9 Tips to Get Your Child to Sleep on a Plane
/Every parent wants their young child to sleep on an airplane. It’s just the truth. Having a sleeping kid on an airplane makes everyone less stressed. Whether your flight is 2 hours or 15 hours, it’s a good feeling to get some much needed relaxation while the little one snoozes the miles away. We have put a baby to sleep on an airplane, put a toddler and a baby to sleep on an airplane and we’ve even gotten two toddlers to sleep on an airplane. We have one good sleeper and one not so good sleeper, so it’s not always easy. There are a few tricks to sleeping on a plane! In order to help other parents who feel overwhelmed by sleep time on a plane, I put together 9 ways to get your child to sleep on a flight, so let’s get snoozing!
This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.
Latham using his DockATot DeluXE here and snoozing away a flight from Amsterdam to Prague.
Here are 9 Ways to help your child to sleep on an airplane:
1) Tire them out.
One mistake many parents make is not allowing their child to run free inside the airport before a flight. Instead of trapping them in a stroller or putting them in a carrier, consider letting them be the boss. You don’t need to bring a bunch of travel toys either, simply let them run down the hall, climb a few chairs, or challenge them to a game that involves them moving around. One game idea would be to have them go find as many airplanes as they can out of the windows. The idea is to burn down the energy BEFORE the flight! Check out Why We Reccomend Airport Lounges for Families.
Charletta running through the pensacol airport
There is a playroom in the dallas centurion lounge where the kids played and watched bluey
We had an 8 hour layover in dallas, so instead of sleeping on the plane - he slept on the couch in the centurion lounge
2) Invest in an Inflatable Foot Pillow
I give this travel tip a lot because it’s one of the best investments we have made for travel with our toddlers. For long-haul flights, we inflate them for each kid just after the seatbelt sign goes off and don’t deflate them until we have to put our tray tables away. Our kids have slept through the night because they are able to lay down flat. If you want your young children to sleep on an airplane, inflatable footrests are worth their weight in gold. After all, the most comfortable way to sleep on a plane is laying down!
The kids sharing a foot pillow on a long haul from Seattle to Atlanta
How to make a bed on a plane:
Wait until after the inflight service
Inflate foot rest pillow
Lay out a blanket over the seat/pillow
Lay child down (if possible, keep them buckled for safety reasons)
Again, an airplane seat extender for toddlers is one of the best travel tips I can give for these long flights and keeping your sanity.
*** Not all airlines allow these, so check before you fly. Also, they are only allowed in the window seat OR the middle seat, so you cannot inflate one on an aisle seat on any aircraft.
Here are some items to help make a bed on a plane:
Check out all of my recommended Sleep Gear for traveling with kids.
Our baby asleep on an international american airlines flight - footrest and sound machine for the win!
3.) Follow your home routine.
Both Kids went to sleep on this long haul from Atlanta to Amsterdam. C slept 7 hours and L slept 6. Latham is in his dockatot Deluxe (unzipped to make it more malleable for the flight)
Are you flying during nap time or bedtime? If yes, simply follow the same routine you do at home and try to stick to the normal sleep time. We bring these body wipes to give our kids a “bath”, then we put them into their pajamas, give them yogurt, read a book, and lay them down. We follow the exact same bedtime routine that we have at home. And it works.
For naps, I generally do the same thing. Getting your kid to sleep on an airplane is similar to getting them to sleep at home, so stick to a routine. If you’re changing several time zones, check out our 5 Tips for Overcoming Jetlag.
Here are helpful items to keep the bedtime routine on a plane:
4.) Bring the car seat.
If your child sleeps well in the car seat, it may be beneficial to bring your car seat on the plan for them to sleep in. Neither of my kids do, so we haven’t explored this option, but we are in many family travel communities where avid family travelers use this method successfully. If you’re looking for a lightweight carseat, check out which Travel Carseats we recommend HERE.
Both kids used the cares harness before they were old enough for just the lap belt. It goes over the seat and creates a harness to hold them in the seat during turbulance. for sleep, we only used the lap belt — to snag a cares harness, tap the image
My son (4) is a little too long to use the foot rest while laying down, but we had an extra seat and he passed out right away on a flight from San fran\cisco to washington Dc
5.) Get them full.
The kids eating snacks on a domestic flight; they are using their oogaa silicone mat to keep the snacks germ free.
Be sure your child is well fed before starting a sleep time routine. Often a full tummy and the low drum of the airplane are enough to make anyone feel drowsy. Pack snacks your child will love and that make them full. We personally love bringing the Yogurt Pouches onto the plane for an easy, filling, and nutritious pre-sleep snack. If you’ve got a picky eater, check out our blog on Traveling with Picky Eater.
Here are a few meal time items to make your travel day easier (and less germy):
Snack Cups with easy access and a lid
Pouch Caps to prevent toddlers from squeezing them all over the place
Check out my full list of BEST Travel Gear for Babies
6.) Create a dark space.
Ok, I realize this image is just a dark photo of me holding a sleeping baby on the plane, but still. The plane lights were off, the shades were down and she was out! ….and,clearly, so was i
A dark environment has always been key for us to get a baby to sleep on plane. One way to do this is by asking for or bringing your own extra blanket on to the plane. You can create a canopy with the blankets by draping them over their seatback and into their respective tray tables. This creates their own personal tent space and blocks the airplanes lighting from waking a sleeping baby. If you have access to the window shade, be sure to close it.
On this delta flight from atlanta to rome, I put a blanket over the seats to create a dark space during the flight. we had the center row of 4 seats — it was just me and both kids (2 and 4). We used 2 inflatable footrests to extend the seats and they slept for 6-7 hours of the flight.
shade is shut, inflatable foot rest is open, sound machine is on. time for a hands free snack and drink!
7.) Babywear
Falling asleep on a plane isn’t always as easy for little babies. The stimulation and new environment can be confusing. Babywearing is a comfort and helps feel comfortable and helps baby sleep on a plane more soundly.
the baby fell asleep before the flight. since we boarded first, i let him sleep until we started to take off. (You can not keep a baby in a carrier during take off or landing)
Put your baby or toddler in a baby carrier such as an Ergo Aerloom or Tula Free-to-Grow Carrier and walk the aisles. We have been able to get our baby to sleep so many times on a flight by doing this. Sometimes stationary seat rocking just isn’t enough to get baby to sleep on plane.
After our children were lulled to sleep in the carrier, we would transfer them to baby bed we had made on the plane or simply held them while they slept.
Baby wearing is essential to being comfy and getting hard to settle kids to sleep
8.) Choose the appropriate seats.
Call your airline to secure a bassinet for the baby.
Let baby sleep!! If you’re traveling with an infant in arms, you may want to call the airline to request a bassinet for the baby. (only available on long haul flights) These bassinets give the baby their own place to laydown flat and sleep uninterrupted on the plane.
If you’re traveling with older children on a night flight, try not to pick the bulk head seats. The arm rests typically do not go up and its harder to get your kid to sleep on a plane when they are uncomfortable. With two children, we always try to snag the middle row of 4-seats across so we can have then entire aisle to ourselves. This gives all the extra room to stretch out and relax. We also try to be near a restroom, but not so close that the traffic in and out is constant. (and loud) Ideally, I like to be about 5-7 rows away.
i alsways prefer the aisle seat when traveling with a lap infant. I like to be able to get up and walk or use some of the space in the aisle.
9.) Relax.
Our daughter at 23 months did not want to sleep at all on a long haul from Atlanta to Paris, so we didn’t force the issue. Instead we made her comfortable and let her entertain herself.
Seriously. Don’t force the sleep issue. Don’t expect your child to fall asleep before take-off and wake up after landing. (Although, that does seem awesome!) If you are relaxed, your children will reciprocate. Be gentle with them, understand it’s not their typically sleep environment, and most of all, try to go with the flow.
Sometimes your child will go to sleep 2 hours after their typical bedtime (or not at all) and sometimes they will take a 3-hour nap when they normally only sleep 1 at home. With all travel, it’s the journey that makes the trip! If your kid doesn’t want to sleep, check out our guide to Entertaining Your Toddler/Baby While Traveling.
Got lucky with an empty seat beside me. he didn’t want to sleep, so we whipped out the silicone mat and let him play!
*** Can baby sleep on floor of plane? In short, no it is not safe at all. I realize there is a photo right here of my son asleep in a dockatot on the floor. I do not condone doing this and acknowledge the risk we took. I have since learned much more about child safety in airplanes and would not put a baby down there. Check out my tips for flying with a baby.
my son (4) sleeping in an entire row on a neary empty flight from DC to San Fran (he is buckled at the waist)
Other Articles You May Like:
Whether you are coaxing a baby to sleep on an airplane or prepping your older child to sleep on an overnight flight, these tips can help you make your efforts go further. Humans typically sleep better in quiet dark spaces while laying down, so creating the most effective sleep space while still maintaining safety is paramount. Please, always ensure your child is in a seatbelt or restraint of some kind.
Our newest baby asleep on an internatonal american airlines flight from barbados back to miami.
***I have been asked many times: Is it safe to give baby Benadryl for flying? Or is there medicine to make baby sleep on plane? I do not recommend this at all. Your baby could have the opposite reaction and be more awake the entire flight. They could have a bad reaction. I never recommend medicating children to sleep, especially not Benadryl for infants flying.
What are some tried and true tips you have for getting your baby to sleep on an airplane? I would love to hear about in the comments!
PIN ME:
AMAZON AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE:
There are links on this site that can be defined as “affiliate links”. This means that I may receive a small commission (at no cost to you) if you subscribe or purchase something through the links provided.
Big Brave Nomad is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for website owners to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, audible.com, and any other website that may be affiliated with Amazon Service LLC Associates Program.
