Travel Restrictions By Homeland Security For Infants

Posted in Education. Written by Trip Wend on October 27th, 2008

When traveling with an infant as opposed to traveling alone you could easily double your time and effort exerted to prepare for the trip. Restrictions implemented by Homeland security can be almost as challenging as flying with your little one.

In order to be prepared for these changes, it is best to start the preparation process before leaving your house. In the even that you are not departing from home, but from a hotel room, or friend or relatives house, extra considerations need to be made before leaving.

If you are departing to or from a foreign country then homeland security travel restrictions can be even more challenging. Your preparations will have to start several weeks in advance of your departure. The first step is to know how long you are going to be away in the foreign country. This decides whether you want to apply for separate passports for you and your infant. If your visit is only for a short period (few months or less) then it might be possible to include your infant’s name in your passport.

If a foreign country is part of your travel plans then you also need to obtain visas for both you and your infant. Most certainly you will also need the birth certificate for your child. Depending on which country you are traveling to it will be necessary to have immunizations completed. These records should be with you as well. The discussion above applies to most foreign countries of travel. However, it is a good idea to check with your travel agent or research online if travel to countries such as Canada is less restrictive.

In any case, the very first step in your travel preparation is to get all your travel documents ready for your infant. With this accomplished it is time to pay attention to your infantas special needs during travel. You should be able to address most of these without much extra effort because you are traveling. Infants are special and most of their needs are special enough that it makes little difference whether they are at home or at the airport or flying. But here are some points to pay attention to.

Most airlines will allow you to carry your car infant seat on the aircraft. If you are planning to do so then check to see what homeland security travel restrictions require for the portable car seat. For instance, it should be small enough to fit inside the X-ray scanning system at the security check-in at the airport. It should not have any sharp metal parts that can be dismantled from the car seat.

You will also have to pay special attention to your infant’s medication. Homeland security travel restrictions impose that only a certain maximum amount of fluids can be carried on your person. If you are not breast-feeding the infant then it might be prudent to pack your formula in powder form in a clear plastic bag. You can purchase bottled water after you have crossed the security check-point and this can be used to mix the formula in. Any liquid medications must also be contained in clearly labeled containers and cannot exceed specified volumes.

Traveling should be fun and rewarding, and having an infant in today’s world should not impose on your travel plans, or fun. Security restrictions are in place for a reason, though it can add a significant amount of time to the preparation process. However in most cases, most if it is probably already done, considering you are traveling with an infant. It also ensures that travel is safe and orderly, which could be considered the first step towards having fun.