HAVE KID WILL TRAVEL

Thursday proved to be a day of firsts. We flew to Chicago for an overnight on our way to Iowa to visit my parents. We have been traveling with Milo since he was six weeks old and have it down to a science. I know what to pack, and what not to bother with. I’ve learned the TSA is very consistent at National Airport, but any variety of things could happen elsewhere.

We have the Go-Go Kidz car seat attachment for easy shuttling around the airport. It's one of those things I couldn't live without, and it gets a lot of comments when we use it. When the Go-Go Kidz is hooked on, it doesn’t fit through the airport scanner so we have to get it screened by a TSA official. They do a series of swabbing to test for explosive particles. For some reason it didn’t pass the test.

The result of this was both Milo and me getting patted down. Had it not been for the cheerful TSA gal, I would’ve been a little irritated about having my 15 month old frisked (as if I would be attaching explosives to my toddler). Ultimately it was no big deal and we were on our way in just a couple of extra minutes.

Once we were beyond security, I set out to find Milo some milk for the plane ride. We usually take the Horizon Organic single serve milk for travel because it doesn’t need to be refrigerated, but I forgot to get some before we left, and really thought I’d be able to find some in the terminal. A long time ago, when stuck on a runway for over an hour, I learned that not all planes carry milk. For the planes that do carry it, there might need to be begging or some serious meltdown (from the kid, or the mom, or both) before they release the tiny carton.

The news shops don’t carry milk, Dunkin Donuts didn’t have any that I trusted (in a carafe for coffee), Fuddrucker’s only had chocolate and strawberry, and at last I found some at Potbelly. They use it for their milkshakes (oreo is my favorite), and they poured me a whole eight ounces from the gallon for free right in the sippy cup! Very nice!

Traveling with kids is as easy and fun as you want to make it. I have to admit that it has gotten more challenging as Milo has gotten more active, but I've found that if I stay flexible it all works out.