Flying to Europe
with an infant or lap child.
We never actually flew a baby as a true lap infant. We always bought the seat instead, and it is the one call we would make again on every single trip. Here is how that played out on our overnight flight from Boston to Reykjavik with a nine-month-old.
Buy the seat, bring the car seat.
Buying a seat for a baby instead of holding them as a free lap infant is a real added cost, and we made that trade every time. The reason: it let us bring the car seat right onto the plane and buckle a baby into something familiar and secure, rather than holding them for six or seven hours. On our long-haul routes out of Boston, that difference mattered more than the money.
How we travel with an infant car seat:
stroller to the gate, car seat onto the plane.
We drive the stroller all the way to the gate, keeping hands free through security and the terminal, then gate-check the stroller right before boarding and carry the car seat on with us to buckle into the seat we bought. It is especially worth it on a red-eye, which already lines up with a baby's bedtime: a familiar car seat makes it much easier for them to actually settle and sleep through the flight instead of fighting being held.
Boston to Reykjavik
with a nine-month-old.
Our oldest daughter was nine months old when we took her to Iceland for a week in September. We followed the exact plan above. We took the overnight flight out of Logan, we bought her a seat, and we brought her car seat on board so she had a familiar, secure place to sleep.
It worked, for about half the flight. She slept in her car seat for roughly half the way over. The other half, she wanted to crawl. She wanted out of her seat. She wanted to cry, and to do all the other things that make an overnight international flight feel very, very long.
I remember sitting there watching the flight map on the seatback screen, counting down the time minute by minute. And I would not take it back. We had an amazing trip, with the car, the waterfalls, the geothermal walks and a baby in the carrier the whole way.
What a week in Iceland with a baby looked like.
Six months to two years is the hard window.
Any child between about six months and two years old, on any flight longer than two or three hours, is a real challenge. They are too old to sleep the whole way like a newborn and too young to be bribed with a movie. That is true no matter how well you plan.
Why Iceland is the one we recommend first
If you are nervous about a first long-haul flight with a baby, start with Iceland. Boston to Reykjavik is about five hours on the way over and a little longer coming home, one of the shortest transatlantic flights you can take from Logan. That is a much easier ask of a baby than the seven hours or more it takes to reach most of mainland Europe. Our Iceland family scorecard has the current nonstops, and Iceland or Ireland compares the two shortest first trips abroad.
Want to see what flights to Reykjavik cost in September?
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Everything we have on Iceland.
The road trip
Summer daylight versus winter lights.
Reykjavik as one base, Vik as a second.
Layers over swimsuits, even in July.
Real ranges, by category.
Short daylight, icy roads, a real shot at the northern lights.
What families ask us.
What is it really like to fly with a baby between 6 months and 2 years old?
Honestly, it is hard on any flight longer than two or three hours. On our overnight flight from Boston to Reykjavik, our nine-month-old slept about half the way in her car seat, and spent the other half wanting to crawl, get out of her seat and cry. You get through it, and the trip on the other side is worth it.
What is the shortest flight to Europe from Boston with a baby?
Iceland. Boston to Reykjavik (Keflavik) is about five hours on the way over and a little longer coming home, one of the shortest transatlantic flights from Logan, which makes it our top pick for a first long-haul trip with a baby.
Should a fear of flying with a baby stop us from traveling?
No. The flight is the hard part, and it ends. We watched the minutes tick by on the seatback screen on our Iceland flight, and we would still not take it back: you can keep seeing places and doing things when you have kids.
Should we buy a seat for an infant on an international flight?
We always did, rather than holding a baby as a lap infant. Buying the seat let us bring the car seat onto the plane, which we consider the single biggest comfort upgrade for a long-haul flight with a baby, especially a red-eye.
How do you get a car seat to the gate and onto the plane?
We drive the stroller all the way to the gate, gate-check the stroller there, and carry the car seat onto the plane to buckle into the purchased seat. It keeps hands free through security and the terminal, and the car seat only comes out right before boarding.
Is a car seat worth it on a red-eye flight specifically?
Yes, more than on a daytime flight. A red-eye already lines up with a baby's bedtime, and a familiar, secure car seat makes it easier for them to actually settle and sleep through the flight rather than fight being held for hours.
Is buying an extra seat for a baby expensive?
It is a real added cost over flying as a lap infant for free, and worth weighing against the trip budget. For us, the tradeoff was worth it every time: a genuinely easier flight for the baby and for us.
Can you use an infant car seat on the plane?
Yes, on US airlines, as long as the baby has their own purchased seat and the car seat is FAA-approved: look for the label saying it is certified for use in motor vehicles and aircraft. It usually has to go in a window seat so it doesn’t block anyone’s way out. Foreign airlines set their own rules, so check before you fly.
What are your best tips for a baby’s first flight?
Buy the seat, bring the car seat, and pick an overnight flight if you can, so it leaves close to bedtime. Drive the stroller to the gate, gate-check it, and buckle the baby in. Then plan for everyone to nap once you reach the rental, because even when the kids sleep on the plane, we all still need one.