Traveling With Two Under Two: Gear, Flights, Sleep and Schedules

Traveling with two under two works best with less gear and clear roles. The setup that gets most families through airports is the baby in a carrier, the toddler in one compact stroller, and the car seats checked or carried by a designated adult. On flights, airlines allow only one lap infant per adult. A solo parent therefore has to buy a seat for at least one child, and buying a seat for both, with an approved car seat, is the safest option the FAA recommends. At the destination, the hard part is sleep: two children, two schedules, usually one room.

Quick plan

• Gear: one compact stroller plus a carrier, rather than a double stroller in the airport.
• Car seats: light travel seats if you can, and practice both installs at home.
• Flights: one adult per child, a purchased seat for the baby if you can, family pre-boarding.
• Sleep: a suite or two-bedroom rental if the budget allows. Otherwise, staggered bedtimes and a sound machine for each child.
• Schedules: keep the baby's feeds on time and let the rest flex.

What stroller setup works best for two under two?

For travel, one compact single stroller plus a baby carrier is usually the most flexible option. The toddler rides in the stroller, the baby rides on an adult's chest, and the other adult has hands free for bags and car seats. A single travel stroller folds fast at security and gate-checks easily. The UPPAbaby Minu V3, for example, is rated to 50 lb with a slim fold. A carrier such as the Ergobaby Omni Classic (7 to 45 lb) can be worn through the metal detector, though it may lead to extra screening.

Other options

• Side-by-side double: good on wide sidewalks, but awkward in terminals, doorways and on buses, and heavy.
• Inline (tandem) double: narrower, but long and often heavy to lift.
• Two single strollers: only with two adults. It doubles the gate-checking and leaves no free hands.

Compare carriers in our travel baby carriers roundup.

How do you handle two car seats?

Two seats are often the heaviest part of the trip. Practice both installations at home before you go, especially if one child is rear-facing and the other forward-facing, since they use different belt paths. Many infant car seats can be installed with a vehicle belt without their base, which helps in taxis and rental cars, but check your manual. A lighter travel seat, like the roughly 12 lb Baby Trend Trooper Slim, makes carrying easier. The Doona (4 to 30 lb and up to 32 in, rear-facing, on Doona's current US pages; follow the label on your seat) folds out into a stroller, which can replace one piece of gear for an infant. Compare weights in the FAA-approved car seats roundup. Padded travel bags protect checked seats.

For using seats on board and in rental cars, see our airline car seat rules guide, lap child vs car seat vs CARES, and the rental car seat guide.

Can you fly with two lap infants?

Not with one adult. Airlines permit one lap child per adult, so two adults can each hold one child under 2, but a solo parent needs a purchased seat for at least one. The FAA's guidance on flying with children says the safest place for a child under 2 is in an approved child restraint in their own seat, not on a lap, and that buying a ticket is the only way to guarantee you can use one. A purchased seat with the baby's car seat also frees your hands for the toddler. Check the "certified for use in aircraft" label on the seat. Airlines set their own rules on where car seats can go, often a window seat, so check with your carrier when you choose seats.

How do you get through the airport with two under two?

How should two adults divide the work at security?

Decide roles before you get in line:

1. Adult A wears the baby and pushes the toddler in the stroller.
2. Adult B handles the carry-ons, diaper bag and any car seats you're keeping.
3. At the belt, B loads the bins while A takes the toddler out and folds the stroller.
4. A walks through with the baby in the carrier. B walks through with the toddler.
5. On the far side, B collects the bags while A rebuilds the stroller.

Children 12 and under keep their shoes on, and formula, breast milk and baby food are allowed in larger amounts if you declare them. See TSA's traveling with children page and our airport guide. TSA PreCheck covers children 12 and under traveling with a parent who has it.

Should you check the car seats at the counter or at the gate?

Checking them at the counter means you aren't hauling two seats through the terminal. Gate-checking means less baggage handling, but more carrying. If you gate-check, a car seat travel cart lets you roll a seat instead of carrying it. Either way, use padded bags and inspect the seats on arrival. Check your airline's policy on gate-checking car seats.

What's the plan for a solo parent?

Baby in the carrier and toddler in the stroller the whole time. One backpack, not a shoulder bag. Check everything else. Use family pre-boarding and get off last. When someone offers to help with the overhead bin, say yes.

How do you manage the flight?

Assign one adult to each child for the whole flight. Switching back and forth leads to both adults handling both children.

Baby: feed during takeoff and descent to help ear pressure. A baby in their own car seat often sleeps better than one held on a lap. Keep a small grab bag with diapers and wipes for lavatory trips.

Toddler: snacks, new activities handed out one at a time, a tablet with downloaded shows as a backup, and an aisle walk when the seatbelt sign is off. Our plane entertainment guide and travel toys roundup have ideas.

Diaper changes: one child at a time, one adult per trip. Airplane changing tables are tiny.

Getting off the plane: wait for the aisle to clear. Adult A takes the baby, Adult B takes the car seat and bags, and you pick up the stroller at the aircraft door if it was gate-checked.

How do you set up the car for two under two?

Most cars fit two car seats in the outboard rear positions. Check that both seats install tightly side by side, and that the front seats still have enough room with a rear-facing seat behind them. In a vehicle with a third row, an adult can sometimes sit within reach of both children. Plan stops roughly every one and a half to two hours. Feeding, burping and two diaper changes make each stop longer, so take turns: one adult handles both children while the other takes a break. Drive during overlapping naps when you can. See the road trip guide and the road trip gear roundup.

How do you get two under two to sleep in one hotel room?

The baby and the toddler will hear each other, and both will hear you. These help:

• More rooms: a suite, connecting rooms or a two-bedroom vacation rental changes the trip more than any piece of gear.
• Separation within the room: put the two sleep spaces as far apart as is safe. A blackout tent over the toddler's travel crib limits the view. Keep the baby's crib in your room, on a firm flat surface, with nothing else in it, per the AAP's safe sleep guide. Don't set it up in a closet or bathroom.
• A sound machine for each child, placed between them.
• Familiar items: each child's sleep sack, lovey and pacifiers, packed in the carry-on.

Two sleep spaces usually means one portable crib plus one from the hotel, or a rental from a gear company (see renting vs bringing gear). Check that each one's height and weight limits fit the child using it. The Munchkin Ultra-Lite, for example, is rated to 24 months or 30 lb.

How do you put two children to bed in the same room?

Stagger them. One adult does the baby's routine in the dark room while the other takes the toddler out for a short walk or to the lobby. Once the baby is asleep, the toddler comes back for a short, quiet routine. This avoids two children crying at once and setting each other off. Our vacation sleep guide covers settling in more detail.

How do you feed two under two on the go?

Breastfed baby: no bottles to prepare, but you need a way to manage the toddler while you nurse. Put the toddler in a travel high chair with finger food first, or have the other adult take over the toddler. Some parents learn to nurse in the carrier.

Bottle-fed baby: pre-measured formula in a dispenser, enough bottles for the travel day plus extra, a bottle brush, and safe water for mixing where the tap water is uncertain. Use an insulated bag for pumped milk. See the travel feeding roundup.

Toddler: pack more snacks than you think you'll need, because delays happen. Choose low-mess options and bring a silicone bib. A less varied diet for a few days is fine. The feeding guide has more.

How do you manage two different schedules?

Accept that both schedules won't hold. Something will give, and a few days of disruption won't do lasting harm.

• Keep the baby's feeds on time. A hungry baby is the most urgent problem. Flex everything else around feeds.
• Find a nap overlap. Even a short one is your break. Nudge the toddler's nap a little earlier or the baby's a little later to create one.
• Use moving naps: the baby in the carrier, the toddler in the stroller, a slow walk somewhere quiet.
• Say the handoffs out loud: "I have the baby, you have the toddler." Unclear handoffs are when a child ends up unwatched.

What should you pack for two under two?

Gear

• A compact stroller and a carrier
• Two car seats with bags
• One or two portable cribs
• A sound machine for each child and a portable blackout shade (sleep accessories roundup)

Diaper bag (carry-on)

• Diapers for both children for the whole travel day plus a delay buffer
• Wipes, cream, changing pad, bags
• Two changes of clothes per child, one per adult

Feeding

• Bottles and formula or nursing supplies
• Toddler snacks and a cup, bibs

Entertainment and comfort

• A few new small toys for the toddler, a tablet, spare pacifiers, a familiar comfort item for each child

Health

• A first aid kit with medicines your pediatrician has dosed for each child's weight, a thermometer, sunscreen suitable for each child's age

Organize with packing cubes by child, and see the full toddler packing list.

What should you expect?

A trip with two under two is parenting somewhere else, not a rest. Measure success by everyone getting there and back safely and having a few good moments, like a toddler laughing at the ocean or a family dinner that mostly works. Accept help when it's offered, especially from family at the destination. Plan nothing ambitious for the first afternoon: set up the cribs, feed everyone, and let the trip start tomorrow.

For more, see the complete flying guide and the hotel baby-proofing checklist.

How we put this together: rules in this guide come from the FAA, TSA and AAP pages linked above, and product details from manufacturer specifications. Airline seating and gate-check policies vary, so confirm them with your carrier.