At 6-12 months, your baby can sit up and entertain herself for a few minutes at a time but lacks the attention span to be entertained by electronic devices, so a successful flight will require lots of toys and distractions to keep Baby happy.
My top recs?
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a mini cooler of snacks and milk
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Musical and light-up tacky toys
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Small board books
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Lightweight, compact and stacking toys; and
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Teethers and pacifiers.
(and yes, “toys” are on the list twice. That’s because babies this age need a lot of toys to keep their attention in between naps)
1. Snacks and Milk/Formula
Pack a mini cooler with whatever food your baby will need for the flight, plus extra in case your flight is delayed or you have a longer-than-expected layover.
Check the TSA website for exact details on what’s allowed and what’s prohibited, but we have never had to throw out any liquid (including water bottles) or food that is designated for the baby.
At 6-12 months starter snacks are dual purpose: food + pincer grasp practice! Puff, cereal, and freeze-dried yogurt are favorites at this age. HappyBABY superfood puffs and organic yogis.
Also amazing for travel: organic (guilt-free) baby food pouches. Once Upon a Farm pouches are organic, cold-pressed, and have no added sugar, but they do have to be refrigerated so bring an ice pack in your cooler. Shelf-stable options? Happy Baby Clearly Crafted line and Plum Organics.
2. Musical Toys
Toys with flashing lights and sounds are great at grabbing baby’s attention when they are crying or about to cry. Both of my babies loved this Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes musical toy and the VTech Touch and Swipe baby phone. They’re small. Bring both.
3. Small Board Books
IMO the absolute best books at this age are Montesorri-type realistic photo books and anything with lift-the-flaps and just a few words per page.
Favorites: the Lovery series and any Roger Priddy board book with photographs of real-life objects and babies.
4. Compact and Lightweight Toys
Anything that is compact, easy to clean, and cheap (in case you lose it) makes the ideal travel toy.
Our favorite travel toys are simple stacking cups — they are so versatile! Baby will enjoy nesting them, pulling them out one-by-one, banging two of them together, and knocking them down after stacking them up. The little holes in the cups make them fun bath toys too, so they are a great travel item.
Favorites: this one from Lovery and another from The First Years
5. Teethers
Babies are constantly teething at this age so even if you don’t see one erupting at the moment don’t ever forget a teether just in case!
Favorites: Sophie Giraffe and this Bambeado Giraffe
It’s also a good idea to have pacifier wipes like these from Muchkin/Arm & Hammer to clean teethers and other toys that fall (that will later end up back in their mouths…). And lavatory sink water is dirty, so ONLY use bottled water to clean baby things.
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