2. Ask about amenities for your little one
Traveling with a toddler comes with many challenges, but it impressed me how much we were catered to by the airline and our Air BnB hosts as well as others.
We ended up booking our flights through United after learning that the airline offers bassinets for children under two years of age if requested ahead of time. Along with the bassinet comes a free upgrade to Economy Plus for whichever person books their seat with a child on their lap.
Both of us ended up moving to Economy Plus, but I only paid for my upgrade because of the free upgrade that came with the bassinet.
The seat for the bassinet is also located right at the bulkhead, which means plenty of extra space for your child to stretch out during that long 8+ hour flight.
While the bassinet proved to be useless as our son would have nothing to do with it, just having the extra space with him made the trip a little more enjoyable for everyone involved.
The flight attendants were very helpful as well, frequently checking on us to see if we needed anything.
Our Air BnB hosts were also wonderful. After learning that we were traveling with a toddler, they generously had a pack-n-play waiting for us, as well as toys and baby wipes, all for no extra charge!