LilSugar

TSA Tests Jenna Elfman's Breast Milk: OK or Asinine?

LilSugar — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 06:00:16 PDT

No substance (even a mom's milk) gets waved through airport security these days. Actress Jenna Elfman was traveling with her 4-month-old son, Easton, yesterday when she had to hand over the babe's food. JennaOnPurpose tweeted:

Going thru security at airport & TSA really felt the need to "vapor test" the bottle of breast milk. I mean, is there no common sense left?

As a mom do you think this incident can be chalked up to security regulations or do you think it's ridiculous?

Junior Jetset: Tot Travel Tips and Tricks

LilSugar — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 13:00:05 PDT

Vacation starts for mom once she gets to the destination! The days leading up to a getaway and the air travel time can be stressful for parents, so plan ahead and take a few cues from our junior jetset roundup!

Baby's having an airport meltdown? You're not the only mom to endure it!
Busy your youngsters with these fun road, air, and train games!
Nursing in transit? Here our some tips to keep mom and baby comfortable.
Make traveling fun by giving your kiddos their own passport!
A product that keeps big kids' ears from popping, and it isn't gum.
How to choose the best airline for your family's needs.
You won't have to pull over if you take our advice for curbing car sickness!

Junior Jetset: Air Strategy

LilSugar — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 08:00:55 PDT

Flying high with more than you can handle? As a mom, I think the best seats on the plane are in the back row. Even before I had children, I like being in the last row because you don't get the sense of being sandwiched between a bunch of other passengers. And, once I had tots, it seemed like the most obvious choice as trips to change diapers or use the restroom inconvenience the least amount of people. Additionally, many fliers don't care to sit in those chairs so there's often extra space. To see what happened on a recent trip,

read more. The other night, I was on a packed flight and looked over to see a mom with a baby on her lap and her tots filling the rest of the row. The three sons were all under the age of five, and one lil guy, who looked about two, was having a mini meltdown. No one on the plane seemed to mind, aside from the fellow sitting in front of him who turned out to be his father. The husband, who had his iPod on, occasionally turned around to tell the boy to be quiet, but it was the wonder woman wife who juggled bottles and cups, snacks and books, and tended to all the tots' needs during the flight. All in all, the children were very well behaved, and I imagine the mama was exhausted. The dad, on the other hand, enjoyed quite the relaxing flight. Does your family have an air strategy - where to sit or which parent handles what, etc.?

Would You Rather Travel by Land or Air With Your Tots?

LilSugar — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 05:00:48 PDT

As much as parents fret about flying with their wee ones, some prefer the stress of a shorter flight to the hours it takes to travel by car. On the other hand, there are moms and dads who'd rather drive for days than worry that their tykes are going to melt down in mid-air. Which type of tot travel do you prefer?
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Junior Jetset: Lil Tip For Early Travel

LilSugar — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 14:00:30 PDT

Every time our family has an early flight, we cut it close. The shuttle or taxi usually arrives just as I'm about to lose my mind. Then we head to the airport and have to kill time with irritated kids. Getting two tired tots up, bathed, and dressed can cause parents quite a bit of stress. I've noticed things run much smoother when I treat my tots to a bubble bath the night before and let them dress for the next day before hopping in bed.

They think it's wild to wear clothes as pajamas and my husband and I don't have to worry about the extra time it takes to get them ready. Since we can carry them straight from their beds to our transportation, they are also likely to sleep all the way to the airport. This tip also works for wee-hour-of-the-morning road trips.
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Junior JetSet: Keeping Peace in the Air

babysugar — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 10:00:50 PDT

Nobody booking a cross-country flight with a toddler thinks they are in for an easy trip. As I told you last week, my last trip was filled with airline delays and track and field moves to get me to my gate on time. While you can't control traffic delays and TSA bottlenecks, you can make the trip easier for your tot and your fellow travelers by filling your carry-on with projects and toys that make time pass a little faster.

For a look at some of our favorite in-flight activities, click below.

Mommy Dearest: Fearing Flight with Kids

LilSugar — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 14:00:13 PDT

Mommy Dearest,

We're about to fly across the country with our sons and I am terrified of the trip. Spending five hours in the air with my kids who are one and three is my worst nightmare. They both have a hard time sitting still and we'd rather not travel, but there's a family reunion we cannot miss. Do you have any advice on how to keep them in their seats?

-Panicked about Plane Ride

To see Mommy Dearest's response,

read more. Panicked about Plane Ride, Funny you should ask - I spent an hour in Target last night finding and testing every contraption I could possibly think of to keep my 19-month-old occupied on a two hour flight we will be taking next week. The way I look at it, it's hard to control an unpredictable tot, but you can try and control their surroundings. I am packing a carry on full of easy access snacks and toys - a mini Magna Doodle, animal crayons and paper, temporary tattoos, a barely lit flashlight, a toy voice recorder, one ounce pots of play-doh, etc. - that he has never seen before. I bought enough goodies so I can rotate them every 10 to 15 minutes on the flight and have a fresh stash of new ones for the plane home. If all else fails, we will pop out our portable DVD player and let him watch a movie. I also purchased the two longest Little Einstein movies I could find, as he loves the show. Traveling with lil ones can be daunting. Our daughter is easy going so we assumed our lil guy would follow suit. But since he's higher strung, we figure we'll anticipate the worst, hope for the best and whatever happens happens. If he pitches a fit and they deplane us, we'll be mortified, but he'll still be our son and we won't love him any less. So keep this in mind and just try to do the best you can. Happy Trails... - Mommy Dearest Submit a question for this feature at the Mommy Dearest Group on TeamSugar. Source

Fair to Remove Autistic Tot From Airplane?

LilSugar — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 15:00:35 PDT

Maybe I have sympathy for this situation because I am a mother, but I feel for Janice Farrell and Jarrett, her son with special needs. The mother and her autistic two-year-old were escorted off an American Airlines flight on Monday in North Carolina. An ABC report said:

"The child had been crying and screaming uncontrollably, to the point where the child's well being was in question," American Airlines, the parent company of American Eagle, said in a statement. "Though, ultimately, the parent's violation of FAA regulations was the cause for removal, both situations contributed to an uncomfortable and potentially unsafe atmosphere for our passengers and crew."

Janice said the airlines contributed to her son's upset.

What's your opinion?

Junior JetSet: A Theme Park for the Entire Family

babysugar — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 12:00:06 PDT

An amusement park for parents and children? Take me to it! Whether your child watches Sesame Street religiously or is a casual viewer, Sesame Place is destination for families looking for adventure this summer.

Located about 30 miles north of Philadelphia, the park features more than 30 attractions, including a dozen water rides, three live shows (including a live production of Elmo’s World), daily parades and visits from the entire Sesame crew. Unlike other parks we have reviewed, Sesame Place is designed for the seven and under crowd, meaning even toddlers are welcome on most rides.

To see what makes Sesame Place special,

read more. Inspired by the show’s characters, there are kiddie versions of the traditional pirate ship ride, an airplane ride, a brand new carousel, a simulated hot air balloon and the requisite tea cups. But, he real action is over at the water rides, where you can take a leisurely inner-tube ride down Big Bird’s 1,000 foot Rambling River or swiftly glide though a system of water slides on a large raft with up to six of your nearest and dearest friends on the Sky Splash. The highlight of the trip for most visitors is the interaction with the Sesame characters. Throughout the day, the monsters wander around posing for pictures, giving out hugs and putting smiles small faces. The park is clean, smoke-free and of a manageable size. Bathrooms, with multiple changing tables, can be found throughout the park, and rarely have lines. The only downside of the park is their ticket policy, which requires all visitors over the age of 2 (adults and children) to pay the full ticket price of $48 per person.

Junior JetSet: Flying the Child-Friendly Skies

babysugar — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 08:00:00 PDT

While young passengers getting a set of wings and a tour of the cockpit may seem like a thing of the past, plenty of airlines still put forth extra effort to ensure that children enjoy their flights. From supplying baby food to gifting birthday cake, check out which airlines go the extra mile.

American Airlines offers changing tables on all widebody aircrafts and heats up baby bottles.
Continental Airlines provides special children’s meals for its youngest travelers. Infants under the age of two get Level 2 Gerber food. The airline also offers video games on its in-flight entertainment system.
Delta’s new in-flight entertainment system (available on certain flights) has a Fly Kids Channel featuring The Book of Pooh, Dora the Explorer, Hanna Montana and Legion of Super Heroes, among other shows and a number of video games.
Horizon Air offers travelers the ability to pre-order a personal DVD player for $10 each flight segment. The digEplayers are pre-loaded with movies, music and television programs for both adults and children. They also have snacks like Stacy's Pita Chips and Bear Naked Granola.
As the first US carrier with free seatback TVs, JetBlue offers kids a great selection of stations like the Cartoon Network, Nick at Night and TV Land. The airline’s trans-fat free complimentary snacks include animal crackers, chocolate chip cookies, and those great blue chips. When time permits, the captains visit young travelers and give tours of the flight deck.
Known for their no-frills service to keep costs down, Southwest will help you celebrate your child’s first flight with their First Time Flying Certificate. The pilots also give tots a tour of the cockpit before the plane’s departure.
Virgin America extends its cool vibe with an in-flight entertainment system featuring a selection of on-demand movies, video games and music on every seat back. The system even has parental control settings so you can monitor what your kids are watching. Healthy food and drinks are available throughout the flight, and the airline claims that its “mood lighting has been found to be soothing and calm for children, especially infants.”
We only focused on domestic carriers here, but I have to note that Emirates could be the most kid-friendly airline in the world. They provide kids with special brightly colored headsets for their seatback in-flight entertainment system, featuring hundreds of channels of TV, movie, music and video game programming. But best of all, if you let the airline know that it is your child’s birthday in advance, flight attendants will deliver a cake en route to your destination and take a party photo for your lil one to show off when they get home.

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