What Baby Gear Can You Bring on a Plane for Free?
On 8 of the 9 US airlines we checked, the airline’s own page says a stroller is checked free, and 9 say the same for a car seat. Diaper bags are where airlines differ: some let you bring one as an extra item, others count it as your personal item. Of the 3 airlines whose pages address breast pumps, 3 say a pump doesn’t count toward your bags, and the table below quotes each airline’s rule with its source.
By the Cribpicks team · Published October 28, 2026 · 11 min read
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Key facts
- We checked 9 airlines' own policy pages on November 2, 2026.
- 8 of them state that a stroller is checked free.
- 6 let a diaper bag come on board without counting toward your carry-on or personal item, at least for some travelers; 1 count it as your personal item.
Product numbers come from each maker's published specs, from our data as last updated November 11, 2026.
The check-in line. A stroller in one hand, a car seat on your hip, a diaper bag on your shoulder. Which of those count as bags?
We read 9 US airlines’ own policy pages on November 2, 2026. Here’s what each one says, with a link to every source.
What does your airline let you bring free?
Tap your airline to see its rules. The table further down filters too.
Checked on each airline’s own site on November 2, 2026. Verify with your airline before you fly.
Three diaper bag rules, side by side
8 of the 9 airlines say a stroller is checked free and 9 say so for a car seat. Diaper bags are where the rules split three ways. Here’s one airline from each camp.
| AmericanDiaper bag is extra | JetBlueExtra with a lap infant or under-2 | DeltaCounts as your personal item | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diaper bag | 1 diaper bag per child is extra. It does not count as your carry-on or personal item. source | One diaper bag for a lap infant is extra. It does not count toward the carry-on limit. source | Counts as your personal item. Delta lists a diaper bag as one of the personal item options. source |
| Stroller | 1 stroller and 1 car seat per ticketed customer checked free. Non-collapsible strollers, large strollers, strollers over 20 lb, and stroller wagons without built-in child safety straps must be checked at the ticket counter. All other strollers should be checked at the gate before boarding. source | A child may bring 1 stroller. JetBlue does not cover damage to checked strollers. source | Free, and does not count toward the baggage allowance. You can check it at the curb, the ticket counter or the gate. Strollers are also listed as free to carry on, in addition to your usual carry-on items. source |
| Car seat | 1 car seat per ticketed customer checked free. If there is no open adjoining seat, the gate agent checks the car seat to your final destination. Booster seats with no approval label or shoulder harness are not approved for use on board. source | Checking a car seat is free and does not count toward the checked bag allowance. An infant car seat does not count toward the carry-on limit. Booster seats are not allowed during taxi, takeoff or landing unless FAA-approved. source | Free to check at the curb, ticket counter or gate. It can be used on board in a purchased or open seat. If there is no open seat, a Delta representative checks it at the gate. Booster seats may be brought on board as a free extra item, must meet carry-on size limits, and cannot be used during taxi, takeoff or landing. source |
| Breast pump and milk | Exempt. A breast pump and a small soft-sided cooler of breast milk do not count as your carry-on or personal item, even when you are traveling without your child. source | Not listed in the airline’s policy. Ask the airline. | Exempt. A breast pump and its cooler bag are a free item in addition to your one carry-on bag, but must meet carry-on size limits. source |
| Same diaper bag rule | American, Allegiant | JetBlue, Spirit, Frontier, Breeze | Delta |
On JetBlue, Spirit, Frontier and Breeze, the diaper bag allowance is tied to a lap infant or a child under 2, in each airline’s words above and in the table.
Car seats on the plane
9 of the 9 airlines’ pages address checking a car seat, and some also address using one on board, in their own words in the table. The FAA’s Flying with Children page says: “The safest place for your child under the age of two on a U.S. airplane is in approved child restraint system (CRS) or device, not in your lap.” It also says: “The FAA prohibits passengers from using baby carriers, booster seats, or backless CRS during ground movement, take-off, or landing.” Check the car seat’s label and manual for its aircraft approval.
Every car seat page on CribPicks shows whether its maker lists FAA approval. Browse car seats.
Formula, breast milk and baby food at security
For formula, breast milk, toddler drinks and baby food at the checkpoint, see TSA’s tips for traveling with small children and check tsa.gov again before you fly.
Free baby items by airline
Each summary is paraphrased from the linked airline page, checked November 2, 2026. Rules change, so confirm before you fly.
| Airline | Stroller | Car seat | Diaper bag | Breast pump and milk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American | 1 stroller and 1 car seat per ticketed customer checked free. Non-collapsible strollers, large strollers, strollers over 20 lb, and stroller wagons without built-in child safety straps must be checked at the ticket counter. All other strollers should be checked at the gate before boarding. source | 1 car seat per ticketed customer checked free. If there is no open adjoining seat, the gate agent checks the car seat to your final destination. Booster seats with no approval label or shoulder harness are not approved for use on board. source | 1 diaper bag per child is extra. It does not count as your carry-on or personal item. source | Exempt. A breast pump and a small soft-sided cooler of breast milk do not count as your carry-on or personal item, even when you are traveling without your child. source |
| Delta | Free, and does not count toward the baggage allowance. You can check it at the curb, the ticket counter or the gate. Strollers are also listed as free to carry on, in addition to your usual carry-on items. source | Free to check at the curb, ticket counter or gate. It can be used on board in a purchased or open seat. If there is no open seat, a Delta representative checks it at the gate. Booster seats may be brought on board as a free extra item, must meet carry-on size limits, and cannot be used during taxi, takeoff or landing. source | Counts as your personal item. Delta lists a diaper bag as one of the personal item options. source | Exempt. A breast pump and its cooler bag are a free item in addition to your one carry-on bag, but must meet carry-on size limits. source |
| Alaska | Car seat and stroller travel free as checked baggage. You can check them with your other bags or wait until you reach the gate area. Stroller-wagons designed to carry children get the same free allowance if they are collapsible to under 90 linear inches and 35 pounds. source | Free as checked baggage. You can check it with your bags or wait until you reach the gate area. source | Not listed in the airline’s policy. Ask the airline. | Not listed in the airline’s policy. Ask the airline. |
| Hawaiian | Car seat and stroller travel free as checked baggage. You can check them with your other bags or wait until you reach the gate area. A stroller carried on board for a child using it does not count against the carry-on allowance if there is room to stow it safely under the seat or in an overhead compartment. source | Free as checked baggage. A car seat or booster carried on counts against the carry-on allowance, unless it is a qualifying child restraint seat used for the whole flight. source | Not listed in the airline’s policy. Ask the airline. | Not listed in the airline’s policy. Ask the airline. |
| JetBlue | A child may bring 1 stroller. JetBlue does not cover damage to checked strollers. source | Checking a car seat is free and does not count toward the checked bag allowance. An infant car seat does not count toward the carry-on limit. Booster seats are not allowed during taxi, takeoff or landing unless FAA-approved. source | One diaper bag for a lap infant is extra. It does not count toward the carry-on limit. source | Not listed in the airline’s policy. Ask the airline. |
| Spirit | 1 stroller and 1 car seat per child checked free at the ticket counter or the gate. With two children, you can check a double stroller instead. A collapsible or compact folding stroller that fits the carry-on size limit can be carried on, and does not count toward the carry-on allowance when the child is traveling. It must be folded before boarding, not opened on board, and stowed wheels-up in the overhead bin. Pack 'n plays are not gate-check items. source | 1 car seat per child checked free at the ticket counter or gate. It can be used on board only if you bought a separate seat for the child. A car seat the child sits in does not count toward the carry-on allowance. source | Free for children under 2. It does not count toward the personal item plus paid carry-on allowance, but it must fit on board. source | Not listed in the airline’s policy. Ask the airline. |
| Frontier | Free to check, and can be gate-checked. A stroller may come into the cabin if it fits in the overhead bin. It does not count toward the carry-on or personal item allowance. source | Free to check, and does not count toward the carry-on or personal item allowance. An FAA-approved car seat can be used on board if you bought a seat for the child. Booster seats can be used during the flight, but not during takeoff or landing. source | Adults with a lap infant may bring a diaper bag free as a second personal item. source | Exempt. A breast pump and breast milk can be brought in addition to your personal item. source |
| Allegiant | 1 stroller per fare-paying passenger, free at the ticket counter or the gate, and returned at the gate or jetway on arrival. source | 1 car seat per fare-paying passenger, free at the ticket counter or the gate. Car seats wider than about 17.88 inches are unlikely to fit an aircraft seat. Backless booster seats are banned by the FAA. source | Free and extra. Each fare-paying passenger traveling with an infant or child may bring a diaper bag in addition to the carry-on bag and personal item. source | Not listed in the airline’s policy. Ask the airline. |
| Breeze | 1 stroller or collapsible wagon per infant or child checked free, outside the baggage allowance. A collapsible stroller the child rides in does not count toward the carry-on allowance, but it must be gate-checked. source | Free to check. It can be carried on if you bought a seat for the child. A child seat does not count toward the carry-on allowance, but it must be gate-checked unless a separate seat is bought or open. source | 1 infant bag per infant does not count toward the carry-on allowance. source | Not listed in the airline’s policy. Ask the airline. |
United, Southwest, Sun Country are not included in this table yet. Check their policy on the airline’s website.
Questions parents ask
Answers come from makers' published specs and official sources linked below.
Do strollers count as carry-on?
It depends on the airline. 8 of the 9 airlines we checked on November 2, 2026 say a stroller is checked free, and some, such as Spirit and Frontier, say a folding stroller that fits on board doesn’t count toward the carry-on allowance. Each airline’s rule is in the table above with its source.
Is a diaper bag a free carry-on?
It depends on the airline. Some let you bring a diaper bag as an extra item; others count it as your personal item. Check the table above for your airline.
Can I bring a car seat on the plane for free?
9 of the 9 airlines we checked on November 2, 2026 say a car seat is checked free. Whether one can be used on board depends on the airline’s rule and the seat’s label; see the table above and the FAA’s Flying with Children page.
Does a lap infant get a baggage allowance?
On some airlines. As of November 2, 2026, JetBlue’s page says one diaper bag for a lap infant doesn’t count toward the carry-on limit, and Frontier’s says adults with a lap infant may bring a diaper bag free as a second personal item. Verify with your airline before you fly.
Do breast pumps count as a carry-on?
As of November 2, 2026, American, Delta and Frontier say a breast pump doesn’t count toward your carry-on or personal item. Verify with your airline before you fly.
Can I bring more than 3.4 oz of formula through security?
TSA’s tips for traveling with small children cover formula and breast milk at the checkpoint. Check tsa.gov before you fly.
Still wondering? Write to us at hello@cribpicks.com and we'll look it up.
Sources
- TSA: Tips for traveling with small children (March 2023)
- FAA: Flying with Children
- American: stroller policy
- American: diaper bag policy
- Delta: stroller policy
- Delta: diaper bag policy
- Alaska: stroller policy
- Alaska: carry on policy
- Hawaiian: stroller policy
- Hawaiian: car seat policy
- JetBlue: stroller policy
- JetBlue: diaper bag policy
- Spirit: stroller policy
- Spirit: car seat policy
- Spirit: diaper bag policy
- Frontier: stroller policy
- Frontier: diaper bag policy
- Frontier: carry on policy
- Frontier: pump milk policy
- Allegiant: stroller policy
- Allegiant: carry on policy
- Breeze: stroller policy
Policies and specs change. We list the date we last checked each one; confirm with the airline or maker before you travel or buy. Read our editorial policy.
