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when planning to
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Passport Required

Parents flying with children should be prepared for new passport requirements. The United States is now requiring passport identification for travelers entering the country from Canada, Mexico and South American countries. Gone are the days when a birth certificate was enough! So next time you travel to one of the neighboring countries or take a cruise, be sure that you have a valid passport in hand. If you need to apply for a passport, do not wait until the last minute. It can take up to 8 weeks to receive a new passport. Families have many passports and documents to organize together. Consider using a Family Passport & Document Case to make organizing your family's passports a little easier to manage during times when you need to quickly present your documentation.

TSA Family Guide

TIPS Before you reach the airport

Please allow yourself and your family extra time to get through security - especially for baby travel or flying with kids.
Call your airline or travel agent for their recommended check-in times for your departure airport.
Talk to your children before you come to the airport and let them know that it's against the law to make threats such as, "I have a bomb in my bag." Threats made jokingly (even by a child) can delay the entire family and could result in fines.

TIPS At the airport

Speak to your children again about the screening process so that they will not be frightened or surprised. Remind them not to joke about threats such as bombs or explosives.
Tell your children that their bags (backpack, dolls, etc.) will be put in the X-ray machine and will come out at the other end and be returned to them.
Let your children know that a Security Officer may ask to see Mom or Dad's shoes, but that they will get these back as well.
You may want to consider asking for a private screening if you are traveling with more than one child.

(Courtesy of TSA)

TIPS After You Land

In popular, family-friendly destinations like Orlando, accommodations are abundant but also in high demand. Deciding where to stay is an important decision, because whereas a flight may only last several hours, you'll probably remain in your accommodations for at least several days. Timeshare rentals are a great alternative for large families who require more space and privacy.

With Florida timeshare rentals you can find family accommodation options with as many as three bedrooms and extra living space. Rentals also offer access to resort amenities you won't find elsewhere like babysitting referrals and laundry services. And when you don't have to pack extra clothing, you can worry about more important things like making room for your child's favorite stuffed animal.

Fly safely with your baby: Baby restraints - Travel safety announcement
Live airport status updates: Click for interactive U.S. map to select major U.S. airport

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Flying with Kids Discipline 101

Everyone has their own ideas about what works and how to motivate children to exhibit good behavior. If you do not agree with the concepts presented here, you can seek out advice from any one of the many published books that are available on the topic of parenting. The information here is just parent-to-parent. Take it or leave it. After all, as a parent, you are ultimately responsible for your own actions and the decisions that you make about how to raise your child.

When a child is newborn, discipline is not the answer to having a quiet happy baby during an airplane flight. Discipline is not a very effective tool at ages up to 18 months old. For the infant flying on a plane, it is most effective to understand the child’s needs and cater to them effectively. Babies generally cry for only a few reasons, which primarily include:

Being hungry
Being tired
Having a dirty diaper / discomfort
Wanting to be held and comforted
Colic / upset stomach
Being injured

With an infant, crying is not an indication of a misbehaving child and having a crying baby on a plane does NOT mean that you are a bad parent. Crying is merely a baby’s only form of communicating its basic needs. Parents then have the sometimes-difficult task of interpreting the need that the baby is desperately trying to communicate. It is unfortunate when other passengers nearby do not have the capacity to understand and tolerate cries from infants since it is not always easy to calm a crying infant, especially if stomach discomfort is the cause or if the baby is tired and cannot fall asleep.

If you expect an older infant or a toddler to behave well on an airplane, it is critically important to have established an effective and predictable structure around discipline for the child. This becomes most effective after a child reaches 18 months old or older. You cannot expect to take an undisciplined child, place him on an airplane and have him behave well and cope with the difficulties of a long trip.

Airplane trips are difficult for even the most disciplined and well-behaved infant or toddler. It is also much more difficult for parents to apply discipline in an airplane setting. For example, you cannot send a child to time out effectively. There is no bedroom for you to send your child for calming down. There are few privileges or personal possessions to withhold when confined to a small space on an airplane.

For these reasons, parents should have well established and predictable methods of discipline in place before air flight. Discipline is something that is not pleasant for parents or children but is an essential part of the relationship. It would be great if children would behave properly and safely with only positive reinforcement of good behaviors. While it is true that positive reinforcement of good behaviors can have a wonderful effect toward influencing good behaviors in some children, it is not enough and disciplinary consequences should be a part of every parent’s routine.

Every child is different. You cannot assume that any one form of discipline will have a positive effect on behavior for every child. It is up to parents to bond with their children and learn what works and does not work for their particular child. There are some common factors though:

Be consistent in applying discipline
Be fair in deciding when discipline should be applied.
Be specific and address behavior in the moment. Address misbehavior immediately and when it is occurring.
If you provide a warning, communicate the consequence or form of discipline that will result if the child does not change his behavior.
Use a firm and steady tone. Do not shout.
Avoid giving second or third chances since that practice establishes a pattern in which a child begins to understand that there is no consequence for ignoring a first warning.
ALWAYS FOLLOW THROUGH with previously communicated consequences if the child does not modify behavior after a warning.
After discipline is over, hug your child and reinforce correct behaviors by explaining in a loving tone what the child did wrong that led to disciplinary action. If the child is old enough to speak, it works well at this point to ask the child to explain to you what he did wrong. Then, you can correct the child if he does not properly understand the reason for punishment.

It will not be easy to apply discipline on a plane. Having strong discipline established in advance is a great start, since you might then expect fewer instances when discipline is necessary.

Use your imagination. Some ideas for consequences on a plane might include:

Withholding snacks or toys
Placing a favorite toy in “time out”
Not getting to watch a movie that might be available

Any time you must use disciplinary action on a plane you might expect that your child will protest. This can result in a noisy scene. It is unfortunate that other passengers will have to endure those events. However, it is a necessary course of events in order for you to mold your child’s behavior and teach him what is appropriate in social situations. Over time you can work on teaching your child that is not okay to protest punishment…good luck with that one at ages 1 to 4.

When you are disciplining your child, if other passengers interpret crying or screaming as an indication that you are a bad parent, they are wrong. You are a great parent for taking initiative to teach your child right from wrong. Children are members of society. You may have heard the saying, “It takes a village to raise a child.” If you are on public transport, everyone around you is a willing member of that village. Private transport is an alternative open to any air traveler with means that does not wish to intermingle in society. Compassion and understanding is an appropriate reaction from fellow passengers and you should not feel embarrassed during those unfortunate times when you draw attention. In most cases noise resulting from a child protesting discipline is short-lived anyway.

It may also serve you well to establish behavior expectations and then offer rewards. Based on your knowledge of your children and behaviors that they are likely to exhibit during a flight, you may be able to address those issues in advance and offer incentives to prevent misbehavior. This can sometime prevent or reduce the frequency of situations that result in the need for disciplinary consequences. If this works with your child, you may be able to achieve good behavior results with less noise and disruption for other passengers. Ideas of rewards could be:

Getting a new toy that was packed for the flight
Getting snacks
Getting to watch a movie or show
Getting to take a walk around the plane
Reading a story
…Or anything else that you think might motivate your particular child.

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The Parent-to-Parent Guide
to Air Travel
with Babies and Toddlers

Are you a parent who flys with kids?
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Quick Tips

	Crying is an infant's main form of communicating basic needs.
	For toddlers, establish a predictable discipline routine well in advance of attempting air travel.
	Always communicate consequences when correcting behavior.
	Always follow through with previously communicated consequences if behavior does not improve.
	If you must punish a child, make sure that the child understands the reason for the punishment.
	Talk about behavior expectations in advance of the flight.
	Positively reinforce good behavior by offering rewards.

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Flying Kids Mission

As parents, we are responsible for molding our precious babies into well rounded adults who have an appreciation for the variety of opportunities that they have available to them as they grow and develop as individuals. Exposing children to varying geographical locations and cultures around the world is an important teaching method that many parents have the option to use for developing generations of culturally aware future leaders who have childhood experiences that help them understand and personally relate to global issues. It is the mission of Flying Rugrats to arm parents with information about flying with children, toddlers or infants strategies in an effort to dispel fear or apprehension about family travel so that families may travel freely and better educate our future world citizens through positive travel experiences.

Flying Rugrats With great travel with baby tips when planning to fly with kids