Latest / Whys & Finds / A Toddler's First Flight: What to Know Before You Go
Transcript
- Ben: The holidays are coming, and your toddler is about to fly for the first time. You've got the seats. Now you're picturing the security line, the bags, the snacks, and a two-year-old in the middle of all of it. Ellie: Welcome to Whys & Finds. I'm Ellie. Ben: And I'm Ben. Ellie: Today: what should you know before a toddler's first flight? Ellie: Here's what I'd do: learn the security steps before you get to the airport, and give your toddler a small bag of their own. A snack, a drink, and their buddy: the toy they know and like to hold. Then fewer things at the airport come as a surprise, for you and for them. Ben: That's it? I expected a list of twenty things. Ellie: No list. Two parts. What happens at security, and what's in their bag. Ben: Okay, security first. That's the part I'd worry about. Ellie: The TSA, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration, has a page about traveling with children. It says: "TSA has developed modified screening procedures for children who appear to be 12 years old and younger." Ben: Modified how? Ellie: Shoes, for one. The page says: "Children 12 and under can leave their shoes, light jackets and headwear on during screening." Ben: So no shoe fight at the belt. Ellie: Not at security. There's one exception on the same page. If a child goes through the body scanner, the light jacket comes off and goes on the belt. Ben: A jacket I can handle. And the stroller? Ellie: The same page says strollers are screened by X-ray too. If one doesn't fit through the machine, the officers check it by hand. Ben: Here's the one I'd really want to know. Do they ever take the kid from me? Ellie: That's the line I'd remember from that page. It says children will not be separated from their parent or guardian. Ben: Good. That's the one I'd tell a nervous grandparent. Ben: Now drinks. That's where I'd expect trouble. Can a toddler's drink go through security? Ellie: The TSA page has a list of what's allowed in a carry-on. Toddler drinks and toddler food are on it, including puree pouches, in amounts over 3.4 ounces. And the page says they "do not need to fit within a quart-sized bag." Ben: So the usual liquids rule doesn't apply to the kid's stuff. Ellie: Careful. I won't make it bigger than it is. They're allowed, and the page asks for two things. First: "Inform the TSA officer at the start of screening if carrying these items in amounts over 3.4 oz." Second, take them out of the bag. They're screened separately. Ben: Out of the bag, and say it first. Got it. Ellie: And one more thing from the same page. Liquids in plastic bags or pouches may need a different kind of screening. So leave a few extra minutes. Ben: Then the drinks go on top of the bag. Not under the blanket. Ellie: On top. You'll be taking them out anyway. Ben: Now the bag. Why does a two-year-old need a bag of their own? I'm carrying everything anyway. Ellie: That's how a lot of families pack. Everything the child needs is in the grown-ups' bags. Then on the plane they want their snack, their cup, their buddy. And all of it is in your bag, under the seat in front of you. Ben: Behind my laptop. Ellie: Right. So give them a small bag with their own things. One snack. A cup. And the buddy. Ben: Wait. Shouldn't the toy be new? Something special for the plane? Ellie: A new one is fine too. But the buddy is the one they know. On a first flight, a lot is new already. Ben: Fair. And the buddy rides where? On the seat, where it falls on the floor? Ellie: That's where the bag can help. One practical option: Naturally KIDS makes a small backpack with a removable plush animal on the front, like a unicorn. That plush is the buddy. Your toddler can take it out for a hug during the flight and put it back. It's 10 by 8 by 3 inches. Room for a snack and a treasure. Padded, adjustable straps and an easy zipper small hands open on their own. Ben: Okay, so on the Naturally KIDS one the buddy lives on the bag. That's one less thing to look for under the seat. Ellie: That's the idea. Ben: And for a kid who's a bit older and wants to roll a suitcase like the grown-ups? Ellie: There's a rolling version, with a unicorn or a dinosaur. A kids rolling suitcase: roll it when it's packed or wear it on the back. Ben: So the small one for a toddler, the rolling one later. Ellie: That's how I'd split it. Ben: One more question about security. What happens to their bag there? Ellie: It goes on the belt with everything else. The TSA page says: "Place all carry-on baggage such as children's toys, bags and blankets on the X-ray belt for screening." Ben: The buddy too? Ellie: Toys and bags. Yes. Ben: Then I'd push back on something you said. You said the buddy is the thing they like to hold. At security you take it out of their hands and put it into a tunnel. For a two-year-old, that can be the hardest minute of the trip. Ellie: Go on. Ben: Practice it at home. Put the bag and the buddy on a kitchen chair. Say, "Now it goes through the little tunnel." Walk around, and hand it back on the other side. Do it a few times before the trip. At the airport, it's a game they already know. Ellie: You're right. I talked about the steps for the grown-ups. You thought about what the child sees. That's better than what I said. Ben: And tell them before you reach the belt. Not while it's happening. Ellie: Agreed. Before the belt, in the same words you used at home. Ellie: Now, a few different situations. If your toddler already has a bag they love, take that one. What matters is that their things are in it, and they can reach them. Ben: And if they'd rather have a different animal? Ellie: The same small backpack also comes as a dog, a giraffe, a frog, a teddy bear or a dinosaur, and other animals too. Ben: What if they don't want to carry anything on the day? Ellie: Then give them one job instead. Holding their cup at the gate. Or putting their bag on the belt with you. Ben: And if the airline is strict about how many bags you bring? Ellie: Check the airline's rules before you pack. If the bags are counted, put their things in one pouch inside your bag, and hand it to them on the plane. Ben: Okay, let me see if I've got it. One: the TSA has modified screening for children 12 and under. Shoes, light jackets and headwear stay on, except the jacket comes off for the body scanner. Two: children will not be separated from their parent or guardian. Three: toddler drinks and food, pouches too, are allowed in a carry-on over 3.4 ounces. Tell the officer at the start, and take them out of the bag. Four: toys, bags and blankets go on the X-ray belt, so practice that at home. Five: a small bag of their own, with a snack, a cup and their buddy. Ellie: You've got it. Ellie: That's it for today. A reminder: the voices in this episode are AI-generated. Whys & Finds is made by Naturally KIDS. Ellie: That's today's why. See you at the next find.