Ryanair with a baby: rules for pushchairs, seats and baby milk
Key facts
Short answer: Ryanair takes babies from 8 days old, charges £25 per one-way flight for a baby on your lap, and lets each child bring two baby items free (a pushchair plus a car seat, booster or travel cot). A lap baby gets a 5 kg baby bag (45 × 35 × 20 cm), and you can bring as much baby milk as you need, but there's no bottle warming on board.
Flying Ryanair with a baby or toddler? Here is what Ryanair's own help centre and fees table say about infant fees, ages, seating, pushchairs, car seats, bags and baby milk, checked 17 October 2026. Rules change, so confirm with Ryanair before you fly.
Quick answers
- Who counts as an infant: babies aged 8 days to 23 months. Babies up to 7 days old can't fly with Ryanair.
- Infant fee: £25 (or €25) per infant, per one-way flight, whether you add them when booking or later (Ryanair's fees table).
- Turns 2 during the trip? Ryanair says they pay the full fare for the return flight, and suggests booking two one-way flights instead of a return.
- How many babies per adult: one infant per adult, and the adult must be 18 or over.
- Free baby kit: two items per child, for example a pushchair plus a car seat, booster seat or travel cot.
- Baby bag: a baby on your lap has no cabin bag of their own, but you can bring a baby bag up to 5 kg and 45 × 35 × 20 cm on top of your own allowance.
- Seats together: children aged 2 to 11 must sit next to an adult, and Ryanair seats them next to an adult on the booking for free if you choose random allocation.
- Pregnant? From week 28 you need a completed 'fit to fly' letter; you can't fly after the end of week 36 (week 32 for twins or triplets).
Newborns: how young can a baby fly?
Ryanair says a baby must be at least 8 days old to fly, and advises checking with your baby's doctor that a very young infant is safe to travel by air.
Mums can fly from 48 hours after an uncomplicated birth. After a caesarean or other surgery, Ryanair says the minimum is at least 10 days, and you also need written approval from your doctor.
Seats: on your lap, and family seating
Ryanair's infant rules say all infants sit on an adult's lap and don't get their own bag allowance. Its baby equipment page adds that if you want a baby under 2 to sit in their car seat for the whole flight, you need to book them an extra seat. If that's your plan, contact Ryanair before you book to arrange it.
For children aged 2 to 11, Ryanair's family seat policy says they must sit next to an accompanying adult. If you don't pay for seats, children are placed next to an adult on the same booking free of charge, but other adults and teens on the booking may be seated separately. If you reserve seats, the children's seats must be chosen next to the adults' reserved seats.
Check-in opens 60 days before departure if you've reserved seats, or from 24 hours to 2 hours before the flight with free random seating. Ryanair says that if there are no seats together left on a flight, you'll need to pick a different flight.
You can't sit in an emergency exit row, or a seat leading to one, when travelling with an infant.
Car seats on board
- Forward-facing only. Ryanair only allows forward-facing car seats on board.
- Width: no wider than 43 cm (17 inches), so it fits the aircraft seat.
- Type: a purpose-designed children's car seat with a 5-point harness, approved for use in both cars and aircraft, with a label saying so (for example "Certified for use in motor vehicles and aircraft" in the US, or the European Standard Mark).
- Own seat needed if your under-2 is to sit in it for the flight (see above). Otherwise the car seat can be one of your two free baby items.
Bags and baby equipment
A baby on your lap doesn't get their own cabin bag, but Ryanair allows a free baby bag of up to 5 kg (45 × 35 × 20 cm), in addition to the adult's cabin bag allowance.
Each child can also bring two items of baby equipment free: a pushchair or buggy, plus one of a car seat, booster seat or travel cot. They need tagging at the check-in desk or the boarding gate. You can use your pushchair all the way to the aircraft steps, and depending on the arrival airport you'll get it back at the steps or in the baggage hall, so ask the ground staff as you get off.
Extra baby equipment (up to 20 kg per item) can go in the hold for an Infant/Child Equipment fee, listed at £15 per item per one-way flight when booked in advance and £20 later or at the airport.
Ryanair recommends arriving at check-in or bag drop 2 hours before departure when you're travelling with baby equipment.
Baby food, milk and water
When you travel with an infant (8 days to 2 years), Ryanair says you can bring as much baby milk, powdered milk, sterilised water and baby food as you need for the flight, even above the usual liquid limit. It doesn't need to go in the clear liquids bag, but have it ready for security to inspect.
There's no way to heat food or bottles on board: Ryanair says it has no facilities for cooking or heating baby food or bottles and doesn't offer a bottle-warming service. A vacuum flask of hot water or ready-to-feed cartons can help.
Changing nappies on board
Ryanair says there are baby changing facilities on board at the rear or middle of the cabin, depending on the aircraft. Bring your own nappies, wipes and bags.
Adding a baby to a booking
When booking, choose Infant as the passenger type. To add a baby to an existing booking, go to My Bookings, log in to myRyanair, choose 'Manage this booking', then 'Add minors' and 'Add Infant'. Enter their name and date of birth, choose the adult they'll sit with and pay the infant fee. If seats need to change, you'll be taken to the seat map.
Ryanair's passenger types are infants (under 2), children (2 to 11), teens (12 to 15) and adults (16 and over), based on age on the date of the flight. Everyone under 16 must travel with an adult aged 18 or over.
A greener option
Heading to Paris, Brussels or Amsterdam? The train lets under-4s travel free on your lap and has no liquid limit. See our Eurostar with a baby guide, or compare Ryanair with easyJet in Ryanair vs easyJet baby rules.
Summary table
- Pushchair
- Two baby-equipment items free per child (a pushchair plus a car seat, booster seat or travel cot). The pushchair can be used up to the aircraft steps.
- Car seat
- Use on board requires a booked seat. Seats must be forward-facing, aircraft-approved, max 43 cm wide, with a 5-point harness.
- Cot / bassinet
- No bassinets mentioned on its baby-travel pages when we checked (Oct 2026); on short-haul flights plan for baby on your lap, and ask the airline.
Compact strollers & pushchairs for flying
| Product | Weight | Folded size | Price | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bugaboo Butterfly 2 | 7.3 kg (16.1 lbs) | 44.8 × 24.5 × 55.5 cm (17.6 × 9.6 × 21.8 in, IATA cabin-compatible) | £435 RRP / $479 MSRP | Check price at Bugaboo |
| Joolz Aer+ | 6 kg (13.2 lbs) | 53.5 × 45 × 21.5 cm (21.1 × 17.7 × 8.5 in) | £419 RRP / $449 MSRP | Check price at Joolz |
| Stokke YOYO3 (Babyzen YOYO) | 6.2 kg (13.6 lbs) | 52 × 44 × 18 cm (20.5 × 17.3 × 7.1 in, IATA cabin-size) | £399 RRP / $449 MSRP | Check price at Stokke |
| UPPAbaby Minu V2 | 7.7 kg (16.9 lbs) | 58.4 × 45.2 × 29.2 cm (23 × 17.8 × 11.5 in) | £399 RRP / $399 MSRP | Check price at UPPAbaby |
| Joie pact lite | 5.35 kg (11.8 lbs) | 46.8 × 26 × 54 cm (18.4 × 10.2 × 21.3 in) | Around £160 / $199 (varies by retailer) | Check price at Joie |
Blank cells: not yet verified from the maker's official page.
FAQ
How much does Ryanair charge for a baby?
Ryanair's fees table lists the infant fee at £25 (or €25) per infant, per one-way flight. The baby must be under 2 on both the outbound and return flights.
How old does a baby have to be to fly with Ryanair?
At least 8 days old. Ryanair can't accept babies aged 7 days or younger, and advises checking with your doctor before flying with a very young baby.
Can I take a pushchair on Ryanair for free?
Yes. Each child can bring two baby items free: a pushchair plus a car seat, booster seat or travel cot. You can use the pushchair up to the aircraft steps.
What size baby bag can I take on Ryanair?
A baby on your lap can have a baby bag of up to 5 kg and 45 × 35 × 20 cm, on top of the adult's own cabin bag allowance.
Will Ryanair seat my family together for free?
Children aged 2 to 11 are seated next to an accompanying adult free of charge with random seat allocation, but other adults and teens on the booking may be seated apart. Babies under 2 sit on an adult's lap.
Can I take baby milk through security for a Ryanair flight?
Yes. Ryanair says you can bring as much baby milk, sterilised water and baby food as you need for the flight, even above the usual liquid limit. Have it ready for inspection.
Can Ryanair warm a baby bottle?
No. Ryanair says it has no facilities to cook or heat baby food or bottles on board.
Sources
- Ryanair: Rules for travelling with infants (0-2) (checked 2026-10-17)
- Ryanair: Can I travel with a newborn baby? (checked 2026-10-17)
- Ryanair: What baby equipment can I bring on board? (checked 2026-10-17)
- Ryanair: Bag allowance when travelling with a baby (checked 2026-10-17)
- Ryanair: Family Seat Policy (checked 2026-10-17)
- Ryanair: Seat Policy (check-in times) (checked 2026-10-17)
- Ryanair: No seats together available (checked 2026-10-17)
- Ryanair: Emergency exit rows (checked 2026-10-17)
- Ryanair: Liquids permitted on board (checked 2026-10-17)
- Ryanair: Changing and feeding facilities (checked 2026-10-17)
- Ryanair: Arriving early with baby equipment (checked 2026-10-17)
- Ryanair: Adding an infant to a booking (checked 2026-10-17)
- Ryanair: Age changes during your trip (checked 2026-10-17)
- Ryanair: Travelling while pregnant (checked 2026-10-17)
- Ryanair: Table of fees (checked 2026-10-17)
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