Lifestyle

5 Tips for Flying With Young Grandchildren for the First Time

By Erica Coleman · July 8, 2026

Grandparents are flying with grandchildren more than ever — solo trips to Disney, summer visits, holiday travel while parents work. If you haven’t flown with a young child in 20 or 30 years, the experience has changed. Here’s what makes the difference.

1. TSA PreCheck covers your grandchild if they’re under 13

Children under 13 can go through the TSA PreCheck lane with an enrolled adult — no separate enrollment needed. They keep their shoes on, their bags stay packed, and the line moves significantly faster. If you don’t have PreCheck and you’re planning to fly with a grandchild, enroll before the trip. The application costs $78 for five years and takes two weeks to process.

2. Download entertainment before you leave the house

Airport and airplane Wi-Fi is unreliable. Download movies, shows, and games to a tablet before departure — not at the gate. Most streaming apps allow offline downloads. Two to three hours of preloaded content is the minimum for a domestic flight when you account for taxiing, delays, and the period before and after the seatbelt sign is off.

3. Pack a change of clothes in your carry-on — for both of you

Spills, motion sickness, and diaper failures happen at 35,000 feet where there is no option to change. A full change of clothes for the child and a spare shirt for yourself — packed in a gallon ziplock bag — fits into any carry-on and prevents the rest of the trip from starting in stained clothes.

4. Bring new small toys — not their favorites

A toy the child has never seen before buys 20 to 30 minutes of focused attention. A favorite toy from home lasts five minutes because the novelty is gone. Dollar store sticker books, small figurines, play dough, and coloring supplies are the veteran grandparent’s secret weapon. Wrap each one individually and reveal them one at a time throughout the flight.

5. Request the bulkhead row or exit-row adjacent seats

Bulkhead rows have more legroom and no seat in front to kick — which eliminates the most common source of conflict between families and other passengers. You can’t always get bulkhead seats, but calling the airline directly and explaining you’re traveling with a young child often produces a seat assignment that online booking won’t offer. Airlines have discretion to move families to more suitable rows when asked politely.

One final note: ears. Takeoff and landing cause ear pressure changes that young children cannot equalize on their own. A bottle, sippy cup, pacifier, or lollipop during ascent and descent encourages swallowing, which relieves the pressure. A screaming child on a plane is almost always a child whose ears hurt. Give them something to suck or chew before the discomfort starts.