Special thanks for this article go to Sharon, an American expat mother in France and a former flight attendant for two carriers in five countries over thirteen years.


11. Packing

I really, really do not recommend taking anything on board except things you will need for the flight. Garment bags and children are an especially bad mix. If I have to bring evening dresses, they are now laid out carefully on the bottom of my suitcase, only slightly wrinkled, but definitely worth not carting them along with my kids. If possible, do not pack delicate clothes with any liquid bottles in the same suitcase. Otherwise, they should be fine. My "best-woman" and my daughter's flower girl dresses were even transported across the Atlantic to my sister's wedding this way and arrived in excellent shape.

Dragging bottles of wine with the diapers is not fun either, even on a non-stop. Remember you have to pass security points and may have to walk a long way. Even something small can easily be lost when you are flying with children.

Some airlines are charging for extra bags, but it is still worth paying the fee and carting less things to the gate. You run the risk that the staff will see your extra bags and you will end up having to check them anyway. They are on the lookout for this! It's just not worth the headache.

If you are flying with more than one adult and more than one child, you may want to separate supplies for each child in case you end up sitting apart. If you have two diapered children, this is especially important. You may not need two separate diaper bags, although you could, but pack your carry-ons accordingly.

I will not discuss checked-in luggage, since that is not that relevant, but the one tip I do want to pass on is if you have any battery-operated toys. Either turn them off and tape the switch in place or better yet, remove the batteries altogether. It could be a security problem if it turns on during the journey. I put the batteries in a small plastic bag and tape that to the toy so it is easier to put together again after we get home. Also, any toy with a remote control is not allowed to be used onboard. You can bring the toy but put the remote control in the checked luggage.

The only other tip about checked-in luggage I want to add is to pack equally-sized bags which weigh more or less the same. Pick them up and make sure they are all about the same weight. This is a general tip but with kids, chances are you will have more gear than previously and do not waste time during check-in paying for oversized bags.

For carry-on items, when my children were still in diapers, I took a backpack, a sling and a diaper bag. I talk about slings and baby carriers later on. I do not take a separate purse but do use a small bag with the valuables around my neck. This means I do not have to dig or pull my backpack off when I have to show tickets and passports. Everything else goes in the backpack, more valuable items stuffed at the very bottom. The backpack is bigger than a standard sized one but small enough to still go under the seat. The backpacks I like come up to my knee when placed on the floor. I like ones with a top handle and lots of side pockets so I can organize things. The diaper bag had everything I needed up to the first part of the flight including the food and first aid items. I use the backpack for the extra diapers, the never-seen-before toys and the change of clothes.

Yes, I bring a complete change for all of us. Not enough room? At least bring a pair of shorts and T-shirt for each of you, just in case. I put everything in plastic and tie them up with lots of rubber bands to squeeze them down to take up less space. Like I mentioned before, I split the diapers into two packets and put one in each the diaper bag and the backpack.

Now that our bottle and diaper days are over, the diaper bag is ditched. I only have the backpack but each child carries his or her own with toys they've chosen. I still take the food and the extra clothes myself. They generally started doing this once they could walk. My youngest at age two, did not do too well with hers, so decide if your child can manage it and not lose or forget it. I also suggest doing some culling of what goes in these backpacks. Avoid anything security will not like and anything that is noisy. Make sure nothing is so valuable it cannot be lost or replaced. I keep new, never-seen-before toys and books with me until the "unveiling" onboard and then they carry it, giving me more space in my backpack. Security does not like wrapped presents but put it in a colorful bag if you want the same effect.

I take my camera in my backpack. Another good tip I received is to take recent pictures in case the child gets lost. This is especially easy with a digital camera. You can simply snap them right before going, in the same clothes, if you have time. If they are not worth keeping, the photos can simply be erased later on. If the unmentionable happens, you have photos of exactly what they look like and exactly what they are wearing, to show the authorities.

Before leaving home, empty your bags, especially your diaper bag and search for any forgotten gels or liquids now banned under the new security restrictions. There is no great risk or fear here. Security will simply confiscate anything they do not want you to take. It is annoying and time-consuming to have them have to remove items, so do a ruthless clean-out just for the sake of getting through security with a minimum of hassle.

The new rule has to do with this Ziploc bag that is allowed. Read up on it yourself: http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/index.shtm

Here is an actual grid saying what is allowed and what is not:
http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/prohibited/permitted-prohibited-items.shtm

I could not confirm if whether the liquids have to be in the original containers. I suggest using travel packs, the type they sell in the bins at drug stores, including toothpaste. Bring new, unopened items, rather than for example, diaper cream you have been using, just to be on the safe side. The TSA, for example, does not allow half tubes of toothpaste.

I take a cloth bag – the kind they sell in grocery stores as an alternative to plastic and paper. I also have plastic bags for anything nasty but for this purpose, I go for cloth. It fits in my carry-on, will not rip and does not make noise. Once on board, I remove what I need for the next few hours such as wipes, a couple of diapers, perhaps my own toiletries, etc. and put them in this cloth bag, getting the rest of my things out of the way. I used to drag the whole diaper bag into the lavatories but that did not work too well and I looked like I was moving in. Now, I simply throw in what I need for that specific lavatory excursion (there will be lots of lavatory talk ahead, this features prominently when flying with children). My backpack basically stays in the overhead bin, with the extra cloths, reserve diapers and anything else that will only be needed later on. The diaper bag, by contrast, went down at my feet after take-off (if seated in the bulkheads) or was stowed under the seat in front of me.

If you only have one child, even in diapers and/or your flight is not too long, you can probably also leave the diaper bag at home. Both a backpack and diaper bag are probably necessary if you have more than one child in diapers and are taking a long flight. For myself, I bring one small makeup bag with my toothbrush, floss, paste, face cleanser, hand lotion, lip balm and lipstick (for right before landing). Even with new travel restrictions, I manage to get all that through but I am prepared to throw any of it away. My hands and lips get really dry on the plane so I was happy to keep those items. I try to remember anti-bacterial wipes, which are good to wipe down the tray-tables, the taps in the lavatories, as well as for your and your children's hands. I found that moistened flushable toilet paper is now available in little individual packs, good news for recently-trained children.

I make sure everything, including the children, can be carried in more than one way. My backpack has a handle or can fit in the stroller, the diaper bag can go over my shoulder or, also, on the stroller and the stroller can fit all three children – obviously not at once! Again, the sling could fit both my younger two children for ages so I had a variety of ways to get through an airport. I see too many parents with sleeping children draped over their shoulders. Not a fun way to get where you need to go.

I am a big Ziploc fan, even before the TSA required them, and this is a classic travel tip and now actually required. Recommended quart-sized bags now even have a little airplane printed on them. Put all liquids together in them (called "medium" in metric-system countries). Whatever medicine, with the appropriate spoon, can go together in one Ziploc. All the band-aids in another. Even the wipes merit their own. Open my bag and it looks like an advertisement for Ziploc. Not only is it easier to find stuff this way, it is cleaner (in case anything spills outside or inside. But the big advantage is in the dreaded security check. When they go through your stuff, they will not actually have to touch any of it and they can see what it is. It is also easier to put it all back together after they are done going through your things.

Another "helpful hint" I read about had to do with bringing large safety pins and making a tent to give the child more "privacy". I have issues with this idea for a number of reasons. First, getting the pins past security. Second, bothering the people around you. What happens if those in front of you want to recline or raise their seat? If the seatbelt sign comes on in-flight, the flight attendants have to check to make sure everyone is strapped in. This would be difficult with your child under that thing. The F/A's would probably wake them. Oh, and what about the wonderful in-flight air, even staler under the blanket? Also, I do not really see the whole point. My advice, leave the pins at home!

Take snacks and again, do not worry about security. I have had no problems myself and no reports. They are stricter with liquids and will simply take something from you if it is not allowed, which is unlikely. Avoid bring snacks with peanuts in them. Airlines stopped handing out peanuts because of allergies. People with peanut allergies can be so sensitive that even having nuts around them can set off a reaction and this could be a scary thing for a child to witness. Yes, unlikely but who needs to take that risk? Also, peanuts are choking hazards. All the Flight Attendants know the Heimlich maneuvre but none of them need to practice on your child. Grapes are another choking hazard You will find on flights. If you bring them from home, halve them (even for older toddlers) and look out for them with your meals.

Put luggage tags with your name and address on all your bags if possible while still at home. Those small ones the airlines give out are easily ripped off. You also want to write the address on a piece of paper and put that inside the bag.

For future updates to Sharon's information, or to contact Sharon directly, please visit her Blog: http://flyingwithchildren.blogspot.com/

Sharon's Disclaimer: This article is not a legal document and cannot be used as proof of any of the laws or rules that I refer to throughout. Check the FAA websites, or other relevant agencies to confirm any statements that are made. I try to provide links where I can. Be aware, also, that airlines often have their own policies which might be stricter than their own government's laws. Most of the employees that you encounter do not have the power to change or make exceptions to any rule. They simply must follow them, even in cases where logic or safety is questionable.