Flying With a Baby at Christmas: The UK Parent's Checklist
Christmas flights are busy: full planes, long queues and everyone carrying presents. With a baby along, a bit of planning goes a long way. Here's our practical checklist, from booking right through to the gate.
6–8 weeks before: book smart
- Check your airline's free baby items. Most give you a pushchair plus at least one more item for free, but the details vary. For example, BA allows up to two essential items per infant (even on Basic fares), Virgin Atlantic allows a pushchair and a car seat on top of your allowance, and TUI checks pushchairs and car seats for free. Compare them all in pushchair allowance by airline.
- Long-haul? Ask about a bassinet early. Christmas flights fill up. Virgin Atlantic takes bassinet requests in advance but can't guarantee one. BA offers free carrycots on long-haul for babies under 6 months and under 8 kg. Limits differ by airline, so see airline bassinet rules.
- Decide whether your baby needs a seat. You'll only be able to use a car seat on board if you've booked your baby a seat, and each airline has its own rules (Ryanair, for example, requires a forward-facing, aircraft-approved seat no wider than 43 cm with a 5-point harness). See car seat on a plane.
2–3 weeks before: sort the gear
- Pushchair: a compact fold makes the gate faster. Check it in the cabin-size checker. TUI lets a collapsible pushchair on board only if it's under 10 kg and 55 × 40 × 20 cm, and it uses up an adult's hand luggage.
- Travel cot for Grandma's? If there's no cot where you're staying, a light one saves a lot of fuss. Remember it usually counts as one of your free baby items.
- Car seat at the other end: if you're being collected or hiring a car, bring your own seat or check with your transfer or hire company that a suitable one is provided.
The week before
- ☐ Re-check your airline's baby rules: they can change (all airlines).
- ☐ Baby food and milk: easyJet says you can bring baby food, baby milk and sterilised water in your cabin bag, and the 100 ml limit doesn't apply (each container up to 2 litres). You may be asked to taste it (easyJet). Liquid rules vary between UK airports, so check with yours too (gov.uk).
- ☐ Download a few new songs or shows, and pack a favourite toy that's new to the flight.
- ☐ Add the airline's app so you get gate changes straight away.
On the day
- Get there early. Christmas queues are real.
- Keep the pushchair as long as your airline allows: Ryanair to the aircraft steps, and Jet2 until boarding. easyJet pushchairs can be gate-checked.
- Little ones can't always pop their ears, so easyJet suggests giving them something to chew or swallow during take-off and landing (easyJet).
- Collect a gate-checked pushchair where the crew tells you. Ask if you're unsure.
Our Christmas travel kit picks
Pushchairs
- Joie pact lite: 5.35 kg, from birth. See it
- Bugaboo Butterfly 2: 7.3 kg, IATA cabin-compatible fold, £435 RRP. See it
Travel cots
- phil&teds traveller: 5 kg packed in its bag. See it
- BabyBjörn Travel Cot Light: 6 kg including bag, £199.90 RRP. See it
Infant car seats
- Joie i-Snug 2: 3.35 kg, birth to 75 cm, £105 RRP. See it
- CYBEX Cloud T i-Size: 4.5 kg, 45–87 cm, £199.95 RRP. See it
Before relying on any car seat on board, check with the maker and your airline that the specific seat is approved for aircraft use.
Some links are affiliate links: if you buy, we may earn a small commission at no cost to you. How we make money.
FAQs
Can I take a pushchair and a car seat for free at Christmas? On most airlines, yes, and the rules are the same all year. For example, easyJet, Ryanair, Jet2 and BA each allow two free baby items. Check your airline in our pushchair allowance guide.
Is a bassinet guaranteed on a Christmas long-haul flight? Usually not. Virgin Atlantic and KLM, for example, say bassinets are subject to availability. Request one as early as you can.
Does a travel cot count as luggage? Usually it counts as one of your free baby items. On Ryanair, it's the second item alongside the pushchair.
Can I take my pushchair to the plane door? On Ryanair you can use it up to the aircraft steps. On Jet2 you can keep it until boarding, and easyJet allows gate-checking.