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Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Flying with Your Kids


Traveling with children is always an adventure, but flying with them poses a number of unique conundrums, such as how to keep them occupied in a terminal for four hours during an unexpected layover.

One stressful issue for parents is...
...how to efficiently maneuver their children through Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screening measures without being stripped down or scaring their children to death.

The TSA recently implemented new procedures for screening children ages 12 and under such as allowing multiple passes through the metal detectors. Children ages 12 and under are now allowed to keep their shoes on. The goal of these modified procedures is to reduce the number of pat-downs among younger fliers.

Parents should know that TSA agents are not allowed to do anything that will separate a child from his/her parents. If a child becomes uncomfortable or upset, TSA officers will consult the parents to alleviate the child’s fear or discomfort.

With that in mind, getting through security with very young children and the paraphernalia they require isn’t going to be a picnic. Infants must be removed from their strollers or infant carriers. All carry-on baggage, including the backpack full of superheroes, has to go through the metal detector. There are special security instructions for carrying juice, breast milk, and infant formula onto airplanes, as well.

However, for most parents who learn the screening procedures and explain them to their children well ahead of their flight, everything should go smoothly.

 
Please share with us your experiences traveling by plane with your kids. Have you had difficulty getting them through TSA screenings?

 
Contributed by Carrie Vittitoe, parent-writer for Today’s Family magazine.
Photo Source: My Little Nomads

3 comments:

  1. Luckily my kids are past the stroller and sippy cup stage, and my 9-year-old saw the sign about kids under 12 keeping their shoes on and filled ME in! My kids are savvy; it's Mama who's clueless. Last time we flew I wore a sweater with metal buttons. Sheesh. The nice attendant pointed it out to me and suggested I take it off and send it through the scanner. Rather have air-hair than set off alarms!

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  2. Kids are so savvy these days! Thanks for sharing your experience with us!

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  3. I just came back from a flight and security was OK. They tested the juice and water but ultimately let us through without an issue. Ironic that they make such an issue about these things... on the way to our destination, I forgot that buried deep in the bottom of my purse was a large, freshly sharpened dressmakers scissor. (I'd forgotten to take it out after getting it back from the sharpener) We went through security and they found the scissor. I assumed there was no way I'd be able to keep it, but after a close examination with a ruler they determined that it fell inside TSA guidelines and I could take it with me. I was SHOCKED. So shocked that when I got on the plane, I pulled it out to take a picture of it to post on facebook. Someone must have seen it and gotten nervous because before take-off two TSA agents stormed down the aisle asking to see the scissor. They too determined it was ok. This scissor was LARGE. And sharp. It was insane.
    On the flight back, we encountered some other 'excitement' as well, if you want to read about it. :)
    http://findingmymuchness.com/blog/2012/04/25/thank-you-jetblue-flight-attendant-for-failing-to-attend-to-our-in-flight-needs/

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