Air travel with small children

Question

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 1

Officially your kids don't need ID to get through securiy or to board a plane, BUT... in the worls we live in sometimes people kidnap children and sometime people are thought to have kidnapped children and sometimes people make accusations about people kidnapping children so having the birth certificates on hand is not a bad idea.

The purpose of booster seats is to raise kids up so the cross-chest belt is across their check rather than across their neck. I've never seen airline PASSENGER seats so equipped. So a booster seat is not what you're looking for. (I hope you're not using a booster seat for your two year old in your car, either.) Bring your regular carseat for the two year old.

Zillions of people go through security every day with iPods and other MP3 players, PDAs (many of which are also MP3 players,) laptops, cell phones, DVD players... It's a non-issue.

Answer 2

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_childr...

http://www.aap.org/patiented/flyingbaby....

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/421...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azgBhZfcq...

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/c...

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!

Answer 3

We (7, 6, and 2) flew from Chicago to San Diego in March for spring break.  I rented an airline approved harness for my 2 year old, he didn't like it/want it.  So instead he sat on my lap for take offs and landings.  I know he should have been in the harness, but it completely freaked him out.  In hind sight I wish I had brought his big car seat.  Some people say it's too wide and won't fit in the seat, but it's a risk I wish I had taken, if it didn't fit we could have had it put down below with the stroller.  He's familiar with it and I think it would have been fine.

My 6 and 7 year old watched movies the entire time on my laptop with noise canceling headphones.  The headphones are a must.  You can barely hear on planes without them.  The engine noise is huge.

I did take the kids birth certificates, but we were never asked for them.  

No, they won't take your electronics, but they will expect you to send them through with all of your other items.  Just remember to wear easy on and easy off shoes.  Pack lots of snack and juice for the 2 year old.  He's going to play with the seat in front of him the entire flight so try to get a seat behind an empty seat.  

Good luck, relax and enjoy.