10 Tips: Navigating airport security with children

December 18, 2008

Posted in Safe & Healthy Travel, Travel No Comments »
Tags: Airplane, Altitude, Travel

If infants are accidentally left on conveyer belts at supermarket checkout counters, it is unlikely that they will be packed with the groceries.

But if they’re placed on belts at airport security they pass through the machine. It has happened. The scenario: Parent places infant on non-moving belt. Parent distracted. Belt moves. Infant enters machine. Infant unharmed. Parent hysterical. One grandmother placed her infant grandchild in the plastic bin and sent him through the machine, thinking it was required to do so. Fortunately, the dose of radiation from these machines is negligible. 

Here are some tips on how to minimize hassles at airports:

1. Allow extra time when traveling with small children. The screening process may require that security officers search all of your belongings, your baby supplies, children’s toys, and the children themselves. Even infants are not exempt from searches. Ask security officers if there are special screening lanes for families with young children. Some airports have them.  

2. Prepare yourself for the screening process. Coping with a small child – challenging enough under ordinary circumstances – can be even more difficult during the airport screening process. In the U.S, check out the official air transportation website http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/children/index.shtm  for useful information. Carry tickets and ID items in an easily accessible place. Empty your pockets of items that set off alarms to avoid passing through the detector again or a hand search. Wear shoes easy to take off and put on.  Place the stroller on the belt first.  This will ensure that it will be waiting for you on the other side.  You can put your infant in the stroller while you retrieve your other belongings. Consider wearing a sling to hold your infant, freeing your hands for other chores.

3. Tell older children that joking about bombs and terrorists is prohibited. All such statements, even from children, are taken seriously, are cause for delays, and can result in missed flights and (very rarely) in fines. Toy knives and guns may cause problems too.

4. Prepare younger children for security procedures. For example, tell them that their toys and their shoes will come out on the other side of the conveyer belt. You can purchase toy airport security machines for children to play with at home.

5. Be aware that you cannot hold children’s hands while they are being searched. You will be able to keep them next to you while you or they are being screened, even during a private screening session. If children become uncomfortable or upset, security officers will consult you about the best way to relieve your children’s concern.

6.  If necessary, ask security officers to assist you. They will help you place carry-on items on the conveyer belt and gather them together for you when the items emerge from the machine. Generally, the officers will not hold infants.

7. Allow children able to walk alone through metal detectors to do so.  If you are carrying your child through the metal detector and the alarm sounds, the security officer will have to screen both you and your child. You may not pass the child to another person behind you or in front of you during this process. There is no radiation from the walk-through machines; these machines are basically electromagnetic metal detectors and are safe for infants and for pregnant women.

8. Carry your infant’s food and medications with you. Reasonable amounts of such items are permissible. These items are exempt from the rules that limit carry-on liquids to three ounces or less and must be carried in a zip-lock plastic bag. They must be screened by the x-ray machine, but this procedure has no effect on these items.

9. Inform security officers if you have a disabled child who requires special attention. In the U.S, see http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/specialneeds/editorial_1572.shtm. Officers are trained to handle such children. Suggest how best to accomplish the screening to minimize confusion or outbursts from your child. Tell officers your child’s abilities. Can your child stand slightly away from equipment to be hand-wanded and walk through the metal detector, or does he or she need to be carried through the metal detector by you?  Officers will not remove children from their mobility aids (wheelchair or scooters) for screening; you are responsible for doing that. If children are unable to walk or stand, an officer will conduct a pat-down search while the child remains in the mobility aid, and will do a visual and physical inspection of the equipment.

10. Check security regulations at airports overseas. Some countries require that you have photo I.D. and/or a passport for infants, even newborns. Regulations vary across countries and change frequently. Airlines usually have the most accurate and up-to-date information.

According to the US Department of State website,“All children regardless of age, including newborns and infants, must have their own passport.”

If you are the sole parent traveling with your child, you may need additional documents. Some countries require a written, notarized consent letter from the absent parent and/or other documents to show that you are not taking the child across borders illegally. Check with the U.S. Department of State and the consulate officials of the country you are visiting.

Posted in Safe & Healthy Travel, Travel No Comments »
Tags: Airplane, Altitude, Travel