Travelling with kids
Packing for kids, the light way
Children get through clothes fast, but they’re small, quick to dry and cheap to wash. Plan a mid-trip wash instead of an outfit for every day, and use the baby allowances airlines give you for free.
Karen’s tip Families: buy the bag sizes you need, not two big ones
- easyJet sells 15, 23, 26, 29 and 32 kg hold bags. Its fees page gives minimum online prices of £6.99 (15 kg) and £9.49 (23 kg); real prices vary by route and date, and it’s £60 per bag at the airport. If your family’s hold items weigh 35 kg, one 23 kg + one 15 kg is usually cheaper than two 23 kg bags: compare in the basket. Source
- Ryanair: a 10 kg check-in bag costs £10.49-44.99 at booking (£24-75 later), a 20 kg bag £21.49-59.99 at booking (£39.99-75 later). One 20 kg + one 10 kg can beat two 20 kg bags, and always buy at booking, not at the airport. Sourceto re-check
- Jet2 lets passengers on the same booking pool hold-bag weight (no single bag over 32 kg) and adds 10 kg free per infant to an adult’s 22 kg bag. Two 22 kg allowances can travel as one 32 kg case plus a 12 kg case, or fewer, bigger cases. Sourceto re-check
- TUI also allows pooling on the same booking, max 25 kg per bag. Flight-only 15 kg bags start at £40 return prebooked; at the airport a 15 kg bag is £60 short-haul. Sourceto re-check
- BA: the 23 kg limit is per bag and can’t be split between bags, so pooling doesn’t work. Source
- Pushchairs, car seats and travel cots go free on all five airlines, so don’t pay hold weight for them. Use the free baby bag (Ryanair 5 kg, easyJet changing bag) for nappies and spare outfits. editorial
Fees change often and depend on route and date: always compare in the basket before you pay. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
Baby food, milk and liquids
Leaving the UK
- Travelling with a baby you can take enough baby food, baby milk (formula, cow’s, soya for babies) and sterilised water for the journey, with no legal limit, but the baby must be with you. Check your airport. Breast milk is allowed even without the baby, in containers up to 2,000 ml; frozen breast milk can’t go in hand baggage. Cooling gel packs and ice packs are allowed. gov.uk
- easyJet: the 100 ml rule doesn’t apply to baby food, milk or sterilised water (in a baby bottle) as long as each container is no more than 2 litres; you may be asked to taste it. easyjet.com
- TUI: milk and baby food are allowed onboard but may be screened separately. tui.co.uk
Flying home
- EU and Greek airports (e.g. Athens, Fraport Greece) exempt baby food and sterilised water from the 100 ml limit; Dubai exempts baby milk/foods; the US TSA allows formula, breast milk and juice for children in reasonable quantities outside the quart bag (declare at screening). tsa.gov
Free baby allowances
| Airline | Infant age | Lap infant in the cabin | Free equipment | Children 2+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryanair | 8 days-23 months | No cabin allowance, but a free baby bag up to 5 kg, 45 x 35 x 20 cm, for a lap infant. | 2 items per child free (pushchair/buggy plus car seat, booster or travel cot), tagged at check-in or gate; pushchair usable to the aircraft steps. Extra equipment (max 20 kg) for a fee. | Children 2+ have the same allowance as adults. Source Source |
| easyJet | 14 days-2 years | Lap infant: one extra baby changing bag, max 45 x 36 x 20 cm, under the seat in front. Infant with own seat: same as an adult plus a changing bag. | Up to 2 items per child free in the hold: travel cot, pushchair, double pushchair, buggy, car seat, pram, booster seat, baby back carrier. Can be used to the gate. Standard Trunki (46 x 20.5 x 31 cm) can go under the seat. | Children 2+ same as adults. Source |
| Jet2 | under 2 | Infants have no hand baggage allowance (adults get 10 kg "hand luggage" + a 40 x 30 x 20 cm under-seat bag). | 2 items per child/infant free (collapsible pushchair/pram/buggy, car or booster seat, baby carrier, travel cot), max 32 kg each; pushchair to the aircraft steps. If the adult has bought a 22 kg hold bag, an extra 10 kg per infant is added free. | Children 2+ same as adults. Source Source |
| TUI Airways | under 2 | Under-2s have no hand baggage allowance; a baby change bag counts towards the adult’s 10 kg (55 x 40 x 20 cm) hand baggage. | Pushchairs and car seats go in the hold free (package and flight-only). A pushchair under 10 kg and within 55 x 40 x 20 cm can come onboard with a label, but it counts as an adult’s large hand-baggage item. Packages include 10 kg checked baggage for under-2s. | Package holidays: at least 20 kg checked per adult/child; all over-2s get 10 kg hand baggage + a personal item. Source |
| British Airways | under 24 months | Infant without a seat: 1 cabin bag (56 x 45 x 25 cm) for items needed in flight. | Each infant and child can check up to 2 items free even on Basic (hand-baggage-only) fares: fully collapsible pushchair, car/booster seat, travel cot, baby back carrier. | Infant without seat gets one 23 kg hold bag, except on Basic fares (no checked bag for adult or infant, and none can be bought for the infant). Children with a seat: same as adults. Source Source |
Pack for half, wash once
Pack for about half the trip and wash once. Outfits per day: babies 2-3 (leaks and spills), toddlers 2, children 1 plus a spare.
Pick one base colour (navy or grey) and two brights; every top goes with every bottom, so 3 tops + 2 bottoms = 6 outfits.
A zip hoodie or fleece on the plane and for air-conditioned restaurants, and a packable rain jacket; kids feel temperature swings faster.
Washing on holiday
- Holiday laundrettes: Spain "lavandería autoservicio", Portugal "lavandaria self-service", Greece "πλυντήριο" (plyntirio), US "laundromat"; many family hotels and park hotels have guest laundry.
- Sink-wash: kids’ cotton and swimwear dry overnight in hot climates; pack a travel washing line or a few pegs.
- Travel wash: laundry soap sheets are solid, so they don’t count towards your liquids.
Our editorial advice.
- NHS: keep babies under 6 months out of direct strong sunlight; children should cover up, use shade 11am-3pm and wear at least SPF30 with 4-star UVA, reapplied after swimming. Source
- UV suits (long-sleeve swim tops/suits) and a wide-brim or legionnaire-style hat cut down on sun cream and stay on in the pool. Source
- Sun cream for the whole family won’t fit 100 ml bottles: buy it there (e.g. Continente MyLabel Kids Sensitive SPF50+ 100 ml €4.49). Source
Baby (0-12 months)
1 week
- Sleepsuits/bodysuits 8-10
- Light outfits 4
- Muslins 4
- Cardigan or fleece 1
- Sun hat with neck flap 1
- UV swimsuit + swim nappies (buy there)
- Sleeping bag (lighter tog) 1
- Nappies and wipes for travel day + 1 day (buy the rest there)
- Formula/food for the journey (exempt from 100 ml)
- Spare outfit for you in the cabin bag
Toddler (1-3)
1 week
- Tops 5
- Shorts/leggings 3
- Dress or romper 1
- Pyjamas 2
- Fleece or hoodie 1
- Rain jacket 1
- UV suit 1-2, swim nappies
- Sun hat 1
- Trainers + water shoes
- Comfort toy and a few small new toys for the flight
Child (4-12)
1 week
- Tops 4-5
- Shorts 2-3
- Long trousers or leggings 1
- Dress or smart outfit 1
- Pyjamas 2
- Hoodie 1
- Rain jacket 1
- Swimsuits 2 (one UV top)
- Sun hat 1
- Trainers + sandals or water shoes
- Underwear and socks 6-7
- Own small backpack with headphones and snacks
Any age
Long weekend
- Halve the clothes above, keep the same layers
- One wash not needed; one spare outfit per child in the cabin bag
Nappies and sun cream abroad
Spain (Mercadona)
- Deliplus nappies size 4 (10-15 kg), 38: €6.55
- Dodot nappies size 4 (9-14 kg), 58: €16.75
- Deliplus baby wipes, 80: €1.00
- Hero baby food jar 235 g: €1.80
- Nestlé Nativa 1 infant formula 800 g: €12.95
- Deliplus Kids 3-in-1 shampoo 300 ml: €1.70
- Sun Med SPF50+ spray 250 ml: €7.50
Valencia warehouse online prices, 20 Oct 2026; Canary Islands differ. Source
Portugal (Continente)
- Continente do Bebé nappies size 4, 100: €14.99
- Dodot Sensitive size 4, 70: €18.99
- MyLabel Kids Sensitive SPF50+ 100 ml: €4.49
Online prices, 20 Oct 2026. Source
Formula warning
Brands and formulations differ abroad; if your baby is on a specific UK formula, take enough for the trip (exempt from 100 ml in hand baggage) rather than relying on finding it there (editorial). Source
Little feet
Beaches and pools
Water shoes or strapped sandals; hot sand and rocky coves burn and cut little feet.
Cobbled old towns (Lisbon, Rhodes, Dubrovnik-style)
Trainers with grippy soles; push a lightweight buggy rather than a big pram on cobbles and steps.
Theme parks
Broken-in trainers plus a spare pair for water rides. Disney limits strollers to 31 x 52 in and bans stroller wagons. Source
Hiking and volcanic ground (Teide, Crete gorges)
Closed shoes with grip; no sandals.
Checked 20 Oct 2026. Items marked editorial are our advice, not airline rules. Also see liquids rules by airport and Plan my trip.