What Actually Worked on Our 16-Hour Flight to Australia With a 6-Year-Old

Five days. That’s how much time we had between booking our trip to Australia and actually leaving for Australia. Which meant that approximately 24 hours after buying the plane tickets, my Type-A personality kicked into full panic mode and I found myself placing an Amazon order at around 11:30 at night.

Some of those purchases? Absolute winners. Others? We’re still deciding. But after a 16-hour flight to Sydney with a 6-year-old—and then another 16-hour flight home—I feel pretty confident about which things actually made traveling that far with a kid easier. And one purchase my husband originally looked at like I’d completely lost my mind ended up being declared the purchase of the trip by about hour five.

So if you’re staring down a long-haul flight with a kid, here’s what actually worked for us.

1. CozyPhones: The Purchase of the Trip

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Would Absolutely Pack Again

Our 6-year-old already has regular wireless headphones. The problem is that he can only comfortably wear them for so long. And they’re definitely not something he’s going to comfortably lie down or sleep in. Enter the CozyPhones headband-style wireless headphones.

They basically look like the headband I wear over my ears when it’s cold, except they have little speakers built into them. When these arrived, my husband gave me the look. You know the one. “He’s never going to wear that.” Okay. Fast-forward to about hour five of our 16-hour flight.

My husband had completely changed his tune and declared them: “The purchase of the trip.”

TOTAL game changer.

Our son could watch something without bulky headphones pressing against his ears. He could lie down comfortably in them and even fall asleep wearing them. These aren’t just going on our next flight. They’re going on every trip—plane or car.

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2. The Kids’ Airplane Bed/Hammock

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Would Absolutely Pack Again

This was another huge win. It’s basically a fabric airplane bed/hammock that creates a little extended space between your child’s seat and the seat in front. Ours attached around the tray-table area and worked with the seat/seatbelt area to give our son somewhere to stretch out and curl up. I was initially nervous that it would bother the passenger sitting in front of him.

But as long as he wasn’t bouncing around or being rough with it, it didn’t seem to affect the seat in front of us. We didn’t have any complaints on either the flight there or the flight home. And there was another benefit I wasn’t expecting: It helped define his space.

Instead of slowly expanding into Mom and Dad’s seats over the course of 16 hours, he had a very obvious area that was his. He could curl up, get comfortable and sleep. For a flight that long? Huge win.

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One important note: Airline rules for seat extenders, hammocks and similar products can vary. Check your specific airline’s current policy before packing one. Just because we were able to use ours doesn’t mean every airline or aircraft will allow the same setup.

3. The Tray-Table Organizers

Would Pack Again

I bought tray-table covers/organizers for both my husband and me. These weren’t as exciting as the CozyPhones or airplane bed. But you know what? They were REALLY useful. On a 16-hour flight, you somehow accumulate approximately 47 things around your seat. Headphones. Water bottle.

Snacks. Phone. Whatever your child has handed you because apparently you’re now responsible for that too. The tray organizer gave us somewhere to put all of it without constantly digging through bags or stuffing everything into the seat-back pocket. Not glamorous. Very useful. And sometimes that’s exactly what you need.

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4. The Backpack I Used for the Flight

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Would Pack Again

This was another purchase I made specifically for Australia, and overall, I really liked it. It held everything I needed for the flight and still had room left over. That was especially helpful on a 16-hour flight because I wanted everything I might need within reach without having to constantly get into our larger luggage.

It was also easy to navigate in the very close quarters of an airplane seat. That’s something I didn’t really think about when I bought it, but after spending 16 hours on a plane, I definitely appreciated being able to get into the bag without wrestling with it.

The One Thing I Didn’t Love

The side pockets. I wish they had much better elastic. My giant Owala bottle stayed in the pocket fine because…well…it’s giant. But anything much smaller didn’t feel secure. I was able to roll up my son’s tray-table cover and mine together and put them into one of the side pockets, and having both of them in there made the fit work.

If I’d only put one in? It probably would have fallen out. So overall: I really like this backpack and I’d absolutely travel with it again. It held a ton, had room to spare and was easy to use on the airplane. But I REALLY wish those side pockets had stronger elastic.

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5. The Kids’ Tray-Table Cover

Still Testing

I also bought a tray-table cover designed specifically for kids. This one did NOT immediately earn permanent packing-list status. Either the tray tables on our plane were larger than average or this particular cover just wasn’t designed very well, because it was too small. I’m not completely giving up on it yet.

It’s getting one more flight. If it works better on the next airplane, maybe it stays. If not? Goodwill bin. I like to give things a fair shot. But I also don’t need to drag something around airports for the rest of my life just because Amazon convinced me I needed it at 11:30 p.m. For now:

Still testing.

I’m not linking or recommending this one yet.

6. The Toniebox

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Always Pack It

This one wasn’t part of the panic Amazon order. We’ve had our Toniebox since our son’s third Christmas. And I LOVE it. When we first got it, I was nervous he wouldn’t care about it. It’s audio-only. No screen. Would a little kid actually sit there and listen?

Turns out… Yes. Constantly. He loves his Toniebox, and it has become one of those things that travels with us. We keep it in the Toniebox backpack with his Tonies, which makes it easy to carry and keeps everything together. It was especially useful during this trip because it gave him something familiar to listen to when we were winding down, resting at the Airbnb or trying to sleep.

At one point during our jet-lagged first day in Sydney, I woke up and found him asleep on a pillow pallet he’d created on the floor with his Toniebox beside him. So yes. The Toniebox comes with us. A Tonie Tip: if your child likes educational content, we really like the National Geographic Tonies. Also:

Listen to the preview before you buy a Tonie.

We’ve learned this lesson. Some voices just aren’t his jam. And when you’re spending around $20 on a little character full of audio content, it’s nice to figure that out BEFORE purchasing it. The downside to the Toniebox? I’ve spent a small fortune on Tonies.

But I have no one to blame except myself. And possibly the Toniebox company.

7. What I’m Buying Before Our Next Big Flight

On My List

A ride-on suitcase for our son. We did NOT have one in Australia. And therefore I’m NOT recommending a specific one yet. But after this trip? I understand. There was a lot of standing in airports.

A lot of waiting. A lot of lines. And a LOT of: “Can I sit down?” The customs experience arriving in Sydney was especially wild. It felt like every international flight had landed at exactly the same time. Hundreds of exhausted travelers were being funneled through the duty-free area toward customs after what, for many of us, had already been a 20+ hour travel day.

There were people everywhere. We’re all standing next to the duty-free vodka and tequila trying not to touch one another while slowly moving through this enormous maze. And my 6-year-old? Floor. If there was a stopping point, he was sitting down. So before our next big flight, I’m researching a suitcase he can actually sit on while we’re waiting.

I haven’t purchased one. I haven’t tested one. So I’m not going to recommend one just because it looks good online. Once we actually travel with one, I’ll let you know whether it earns a spot on Worth Packing.

So What Would I Actually Pack Again?

If you don’t want to read my entire dissertation about airplane gear, here’s the short version:

What I Learned From 16 Hours on an Airplane With a 6-Year-Old

The biggest surprise from this trip wasn’t that we needed a million things to keep our 6-year-old entertained for 16 hours. Honestly? We didn’t. The things that made him comfortable ended up being much more valuable than stuffing our bags with endless activities. The CozyPhones let him actually relax. The airplane bed gave him his own space.

The Toniebox gave him something familiar. The backpack helped me keep all of our stuff where I could actually reach it. And snacks? Obviously. Always snacks. Would I voluntarily sign up for another 16-hour flight with a 6-year-old tomorrow?

Let’s not get carried away.

But when we eventually do another long-haul flight, these are the things that will be coming with us. Except maybe that kids’ tray-table cover. It has one more chance.