It's the height of the vacation season.  If you haven't traveled with your child on an airplane lately, there are definitely some safety tips and recommendations for flying with infants and young children you may want to review!

Naturally, traveling with infants and toddlers places a heightened burden of responsibility on parents, both in preparing for and taking the planned trip.  The Transportation Security Administration (TSA), a division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, has recently updated recommendations of things you as a parent can do to make the trip safer, easier and less stressful. The TSA website http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/children/index.shtm has several short videos for parents and caregivers of infants, toddlers and school-aged children to view to help simplify the process of proceeding through the checkpoint.

First and foremost, planning ahead for the trip never hurts. To ease stress when traveling with infants and toddlers and provide for a safer trip, TSA recommends learning before the trip what you can and cannot bring with you as both carry-on and checked baggage.  Check TSA's website for prohibited items:  http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/prohibited/permitted-prohibited-items.shtm  Mothers, TSA makes special provisions for bringing breast milk and baby formula and other medically necessary items on board the airplane in larger than 3.4 ounce specified quantities provided they are declared at the checkpoint and presented to a Transportation Security Officer (TSO).

If your child is still a lap child, you may want to learn about in-flight child restraints before traveling. As we continue to hear in the news, seatbelts save lives, and the FAA strongly recommends child restraint systems (appropriate for children's weight) be used for children under 40 pounds (18.1 kilos). There are other options:  buying a ticket for a seat for the child (if under 2 and over 40 pounds) and using the appropriate restraint system for that seat.  For safety, you will want to seat your child away from an aisle where little arms, hands and feet, could get pinched or bumped; ideally, the child could be seated between two responsible adults.

When going through the checkpoint, it's a good idea to leave the items you will have to take out of your carry-on bag at the checkpoint on top in your carry-on things. Large items, such as diaper bags, blankets, toys, strollers, car and booster seats, baby carriers, infant seats, backpacks and baby slings, all must go through the metal detector at the checkpoint and can be checked in on the jet way before you get on the plane.  Frequently, TSA has an extra lane called the Family & Medical Liquid Lane for passengers who need assistance or who need a little more time may use. If you have questions, ask the TSO--or their supervisor if necessary.

Preparing for emergencies is always advised. Pay attention to the preflight emergency briefing. Ask if there are flotation devices on board for children. Make the counter agent, flight and gate attendant(s) aware if your child has any medical condition that could become an issue during the flight.  Bring along safe, softer toys if possible. 

And enjoy your family airplane trip!