit by the time you actually leave the ground. Since we flipped the approach, boarding hasn't been a battle.
Baggage Rules When Flying with Kids: What Most People Don't Know
One more thing before we get to the products, and this one actually saves real money: most airlines give babies the same baggage allowance as adults. Even without their own seat. The ADAC explains this well.
Eurowings? Families with children under 2 get a FREE additional 23 kg checked bag. Just like that. It's barely advertised anywhere. But it's true. If you still need more luggage, it's worth booking Eurowings baggage online in advance, because paying at the gate can add up to 276 euros extra.
According to CHECK24, baggage fees can inflate your ticket price by up to 57%. If you want to know what airlines charge at the gate (Coming Soon), we have the full airline comparison.
Common Mistakes When Flying with Kids
I've watched a lot of families at airports over the past couple of years. A few patterns keep coming up.
Mistake 1: All the emergency stuff in checked luggage. Makes sense when you're packing ("we won't need that until the hotel"). Happens mid-flight? Disaster. Everything important goes in the carry-on, full stop.
Mistake 2: No backup outfit for the parents. Apple juice. I'll just say apple juice.
Mistake 3: Priority boarding with no strategy. Boarding early sounds smart. But 40 minutes in a cramped cabin with wired-up kids before departure? That doesn't make anyone happier.
Mistake 4: Overpacking entertainment. We brought four games, three books, and an iPad on our first flight. What we actually used: the iPad and one book. Less is genuinely more here.
Entertainment That Actually Works
Tablets are fine. But the battery doesn't always last on longer flights. What surprised us: the mierEdu Magnetspiel Box Künstlerin – Magnetische Bausteine und Magnetspiel für Kinder, Reisespielzeug. Small, quiet, no loose pieces. Perfect for the tray table.
And for snacks: the b.box Mini Brotdose für Kinder mit Fächern – Bento Box mit 3 Fächern (2 Auslaufsichere Fächer). Three compartments, leak-proof, fits in any bag. Less crumb chaos on the plane means less stress, and your neighbor in seat 22B will thank you too.
mierEdu Magnetspiel Box Künstlerin – Magnetische Bausteine und Magnetspiel für Kinder, Reisespielzeug
4.4
(9,911)
EUR 9.88
Amazon
Our Family Packing List for Flying with Kids
This isn't the complete list. Nobody needs the complete list. This is what made the difference between 47 kilos and 28 kilos for us.
These family travel packing tips look simple, but the system behind them saved us 19 kilos.
In the carry-on (per parent):
Spare clothes for you and one child
Diapers and wet wipes (even if the child is almost potty-trained)
Snacks and water bottle
One toy, one book
Medication and sunscreen
In checked luggage:
One packing cube per person, color-coded
Maximum 4 outfits per kid (they wear the same thing every day anyway)
Swimwear
One "just in case" outfit per person
That's it. Seriously. On the second trip, we had 28 kilos instead of 47. That's what makes flying with kids actually manageable: a system, no surprises, nothing forgotten.
If you want to take the next step: we also tried what happens when you attempt traveling with carry-on only (Coming Soon), with a surprising result.
