Traveling With A Toddler

My wife and I recently embarked on a cross country trip to visit friends in California. Now both of us have an extensive resume when it comes to travel. Lets just say we have been some places. But none of that experience can prepare you for traveling with a toddler. So as I was pushing 1200 pounds of luggage through the San Francisco airport, I began to think of much simpler times. I began to do some comparisons. Now before we had a child we could carry on all of our luggage. No checked bags to slow us down! We speed through the airport using escalators and stairs. Escalators don't work to well with luggage carts the size of a volkswagen bug. We need elevators! Have you ever tried to find an elevator in an airport? With a toddler you not only have to check bags but you have to check a car seat as well. If you have never lugged one of these things around a busy airport then you have not lived. Toddlers are small so they can't have alot of luggage, right? Wrong. He has clothes as well as toys. Not just toys for your destination, but also for the plane. And remember, toddlers always wear at least 2-3 outfits a day. He also requires all his current reading material such as Curious George, Cat in the Hat, and Ten Little Ladybugs. None of this includes our stuff at all.

After we check 1200 pounds of luggage the race through security begins. Before children we could zip through security and have plenty of time to relax and even get a drink before boarding. Those days are long gone, my friend. We are considered special now that we are a family with a small child. We get our own line, Yipee! The extremely intelligent people at TSA thought that if they corralled all of these families together and herd them through security together things would run efficiently. Now the bins are a good idea but they are a little small. If I can stuff a folded up stroller through that damn X-ray machine then I am sure they can have a bin that can fit my shoes and the rest of my items all in one. But no, we have to have a separate bin for every little gadget, toy, laptop, book, and bag. I think we held up that line for thirty minutes waiting for our 23 bins to come through. Apparently toddlers are now a risk to national security because we had to remove our 17 month old's shoes. Wow, I feel better now getting on the plane.

After all of us get dressed and repack our bags we sprint towards the gate. Now we do have an advantage here. All persons who need special assistance or have small children can board the plane early. This is the fun part. Once we get settled in we get to play the "who wants to sit next to the baby" game. As the passengers file into the plane it is so fun to look at the relief on their faces to realize they are not sitting next to us. We used to be those people.

Now the plane ride. I remember when we could just read and listen to our own music as the trip just flew by. Those are distant memories now. I am pleased to announce that in flight movies still exist. Our feature was Curious George Takes a Vacation. Very entertaining. Holding a 17 month old child in your lap for 5 hours takes an advanced degree of patience. My wife has a PhD while I only posses an associates degree. Because we have so much equipment with us on the plane we must be the absolute last ones to exit. This is fun to watch as our child waves goodbye to all the people he kept awake for 5 hours.

I hope this post does not discourage you from flying the friendly skies with your children.