Airport Security with a Baby: What to Expect and How to Survive

You’re getting ready to take your first trip with baby – yay! I hope you’re thinking about all the fun times that you’re going to have, and ignoring the mounting anxiety as you think about all the logistics of your trip.

No?

Well, let’s help you through one part of the process that stresses a lot of parents out. Does the thought of going through security with a baby make you want to panic?

It shouldn’t.

Let’s talk about what to expect and some awesome hacks to make airport security with a baby not so scary!

I’m US-based, and this will focus on going through TSA with a baby (Transportation Security Administration), but I have found most of these tips for TSA with baby to be true while traveling internationally, as well.

Get to the airport early.

Seems pretty obvious, right? But it is worth reminding you, as this is probably the most important thing you can do.

Before having kids, my husband and I were chronically late passengers. We never planned well. We didn’t think about customs wait times, we never thought it would be a “busy time” to travel – let’s just say, I’ve heard my name called out in the airport more times than I’d like to admit.

Things change when you’re going through airport security with a baby, and everything is going to take about 17x as long as you expect it to. So get to the airport early. Most airlines give you a recommendation for when you should get there (usually 2 or 3 hours, depending on domestic vs international): actually follow those guidelines if you’re traveling with a baby.

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Understand what baby items can come through security.

You might be wondering how on Earth to feed your baby if you can’t bring liquids in more than 3.4 oz. But the TSA makes an exception for formula, breast milk, and juice for a baby or toddler.

Oddly, they don’t specify that you can bring dairy milk – which I’d personally much rather have than juice – but I have brought it multiple times without issue.

You can bring formula, breast milk, and juice in any reasonable quantity. I’m not sure what they would define as unreasonable, but I’ve brought a LOT for some longer flights (and to have for the first few days of our trip), and they’ve always been fine with it.

You can also bring baby food. I recommend getting the pouches – waaayyy easier than a jar and spoon on the plane!

If you need to travel with breastmilk, you can bring it in any quantity, even if you do not have your baby with you. Ice packs are okay as well, but they will need to check them out if they are slushy.

For any of these items that break the 3.4 oz rule, you will want to declare it to a TSA officer before your diaper bag or carry-on goes through. If you’re not using TSA PreCheck, you’ll have pulled them out already anyway. If you have TSA PreCheck, you can leave them in there but still declare it to the officer before they scan the bag.

If you want more details about what is and is not allowed, check out the TSA’s traveling with children webpage.

If you are traveling with a toddler over 2, it gets a little trickier as they may or may not accept the items as “baby items”. While I have been questioned about pouches and milk for my 3-year-old several times, I’ve always been up front about declaring them as “for the baby” and calm and respectful to the agent, and they’ve always let me take them though. I talk more about that process here: Best Airplane Snacks for Toddlers.

Get on that TSA PreCheck!

TSA PreCheck with a baby is an absolute life saver… but maybe not for the reason you think.

While the main draw for PreCheck is that you get to skip the security line, anyone who already has PreCheck can tell you that often times, the line is just as long as the regular security line. Sometimes it’s actually longer.

But it moves a lot faster than the regular security line. And the reason for this is the same reason that TSA PreCheck with baby is a huge game changer:

You don’t have to remove your shoes, belt, or jacket, or take liquids or electronics out of your bag.

And when you are juggling a wiggly baby or toddler, that reduces so much hassle and stress. And that is the real reason why, even if the TSA PreCheck line looks longer, it will always move much faster than the regular security line.

Can I take my baby through TSA PreCheck if they don’t have it on their ticket?

Yes! While all of the adults in your party must have TSA PreCheck to go through, children 12 and under can come through without having their own Trusted Traveler Number. So does baby need TSA PreCheck themselves? Nope!

What about TSA PreCheck with a stroller?

Taking a stroller through TSA PreCheck is no different from taking a stroller through airport security, which I discuss further down in the article.

How can I get TSA PreCheck?

There are a few different ways, and you can check out DHS’ Trusted Traveler Program for more details. But the easiest way is to apply for just TSA PreCheck. This typically only takes a few weeks and involves a background check and an interview at an enrollment center (which you can find in most cities).

If you travel internationally often, consider going for Global Entry instead. This takes a lot longer to process and costs slightly more ($100 vs $85 for just PreCheck), and the centers where you can do the interview are much more limited: most states have just 1 or 2 options. But the advantage is that you can skip the customs line when you reenter the US and go through a very short kiosk process instead.

We have this and can vouch for how awesome it is! However, to use Global Entry, every member of your party must have Global Entry, including babies. This is different from TSA PreCheck. So for our family, we’ve gone back to not using it, because while both adults and my oldest daughter have Global Entry, my youngest doesn’t yet. So for our last few trips, we were back to waiting in the crazy long customs lines. But at least we can still use PreCheck, because the adults both have Global Entry which grants PreCheck.

The final option for getting TSA PreCheck is through NEXUS/SENTRI. NEXUS is for travelers who travel regularly between the US and Canada, and SENTRI is for those who travel regularly between the US and Mexico. These are quicker to get than Global Entry, and they work for land crossings, which Global Entry does not. If you cross either border by car often, these passes really speed you through.

But they do not have any benefits (outside of PreCheck) for travels to any other countries – meaning, you cannot skip customs like you can with Global Entry from anywhere except certain airports in either Canada or Mexico.

All of these options require that you already have a US Passport, and they all last for 5 years.

When you book your flight, don’t forget to input your Known Traveler Number.

This is what will give you access to TSA PreCheck. You can find it on your Global Entry, NEXUS, or SENTRI card, or look it up online. We keep these numbers in our drawer next to our passports when we’re at home so we always have it ready when we book flights.

When you print your boarding passes, ensure that they say TSA PreCheck on them – usually above your name. You will not be able to use the fast lanes without this! We have gotten to the airport and printed our passes only to find out that we did not enter our number, and couldn’t use TSA PreCheck with infant in arms. So frustrating!

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Pack your carry-on carefully.

This is not as important if you have TSA PreCheck, but if you don’t, this is key!

Without PreCheck, you’re going to have to remove your liquids and any electronics larger than a cell phone from your bag. And you’ll be doing it while squished between a bunch of stressed out travelers, potentially while holding a crying baby.

Be prepared! Pack your bag so that those things that need to come out are easy to access – right on top, preferably. Make sure your liquids and gels are in their own see-through bag (a ziploc or a mesh packing cube is great – we have this one and it’s never been questioned). Put all of your baby liquids that don’t meet the 3.4 oz rule in their own see-through bag so that you can easily pull it out and declare that those are the items for your baby.

Even if you do have PreCheck, you’ll want to do this for the baby liquids/pouches that are more than 3.4 oz. You will have to take those out, so have them ready to go at the top.

You can bring your stroller through airport security.

But you will need to take the baby out.

Having a stroller in the airport is a lifesaver, but it can be a bit stressful taking a stroller through airport security. Once you’ve set all of your items on the conveyor belt, you will need to take your baby out of the stroller, indicate to the TSA officer that you have a stroller, and they will give you directions, but it’s typically to leave it right there before you walk through the scanner. Then carry your baby through the scanner.

Don’t bother trying to lift the stroller onto the belt unless it is a tiny umbrella stroller and can fold. Anything larger, the TSA officers will bring through the X-ray scanner and then manually screen.

Make sure you don’t have any extra stuff in your stroller, like toys attached, sippy cups, binkies – that should all be put away in your carry-on bag before you get to the front of the line.

Can I wear my baby through airport security?

Yes, usually!

If you have a baby carrier with you anyway, consider putting baby into the carrier before you get into the security line, and then just pushing the stroller. That eliminates one step when you’re going through security and frees your hands up. I personally prefer to just use the stroller as long as I have my husband there as an extra set of hands, but if I were traveling alone with my kids I would go this route.

Sometimes an agent will ask you to take the baby out of the carrier. It’s not very common, and less likely if you have a cloth carrier than something with a metal frame, but it would be added work so something to keep in mind. If that happens, just go with it and don’t spare one thought for how much longer it just made the wait for the people behind you. That’s on the TSA agent, not you.

What happens to my breastmilk??

Once you’ve declared your baby liquids to TSA, what next? First, they’ll usually go through the X-ray scanner. And don’t worry; X-rays have been shown to have no effect on breastmilk.

After that, one of the TSA officers will examine your stuff and decide if it needs further inspection. They might swab the outside of the bottles to test for explosives residue. They also might have you open the bottles so that they can dip a test strip into the liquid.

This process can take a few minutes, especially if there is a line of other people with sketchy stuff for the officers to check out. Again, try to leave plenty of time so that you’re not stressing out if this does take longer.

If you’re just bringing factory-sealed items, like ready-to-feed formula bottles or baby food pouches, they will most often just look it over and send you on your way.

And that’s it!

At this point, you’ve made it through airport security with baby. Your bags are coming down the conveyor, followed by your carefully organized liquids. A TSA officer is examining your stroller while another is getting ready to test your bottles of breastmilk. Now take a deep breath and take your time getting all of your things put back together.

That’s how to go through airport security with a baby.

I know that taking a baby (and all of their things) through security is stressful, but once you make it through, you’re on to the real fun: flying with a baby!

Here are some tips for making that as stress-free as possible, too.

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Originally posted June 2019. Updated April 2022.