Flying with children tips

[jazter]

Good advice above. We've had luck using our carseat onboard if there are open seats, ask someone at the gate. If you can get on ahead of others, take the opportunity - you may not be moving very fast if you do have the carseat in addition to tots and all the baggage.

One thing I didn't think about but that bit me in the butt the last time we flew: I had put water in a sippy cup for my son; at x-ray, since it wasn't milk or formula, they made me walk outside of the secure zone to dump the water in the trash and then told me I had to stand in line for security all over. All the while my husband, squirmy son, his carseat, and 5K lb of our crap were waiting for me at the x-ray machine; luckily I was able to plead my case and they let me into the quick-pass security line.

Since your daughter is two, didn't you have to buy her a seat anyway? If so, I would definitely bring the carseat onboard even if they allow littles to only be belted. It's familiar, it's comfortable (lord knows the plane seats aren't comfortable to me), and more importantly, if your child loves to runrunrun and/or get into things, it'll keep her in one place so you don't have to fight with a kidlet fighting to "get out and DO something, mom, I've been sitting here for 5 minutes already!" I'm afraid that I don't know the regs for older children regarding the booster, but that should be easy enough to find online, I should think.

[blossomgoat]

wrap all of the kids' activities in wrapping paper (Leaving one ennd open for security to peek). That way the kids get the activity itself as well as the fun of opening a present. It's a good way to stretch the fun with little space taken up.

[rlr10200]

We always check our carseats, on Delta it doesnt count as your "free checked bag".

For entertainment, I bring lots of snacks! I try healthy "treats" that they dont usually get like graham crackers and even some really special "emergency" treats like m&ms for when/if they start to freak. Of course my 9mo doesnt get candy but the older one will keep quiet for anything sweet!!!

[rlr10200]

Originally Posted by jazter Good advice above. We've had luck using our carseat onboard if there are open seats, ask someone at the gate. If you can get on ahead of others, take the opportunity - you may not be moving very fast if you do have the carseat in addition to tots and all the baggage. One thing I didn't think about but that bit me in the butt the last time we flew: I had put water in a sippy cup for my son; at x-ray, since it wasn't milk or formula, they made me walk outside of the secure zone to dump the water in the trash and then told me I had to stand in line for security all over. All the while my husband, squirmy son, his carseat, and 5K lb of our crap were waiting for me at the x-ray machine; luckily I was able to plead my case and they let me into the quick-pass security line. Since your daughter is two, didn't you have to buy her a seat anyway? If so, I would definitely bring the carseat onboard even if they allow littles to only be belted. It's familiar, it's comfortable (lord knows the plane seats aren't comfortable to me), and more importantly, if your child loves to runrunrun and/or get into things, it'll keep her in one place so you don't have to fight with a kidlet fighting to "get out and DO something, mom, I've been sitting here for 5 minutes already!" I'm afraid that I don't know the regs for older children regarding the booster, but that should be easy enough to find online, I should think.

P.S. We JUST flew from Ft. Myers to Atlanta less than 3 weeks ago and now you can have a childs sippy cup with water and take it through the security check points. All you have to do it hand them the cup...keep it out of any bags. They may put it through the belt on its own and tehn you get it back. (Not all airports do it the exact same way) but regulations allow sippys w/ water!!

[Ami in Deutschland]

If your children are over 22 lbs and you are flying in the US or with a US carrier, you can use the CARES seatbelt to restrain your child on board. No need to lug a car seat if you have one waiting at the other end. I used one for trans-atlantic flights DS at 16/17 months and it was great to have. Fits easily in a carry-on and he seemed pretty comfortable.

ETA: Don't forget children also have to remove shoes at security. PITA if you have tie shoes for the kids. I suggest slip-ons for the airport.

[gypsy54]

lots of good advice. some airports allow drinks in sippy for kids where others make you dump. all allow formula and bottles with drink. you could put drinks in bottles and transfer into your empty cups for drinking at takeoff and landing. check everything except what you need on the plane. kids entertainment, formula, snacks, pillows all good to have. it'll be smooth sailing with all the good advice you got!!!!

[jazter]

One thing, if you're gate-checking stroller or carseats (as free items and not part of your paid or allotted baggage) and you've never done it, you need to go to the gate staff or the customer service desk nearest the gate (dep. on airline) to get your stuff ok'd for gate checking. You have to fill out a little paperwork and get a tag like they put on your checked luggage, maybe a little tag with an elastic loop that says GATE CHECK, something like that. Do this as soon as you get to the gate or as soon as the desk is open before the flight - you can't just walk up to the gate with boarding passes and stroller. No one told us this and it wasn't immediately obvious to us, so I thought I'd pass it on.

As for the sippy, if it's water personally I'd just buy a bottle of water inside the secure zone and poor some into the empty container - while it may be regulations, each airport and even each security person interprets regulations as they want, and can choose to be more lenient or less as they so wish. Sometimes you gotta take off the shoes, sometimes not. Sometimes if you're carrying your kid in a carrier that has no metal they won't make you take your kid out, sometimes they will.