Babies on a Plane
How airlines can make traveling with kids less of a nightmare.
by Hana Schank
September 3, 2007
"We're just checking to make sure you're not over the limit," the security officer said when I asked exactly what they were looking for with regards to the baby food.
"What's the limit?" I asked.
"Just a reasonable amount," explained the security officer.
Which is what? Enough to feed a baby but not enough to make an exploding applesauce bomb?
As if that's not bad enough, the type of baby food you bring on board is also subject to inspection. I was once in line in front of a woman who had a jar of Gerber's Peach Cobbler confiscated because the security officer said it was a dessert, not baby food. I couldn't help but wonder if I had stumbled upon the only adult in the world who kept a pantry stocked full of Gerber's desserts just for himself, for when he wanted something a little sweet. Or for bomb making. One or the other.
Life with children is, of course, more complicated than life without, and therefore flying withA woman had a jar of Gerber's Peach Cobbler confiscated because the security officer said it was a dessert, not baby food. children is doubly complicated, and doubly stressful. But instead of turning around and telling mothers to drug their children/stop hitting them, what if the TSA offered some solutions? There has been some discussion in the media about creating a children's section on planes, so that parents can beat their children and their children can beat each other without disturbing other passengers, but this ignores the root of the problem, which is not what happens on the plane but what happens before it. If you and your one-year-old have already been subjected to the advanced anal probe screening thanks to a stray bottle of milk that got lost in the bottom of your suitcase, chances are that neither one of you is going to have much patience left by the time you get on the plane.
©2007 Hana Schank and Nerve Media
About the Author
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Hana Schank is the author of the memoir A More Perfect Union: How I Survived the Happiest Day of My Life. Her writing has appeared in Glamour, Destination Weddings and Honeymoons, and other national publications. She lives in Brooklyn, but you can visit her online at www.hanaschank.com.
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