An airport with children is a different airport: distances double, waiting time stretches, and the day runs on snacks and toilets. Schiphol handles families every hour of every day and has the infrastructure to match. This guide covers the family logistics from kerb to gate.
Children need their own ticket, and infants under two typically fly on a parent’s lap for a fraction of the fare or in their own seat with a car seat if you buy one. Rules on car seats, bassinets on long flights, and unaccompanied minors differ per airline and must be arranged when booking, not at the airport. Baby food and milk for the flight are exempt from the liquids limit; the details are in our security guide.
Most airlines let you use your own pram or buggy up to the gate, where it goes into the hold and reappears either at the aircraft door or on the belt at arrival. Label it, remove loose accessories, and confirm your airline’s exact procedure in advance. Alternatively, check the pram in with your baggage and carry the child; with a light foldable buggy, gate-side delivery keeps you mobile through the long walks described in the halls and piers guide. Baggage practicalities live in the baggage guide.
Self service kiosks and bag drop work fine with children in tow; a family simply takes longer. At security, families are common and staff are patient: prams are screened, children walk through with a parent, and baby liquids are shown separately. Build in more time than you would alone, ideally on top of the airline’s standard advice from the travel day guide. A child who is not rushed is a child who cooperates.
Airside, Schiphol has play areas where energy can burn off before boarding, and baby care rooms for feeding and changing spread through the terminal, marked on the airport maps and signage. Restaurants have high chairs, and the shops sell the emergency dummy, nappies and the toy that saves a delayed flight. Window views of aircraft remain the cheapest entertainment in the building.
Arriving at Schiphol with children follows the same logic in reverse: prams are returned at the aircraft door or the reclaim belt, trolleys stand ready in the baggage hall, and the walk to the exit is signposted and step-free. If grandparents are picking you up, send them the flight number so they can follow the landing on the arrivals board and time their drive; the meeting point in Plaza is easier with children than the crowded arrivals doors.
Many airlines board families early; listen for the call or ask at the gate. On board, pressure changes bother small ears most during descent: feeding, drinking or a dummy helps. And accept the veteran truth that the journey is part of the holiday for children long before the destination is.
Yes, every traveller including babies needs a valid travel document. Some destinations also ask proof of consent when a child travels with one parent; check the requirements of your destination country in good time.
Throughout the terminal, both before and after security, signposted and shown on the airport’s maps. They offer changing tables and a quiet space for feeding.
Usually yes, with a label from check-in, but the exact procedure is your airline’s. Confirm it when you book or at the check-in desk.
This website is an independent information site about Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and is not affiliated with the airport or any airline.