flying with a toddler turning two mid-trip

We’re planning a family trip in September, and here’s the tricky part: our little one will be just under two years old on the flight out, but she’ll celebrate her second birthday while we’re away. That means, on the way there, she can sit on our lap, but coming back, technically, she’s supposed to have her own seat. We’ve been looking at round-trip tickets, and I’m scratching my head trying to figure out if we can just book her as a lap child for both legs, or if the airline is going to give us a hard time on the return flight. I don’t want to end up arguing with the gate agent or scrambling to buy a last-minute ticket at the airport. Has anyone else run into this weird age cutoff? It feels like a loophole that’s just waiting to trip us up. Honestly, I’m all for following the rules, but it seems a bit silly that a birthday during vacation could change our whole travel plan. We’re already juggling nap schedules, snacks, and a mountain of baby gear—now I’m worried about getting stuck in a ticketing mess. If you’ve flown with a toddler who turned two mid-trip, did the airline make you buy a seat for the way back? Or did they let it slide? #familytravel #toddlerlife #airlinetips #Travel