Ive been seeing so many articles in the news lately about mothers being booted off planes or generally given a hard time while going through the security process. It's definitely maddening to hear these stories but someone made a comment on one of the articles I read that made a lot of sense. It was something to the effect of you can't control people being unwilling to help, but you can control how prepared you are for people to not help you. I hope that makes sense. Basically, you have to be prepared to go it alone and there are a few things you can do to help yourself.
For the baby bag
Rather than putting your baby bag together the way you usually do, it's helpful to separate out all the things you will have to remove while in security before hand. Remember my article about plane packs? You want to do something like that here. Anything that is a liquid, gel, paste, powder, etc. is going to have to be taken out and put through separately. Taking baby food? Put all of your baby food containers in a separate see through baggy and put them at the top of your diaper bag so you can get them out quickly. Same goes for formula packets, filled baby bottles, breast milk, and diaper changing sundries. Separate them all out into bags that you put at the top, that way when you get to the security table all you have to do is pull them out and put them in a bin with no digging required.
You can't take anything that can hold more than 3 oz. so all of your stuff has to be in containers that hold that much or less. Even if it's a half empty 5 oz. tube of rash cream it will get confiscated because it could hold 5 oz. This is one area where I see people have the most trouble because the rules can sometimes be ambiguous. My rule of thumb is that if it isn't something that can break or crumble (like cheerios) it's a liquid and thus subject to the rule.
Having a diaper bag specifically for travel is a great idea. This way you can keep it fully stocked and ready to go at all times with everything separated out.
Take only what you need for the flight and 8 hours after. I've mentioned this before but this is where it can be important. The TSA allows liquids for children in "reasonable" amounts. Reasonable would be what you would reasonably need for a flight so if your baby eats every two hours, you reasonably need enough food for that time plus extra. If your connecting and have a lot of travel time ahead of you, you can explain that to the security officer. Remember, as annoying as you may think they are, these people have kids too and a lot of them know what it's like to travel with kids in tow.
For the kids
Make a game out of getting their shoes off and practice it at home before you head to the airport. Maya nowadays just plops herself on the floor and whips her shoes off. In fact, she gets mad if I do it for her. If you can find a way to get them involved and interested in the process, you'll make it go faster and it will be more enjoyable (if that's possible) because it will be like a competition. I'm trying to find out if they would make you take off slipper socks like these. If they don't that would be an excellent answer to keeping your kids from having to remove their shoes.
Got a runner? The security line is definitely not the place to let kids mess around. If your little one loves nothing more than to run off and look at the ultra cool bomb detector booth, I highly recommend getting yourself a "kid leash" better known as a harness. I'm not talking about one of those wrist things either. I'm talking about one of these bad boys
Sure, it looks like you treat your kid like a pet but you know what, it will save you a lot of worry if you KNOW they cant go anywhere. I had a friend who even put one of these on her kid backwards so he couldn't unclasp it.
For the mom
If you travel once in a blue moon this may not apply, but if you're like me and travel often consider not taking a stroller with you through the airport and also consider investing in a safety vest rather than lugging your car seat with you. Both of those things will cause you more heartache than it's worth. I know it sounds ridiculous but there's better ways. If you have a baby, consider "wearing" them. I have many friends who swear by wearing their baby all the time and I agree that it's a great way to get around and even better for travel. For the slightly older child you can also travel with a backpack and carry them in that. For kids Maya's age Trunkis are definitely a great way to get around the airport.
As for on the plane, the FAA recommends but does not require children to travel in a child restraint system (AKA car seat). For $75 you can get the CARES travel vest for children between 22 and 40 lbs. It's the only FAA certified alternative CRS. If you don't travel often, it's probably not worth it. But, again, if you do it's probably worth the investment just to not have to lug a car seat. Your other option is to just not take anything. Even without a car seat, your child is statistically safer on a plane than in a car, so as long as they are at least buckled in they're fine. Maya's made it through probably over 100 flights and never had a problem so I think I can vouch for that.
Pack your bags smart. Travel light, take only what you need, and familiarize yourself with the TSA security regulations BEFORE you go to the airport. Also, give yourself time to get to the airport, through security, and to the gate. If it's a holiday, add even more time. There's nothing worse than cutting it close when you've got two kids and a ton of bags. All you'll do is guarantee a stressful time and increase the chances that you're kid is going to have a major freak out followed by you having a major freak out. Believe me...I've been there.
Hope this helps!
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