Flying with children question-

[Iluvpooh]

We are taking our kids to WDW for thie first time in OCtober. My Dh and I have flown before, but this is our first flight with children.

My question is-When we fly we have to show ID-will we need ID for the kids? Like a birth certificate or something?

[disneymom15]

No, you don't need any ID for the kids. Up until my daughter was 16, they didn't ask for ID.

[Speedy1998]

No IDs need for young children, but fair warning, you need to bring something to keep them busy, though I do not recommend that you bring crayons (the people 10 rows back were kind enough to pass the crayons forward to us though).

[tiaramom]

The first time I flew jet blue 2 yrs. ago
They asked for BC for my daughter
So I always have a photocopy of one now.

[mook3y]

I would recommend getting a travel size magna doodle. That keeps our kids occupied for quite a while.

You didn't say how old your kids are, but the younger they are, the more likely they might have a problem with the change in cabin pressure. Little kids sometimes have a hard time equalizing the pressure in their ears. This can lead to severe ear pain.

If they are real little, then I would suggest you use benadryl. If you don't want them to be drowsy, you can ask your Dr for a recommendation. Our Dr suggested benadryl.

If they are older, then they probably will be fine with a piece of gum.

[bcornette]

You will need the birth certificate if they are under 2 and you plan on putting them on your lap. If you purchased a ticket for them you shouldn't need anything.

They make child ear plugs for travelling that works great for the pressure. They are a silicon ball that you press in the outer ear to seal it. you don't actually put it into the ear canal. Both of my kids (3 and 6) didn't mess with the ear plugs and never complained of ear pain. earplugs

[bkfree]

We have flown multiple times with our children and have never been asked for any ID for them. The only exception is if they are 2 or under and they are flying for free. If they are big for their age or look near 2, you could be asked for proof. SInce we always bought our children their own seat regardless of their age this was never an issue.
After many trips we have learned a few things that makes flying with them easy.
1) We always fly with an airline that we can choose our seats and make our reservations as early as possible to get the seats we want, which is near the front, so we have quick exit time when we land.
2) We also always fly as early in the day as we can. When flying to WDW we take the non stop that leaves our airport at 7am and we are in Orlando by 9:30 and on Main Street by noon.
3) We always take advantage of boarding first with kids so we can get them situated, stuff stored and have them occupied before the onslaught of the other passengers emerge.
4) Snacks are also a must as are non spillable cups.Even though mine are 6 and 8 it is hard to not spill those weirdly shaped cups on those fold down trays.

[mouseketeer mom]

If they are old enough to chew gum, that helps their ears on take off and landing. I always pack a couple of kinds. I buy invisible ink activity books for the kids and non messy activities in a carry on for them. I also pack my own snacks for them, so I know for sure they are fed.
Also, going thru security can be a bit of a challenge with taking shoes off and on, and jackets and etc..in a busy line. Remember to put them in easy on easy off shoes for travelling days. Other passengers aren't always so patient moving thru the security checkpoints!
As another intercottee posted, it is easy for the kids to spill the drinks they are given with those little fold down trays. I always have a change of clothes for them, somthing simple, in our carry on in case those spills happen, and they have!

[martinfamily5]

We have flown with our kids from ages 4,7 and 9 and they are now 11, 14 and 17. They have all done great on every flight. We are taking ids for ours this year just in case. We take lots of gum and suckers. They seem to help alot. We usually end up sharing with others around us.

[thrillme]

I've flown with my DS since he was six. Something to drink or gum to chew is great for take offs. I warned him about the "pop" and told him not to worry about it.

DVD players are a GREAT invention. Laptops are nice too but bigger than a small portable DVD player.

[Minniemouse27]

Dd flew five round trip flights before she was 3.5yo. Here are some of the things we did/didn't do:

Always purchased a seat for her and used her car seat. The white noise of the plane put her right to sleep, usually before we even took off! Here is a great pair of links (http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/airplanetravel.aspx)about using car seats on planes (http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/airplaneRF.aspx)!
We only had dh preboard...he went on and installed the seat and we let her run around and burn off her energy until the end of boarding. Then when we got on her seat was all ready and we weren't blocking the aisles.
There is something to be said about choosing seats ahead of time, but this trip we are taking SW ...and ds is 2yo. I'm just going to make sure we are in group A and we should be fine.
The stroller was gate checked each trip. Dd rode or pushed it :D down the jetway right to the door. I made sure it was collapsed...didn't want anyone to break anything trying to figure it out. It was always there upon arrival and in great condition.
Dd had a small backpack (kid sized) w/ only her toys in it. Toys depended on age...when she was younger it was Little People, small figures and board books. I :heart: travel Magna Doodles (now called Doodle Pros), nothing to chase around on the floor once it is dropped! Colorforms are great as well.
Dh and I each carried a backpack, mine was a diaper bag (Land's End ROCKS!) and his was a regular one.
Dh either carried dd's car seat, pulled it on our Samsonite Micro Mover collapsible luggage cart (folds up to fit in the backpack), or once she was older we put it on the stroller and dd walked!
We never did anything special for ears or pressure issues. Dd did just fine. I would caution you about using Benedryl..this backfired for a friend of mine. Her dd became hyper while on it instead of drowsy so she had a bouncing, hyper 15mo on her 3hr flight!
Packing familiar snacks is a great idea. Lots of small crunchy things worked well for us.
Never took any ID for dd and don't plan on taking any for dd or ds for our upcoming trip.Good Luck and have fun!

[princessM0m]

There is something to be said about choosing seats ahead of time, but this trip we are taking SW ...and ds is 2yo. I'm just going to make sure we are in group A and we should be fine.


I believe that SW will let you pre-board with children 4 and under. They have for us--just make sure you let the gate attendant know would would like to and they will tell you where to wait.

[Minniemouse27]

I believe that SW will let you pre-board with children 4 and under. They have for us--just make sure you let the gate attendant know would would like to and they will tell you where to wait.
SW is now implementing their new policy where families board between groups A and B. It was in a test phase at a few airports for a bit and I saw a post somewhere that stated that they were applying the new family boarding for all flights.

I'm not overly concerned about getting an "A" group.

[Tink#64]

We've always flown Delta & never needed any id's for kids - started going to WDW when youngest was 4 & oldest is now 11. DS's always pack backpack to carry on. They take MP3 players, hand held video games like Nintendo DS's, I always buy them a couple of new magazines, when they were smaller books were great. A small snack always comes in handy besides the gum.

The only thing I didn't think of before our first trip, was that oldest DS get's car sick, I never thought of him getting air sick. But of course he did! Those little bags are kind of hard for a 6 year old to deal with. I had to run around the airport for our connecting flight & find Dramamine! Now we always have him take it about an hour before the departure, and have much nicer flights! Caution, if you need Dramamine, all formulations are not for children under 12! You must read the directions with care.:mickey:

[mjaclyn]

DH and I are flying Jetblue with our DD 10 mos for the first time this weekend. I called the airline and they said that even though it's not a requirement, it would be a good idea to bring a copy of her birth certificate because you never know how security is going to be in different airports.

[Deansgal85]

I agree about the Dramamine...when we flew last year with DS 13 and DS 10 for the first time..our doctor recommended it..in fact all 4 of us took one..just to be safe!