Flying Business Class with a Toddler in Their Own Seat: How to Make It Work
So you’ve snagged a business class seat for yourself and your toddler, and while the extra room will be awesome, there’s a new issue – how to keep them satisfied with staying in their own seat when there will be much more space between you.
I was worried about this for our most recent flight to Europe after my son had turned 2. I couldn’t find much info online, so I took to message boards and incorporated their suggestions – and it worked. Here’s everything we’ve learned about keeping a two-year-old happy and (mostly) seated, even when you’re at the front of the plane:
1. Know Your Seat Layout (Or Prepare to Plead)
First lesson: in business class, seat configurations are everything. In some configurations, like United Polaris, middle seats may look like they’ll work for families, but they could be angled away from each other—basically the opposite of cozy toddler containment.
On a recent last-minute upgrade, we ended up facing this exact dilemma and had to play seat-swapping musical chairs until someone was kind enough to let us sit together (and let’s just say people don’t give up their premium seats as easily as they do in coach. I had to ask 3 groups to switch before #4 said yes).
So before you board, check the layout. SeatGuru might not have the most updated info, as we found, so read recent reviews and scour the imagery and make sure you book the right seats. Look for seats where you’ll be as close as possible and avoid the trap of seats angled in opposite directions. We try to book the first row with two middle seats and one window, with our son in the middle of us.
SAS, Singapore Airlines, the odd rows of United Polaris, and especially the double bed Q-suites on Qatar are the ultimate for families. Many airlines and planes like most KLM and Air France business class, have reverse-herringbone configurations, however, and though you may be unable to avoid them, just know it will present an extra challenge.
2. Harness-Free Zone: How to Keep a Toddler in a Lap-Belt
Here’s the catch with business class: many airlines don’t allow car seats up front, likely due to airbag-equipped seatbelts and space restrictions. The CARES harness, which is usually a lifesaver in coach, also doesn’t fit around most business class seats. This leaves you with just the lap belt—and a toddler who’s just learned the art of unbuckling things.
Without a sturdy harness, the best option is the classic bribery + distraction combo (just lean into it). For takeoff and landing, I busted out the good stuff: Skittles, which my toddler had only ever tasted a couple of times and basically thinks are the most exciting thing in the world. It worked like a charm, at least long enough to get us up in the air. And while my two-year-old won’t keep headphones on, the allure of Ms. Rachel playing on my iPad without sound was enough to keep him transfixed for a bit.
He also LOVES sticker books, so we always try to start with that before busting out a screen, and it often works just fine.
Read Next: How We Use Points to Fly Business Class as a Family
I was resistant to the candy + screen time as these are two things we adamantly do not do in ‘real’ life, but the parents on the message board assured me that toddlers often see plane goodies as separate to everyday life, and sure enough, the novelty was so powerful, he was an angel for takeoff and landing, and didn’t even think to ask for Ms. Rachel on the ground.
3. Breaking the Rules on Screen Time (Because We’re Flying at 35,000 Feet)
If you’re a no-screen parent in normal life, business class flights are the perfect time to embrace the one exception. Download a few episodes of Ms. Rachel and all the shows you can think of in advance. I tend to avoid screens except when trimming nails and in-flight, so this felt like a treat for him and a lifesaver for me.
Even though he wouldn’t wear headphones, my toddler didn’t seem to care. He was mesmerized by the visuals, and even eventually fell asleep watching it. Just embrace the screen time guilt-free—you’re already bending all kinds of rules here, and hey, sometimes survival means bending (or tossing) a few parenting principles overboard.
4. Getting Them to Sleep Without a Car Seat
The biggest question for any business-class parent is: How on earth do I get my kid to sleep without him in my lap? In our case, the flight attendants were surprisingly chill about us sharing a seat outside of takeoff and landing, as long as the seatbelt was fastened. My son cozied up next to me, and with the extra space and a little encouragement, he finally nodded off. Some airlines may enforce stricter rules, so just feel it out with the crew and be prepared for a few laps up and down the aisle if sleep doesn’t come.
A couple of tricks for getting them comfy in their own seat without a harness: bring a blanket from home to make it feel familiar, recline the seat as much as possible, and tuck them in with something that smells like home. It’s not foolproof, but with a little luck, they’ll eventually settle down and catch some Z’s.
5. Keep the Routine as Familiar as Possible
Routine is magic for toddlers, and even the smallest bedtime ritual can be a big comfort. I packed a mini version of our bedtime kit—a favorite stuffed animal, a small book, and our familiar bedtime song. When it was “bedtime” on the flight, I gave him his stuffed animal, and read the book just like at home. The familiarity helped him calm down and (after a few rounds of Ms. Rachel) he eventually drifted off.
6. Take It All in Stride
At the end of the day, even business class flights with toddlers are chaotic, and that’s okay. Things might not go as planned, and your perfectly packed snacks and videos might only buy you a few minutes. But you’re giving them an incredible experience, even if they won’t remember it yet.
Flying business class with a toddler has its perks, and as wild as it may sound, we’ll aim to keep booking those seats when we can. After all, the extra room, lie-flat seats, and special treatment make the whole experience a lot more manageable, and hey, if you’re going to chase a toddler up and down the aisle, it may as well be in style.
