Valerie H
Taking our first plane trip in 2 1/2 weeks. I HAVE CHECKED THE TSA WEBSITE and its written vaguely on purpose.
My baby is 16 months old and drinks whole milk/juice/water from a sippy cup - so Im not really worried (at this point) about beverages. Im prepared to bring snacks or jarred baby food and toys... but what do the TSA do about diaper rash cream, wipes, baby tylenol, and benadryl?
Are there any other 'liquid' things in a regular diaper bag that Im not remembering that TSA might get upset over?
Answer
I travel very frequently with my toddler, who is 14 months old now.
You can carry anything you need for your child. The important thing is to keep all of the liquids you need in a separate bag. (A clear bag is best, so they can see it.) There is no limit to how large this bag can be, as long as it is not larger than carry-on size. (The previous poster said that your stuff will have to fit with regular liquid/baggie rules, and this is not true.) I usually bring a huge, clear shopping bag. You need to put this separately through the screening machine, and let the TSA person know this is a bag of stuff for the child. I have travelled 10 times and have never had a problem doing this.
One additional thing - I'm not sure how long your flight is, but flight delays are way up, so make sure you have a lot of food/drink for your toddler. Airplanes won't have provisions for your child. On a cross country trip recently, we were delayed for 5 hours, and I was sure glad I had a ton of food! If TSA asks you why you have so much stuff, just say you are making sure you are OK in case of a delay, they will for sure understand.
I travel very frequently with my toddler, who is 14 months old now.
You can carry anything you need for your child. The important thing is to keep all of the liquids you need in a separate bag. (A clear bag is best, so they can see it.) There is no limit to how large this bag can be, as long as it is not larger than carry-on size. (The previous poster said that your stuff will have to fit with regular liquid/baggie rules, and this is not true.) I usually bring a huge, clear shopping bag. You need to put this separately through the screening machine, and let the TSA person know this is a bag of stuff for the child. I have travelled 10 times and have never had a problem doing this.
One additional thing - I'm not sure how long your flight is, but flight delays are way up, so make sure you have a lot of food/drink for your toddler. Airplanes won't have provisions for your child. On a cross country trip recently, we were delayed for 5 hours, and I was sure glad I had a ton of food! If TSA asks you why you have so much stuff, just say you are making sure you are OK in case of a delay, they will for sure understand.
Air travel with small children
KH
I am taking my kids on their first trip to Disney next month. I have never taken them on a plane. My kids are 5 and 2.
Do I need to bring any sort of ID for them (birth certificate) for boarding the plane?
Do I need booster seats for them on the plane? I was planning on bringing one for the two year old, but not sure about the five year old.
I was going to bring iPods with videos downloaded on them to entertain them but I heard somewhere that security may confiscate them. Is this true?
Any other advice would be great.
Thanks in advance!
Thanks
Answer
I'm a former Flight Attendant and I fly a lot with my kids, who are about the same age.
1. I.D. If you are flying within the U.S. and your children are U.S. citizens, then no, they don't need ID. Bring certified copies of the birth certificates just to be sure but they're usually only needed if you need to prove that a big toddler is not yet 2.
I brought all of our passports on a flight between California and Texas (since they weren't born in the U.S.). The security guy joked "I'm not looking at all that!" Still, it didn't hurt to bring them...
2. Booster seats are never allowed on airplanes because airplane seat backs collapse for emergencies (unlike those in cars) and boosters are only to position the shoulder belt, which airplanes don't have. Your five year old needs a booster in the car but the 2 year old should still be in a 5 point harness. Since your two year old will have his own seat, you can bring a FAA approved 5 point harness car seat on board. This is recommended by both the AAP and the FAA, but not required.
http://www.faa.gov/passengers/fly_children/crs/
http://www.aap.org/patiented/flyingbaby.htm
To find out more why your child should be in a 5 point harness and not a booster, please visit this site;
http://www.kyledavidmiller.org/pages/4211/Car_Seat_Safety:_5-point_Harness_is_Safest.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azgBhZfcqaQ
Since you're going to Disneyland, you may not need car seats at your destination. There is an alternate device, called a CARES harness that was mentioned in the FAA link above. Here is their website;
http://www.kidsflysafe.com/
These are also rented on Ebay and Craigslist so google "CARES harness Craigslist" or Ebay to see who is offering them.
3. Electronical gizmos are allowed but not during take-off and landing. Please explain this to your children before getting onboard. Please also fully charge all products because it's usually not possible to do so inflight. Be especially careful of not losing the small parts, like the game chips, etc. and make sure to have them before disembarking.
The only items that are confiscated at security are liquids and anything that could be used as a weapon so no realistic looking gun toys or drinks. If you're far away from the airport, bring small water bottles that can be thrown away before you get in the security line. Look out for special "family lanes" they now have in some airports.
Bring empty sippy cups to use during the flight. These are allowed and the F/A's can fill those up instead of open cups, which can spill so easily, especially if you have electronical toys.
Security can be the most intimidating part of the flight. Even for children who fly a lot, they easily forget and each time is different. Please explain that they may have to remove their shoes and have to put all their things on the belt. I found that most TSA officers were very nice and seemed to be trained to handle children.
http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/children/index.shtm
When we went to Disneyland, I found this site to be very helpful and saved us a bunch of money. It is not a Disney sponcered site;
http://www.disboards.com/
Make sure you have a very good stroller for the 2 year old, even if he's not a big stroller rider. Do NOT rent the ones they have. They're dire and get taken (easily replaced but who needs that headache?) Definitely bring your own and don't make our mistake!
About 8 years ago, I wrote an article on flying with children for an expat newsletter. Over the years many parents have contributed. I later put it on a blog so that parents had access to non-commercial information from someone with both practical and professional experience on the web. There is a section on electronical items and lots of details about car seats. My contact information is at the end if you have further questions.
http://flyingwithchildren.blogspot.com
Have a great time in the Magic Kingdom and have a good flight!
I'm a former Flight Attendant and I fly a lot with my kids, who are about the same age.
1. I.D. If you are flying within the U.S. and your children are U.S. citizens, then no, they don't need ID. Bring certified copies of the birth certificates just to be sure but they're usually only needed if you need to prove that a big toddler is not yet 2.
I brought all of our passports on a flight between California and Texas (since they weren't born in the U.S.). The security guy joked "I'm not looking at all that!" Still, it didn't hurt to bring them...
2. Booster seats are never allowed on airplanes because airplane seat backs collapse for emergencies (unlike those in cars) and boosters are only to position the shoulder belt, which airplanes don't have. Your five year old needs a booster in the car but the 2 year old should still be in a 5 point harness. Since your two year old will have his own seat, you can bring a FAA approved 5 point harness car seat on board. This is recommended by both the AAP and the FAA, but not required.
http://www.faa.gov/passengers/fly_children/crs/
http://www.aap.org/patiented/flyingbaby.htm
To find out more why your child should be in a 5 point harness and not a booster, please visit this site;
http://www.kyledavidmiller.org/pages/4211/Car_Seat_Safety:_5-point_Harness_is_Safest.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azgBhZfcqaQ
Since you're going to Disneyland, you may not need car seats at your destination. There is an alternate device, called a CARES harness that was mentioned in the FAA link above. Here is their website;
http://www.kidsflysafe.com/
These are also rented on Ebay and Craigslist so google "CARES harness Craigslist" or Ebay to see who is offering them.
3. Electronical gizmos are allowed but not during take-off and landing. Please explain this to your children before getting onboard. Please also fully charge all products because it's usually not possible to do so inflight. Be especially careful of not losing the small parts, like the game chips, etc. and make sure to have them before disembarking.
The only items that are confiscated at security are liquids and anything that could be used as a weapon so no realistic looking gun toys or drinks. If you're far away from the airport, bring small water bottles that can be thrown away before you get in the security line. Look out for special "family lanes" they now have in some airports.
Bring empty sippy cups to use during the flight. These are allowed and the F/A's can fill those up instead of open cups, which can spill so easily, especially if you have electronical toys.
Security can be the most intimidating part of the flight. Even for children who fly a lot, they easily forget and each time is different. Please explain that they may have to remove their shoes and have to put all their things on the belt. I found that most TSA officers were very nice and seemed to be trained to handle children.
http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/children/index.shtm
When we went to Disneyland, I found this site to be very helpful and saved us a bunch of money. It is not a Disney sponcered site;
http://www.disboards.com/
Make sure you have a very good stroller for the 2 year old, even if he's not a big stroller rider. Do NOT rent the ones they have. They're dire and get taken (easily replaced but who needs that headache?) Definitely bring your own and don't make our mistake!
About 8 years ago, I wrote an article on flying with children for an expat newsletter. Over the years many parents have contributed. I later put it on a blog so that parents had access to non-commercial information from someone with both practical and professional experience on the web. There is a section on electronical items and lots of details about car seats. My contact information is at the end if you have further questions.
http://flyingwithchildren.blogspot.com
Have a great time in the Magic Kingdom and have a good flight!
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