Flying with a baby or children from Charleroi

What age and what price for a baby on your lap?

On Ryanair, a baby flies on your lap from 8 days to 23 months inclusive, with an adult aged 18 or over, and one baby per adult. The airline's table of fees, checked on 07/11/2026, shows €25 per infant per one-way flight. If the child turns 2 before the return flight, that return leg is charged at the full fare.

On Wizz Air, the baby must be at least 14 days old and under 2, again one per adult. The airline mentions a fee, but its help page read on 07/11/2026 gives no amount, so you will see it when booking. To add a baby to an existing booking, Wizz Air sends you to its call centre, and Ryanair to its online booking management.

Pushchair, car seat, travel cot: what travels free?

Ryanair carries two items of baby equipment per child free of charge: a pushchair, plus a car seat, a booster seat or a travel cot. They are tagged at the check-in desk or at the boarding gate. You keep the pushchair until the aircraft steps, and get it back at the steps or in the baggage hall, depending on the arrival airport. An extra item costs €15 when booking and €20 afterwards, per flight and up to 20 kg, according to the table of fees.

Wizz Air takes a foldable pushchair, a pram, a foldable travel cot or a car seat free of charge, tagged and then put in the hold at the aircraft door. Its page does not say whether you may bring more than one, so ask before travelling with two. Electric or motorised pushchairs are refused, in the cabin and in the hold. A booster seat is not allowed on board and is charged as extra luggage. If you have bought a trolley cabin bag, a compact folded pushchair that fits within 55 x 40 x 23 cm can replace it on board.

With this equipment, Ryanair advises being at the check-in or bag drop desk 2 hours before departure. Our guide on how early to get to the airport covers the rest of the timing.

Car seat on the plane: forward-facing or rear-facing?

For your baby to stay in a car seat for the whole flight, both airlines ask you to buy an extra seat. At Wizz Air, that seat is paid at the normal fare, and the infant fee then no longer applies, nor does the infant's baggage allowance.

The two sets of rules clash on one point. Ryanair only accepts forward-facing car seats, no wider than 43 cm, with a 5-point harness and a label approving them for cars and aircraft. Wizz Air only accepts rear-facing seats, fastened with the passenger seat belt. At Wizz Air, the car seat goes by the window, the adult sits next to it, and never in an emergency exit row or the rows just in front of or behind one.

If you fly out with Ryanair and back with Wizz Air, check before paying for the extra seat that your model can be fitted the way each airline requires. If not, the baby travels on your lap and the car seat goes in the hold with the free equipment.

Milk, jars, water: what gets through security?

The 100 ml limit per container does not apply to your baby's food. Ryanair says that with a baby aged 8 days to 2 years, you may bring as much baby milk, powdered milk, sterilised water and baby food as you need for the flight. These do not have to fit in the clear bag, but you show them at security.

Charleroi Airport confirms this for milk and jars, in the quantity needed for the flight, and says they are tested with dedicated equipment, so keep them near the top of the bag. At Wizz Air, the help page refers to food sufficient for the duration of the flight. Drinks bought after security, in the departure lounge, are allowed in the cabin whatever their volume, according to the airport.

On board, Ryanair does not heat bottles or baby food, so plan a feed that works at room temperature. The airline mentions a baby changing table in the toilets, at the back or middle of the cabin depending on the aircraft. For the rest of the family's liquids, see our guide on liquids at the security check.

Will you sit next to your child?

On Ryanair, a child aged 2 to 11 must sit next to an accompanying adult. If you do not pay for seats, the airline seats the child next to an adult on the same booking for free; other adults and teens in the group may be seated apart. If you do reserve seats, the children's seats must be next to them, and online check-in then opens 60 days before departure. If no seats together are left on a flight, Ryanair asks you to pick another flight.

On Wizz Air, a child aged 2 to 14 is given a seat next to one of the adults at check-in, with no guarantee for the whole family. To sit together, the airline suggests paying for seats, which also lets you check in up to 30 days before the flight.

For luggage, Wizz Air gives each child aged 2 to 14 the same free bag as an adult, 40 x 30 x 20 cm. Ryanair lets a child aged 2 to 11 bring a small ride-on case such as a Trunki, even if it exceeds the small bag size. The cabin bag details are in our guide on cabin bags.

Kids-ID, passport, the other parent's consent: which papers for your child?

For a Belgian child under 12, the basic travel document is the Kids-ID. It is not compulsory in Belgium, but it allows travel within the European Union and to some other countries, says the FPS Home Affairs. You apply at your municipality's population office, with the child and a recent photo. The FPS Home Affairs gives €6.60 excluding the local tax and a 3-week wait. The Flemish government portal says two to three weeks and suggests applying a month before departure. A fast-track procedure exists but costs much more. The card is valid for 3 years, even if the child turns 12 in the meantime.

Outside those countries, a passport is needed. A minor's passport is valid for 5 years, but the FPS Foreign Affairs warns that a photo taken at 6 months will probably no longer look like the child at 3. Our guide on travel documents goes through it destination by destination.

If the child travels with one parent only, no Belgian rule requires an authorisation, but the FPS Foreign Affairs advises carrying the other parent's written consent, with the signature certified by the municipality. If the child and parent have different surnames, a copy of the birth certificate proves the link. Some countries require more, so check with their embassy and your airline.

At Charleroi Airport with children

The airport asks you to arrive about 2 hours before departure, and 3 hours during busy periods such as school holidays and weekends. It advises being at the boarding gate about 45 minutes before departure.

Two paid airport services let children under 5 in free of charge, according to its booking platform: Fast Track, a quicker lane at security, and the Lounge, a quiet waiting area. Other family members pay the listed price.

Neither Ryanair nor Wizz Air carries a child travelling alone. The airport does describe an escort service to the aircraft, but it only applies to airlines that accept unaccompanied minors.

If you are driving with a pushchair and car seats, compare the car parks near the airport and their shuttle conditions before booking.