Link of the Day: Where is the best airport in the world?

If you're going to be stranded in an airport, NPR recommends one of these. I have been to a handful of these airports, including Tokyo, Singapore, Berlin, and Amsterdam and the Tokyo and Singapore are by far the most kid-friendly airports I've been to. Both airports have ample and comfortable locations for nursing and changing diapers and play areas for the kids.

Singapore's Changi Airport, in addition to the butterfly garden mentioned in the article, also has an awesome play area in the basement (admission required) as well as other amenities (including foot reflexology, which I recommend whole heartedly but OUCH!). There's also a very nice room for changing diapers with real changing tables and very clean and spacious and with some amenities provided like water and paper towels. You can find out more about this airport here.

Tokyo's airport has "soft" play areas for the kids scattered throughout the terminal as well as nursing stalls with comfy chairs and nice changing areas that are dedicated to changing. None of this absent-minded "Oh let's put a changing table into the handicap toilet stall!" business going on there! I especially appreciated the play areas -- nice areas with soft foam blocks for kids to burn off steam during layovers. You can find out more about Toyko Narita here.

The Transportation Security Agency (TSA) Holiday Checklist

If you are traveling during this holiday season, take a look at the TSA's travel tips/checklist. It gives a good rundown on what's allowed, what's expected, and where to get good information. It's especially helpful if you're not a frequent traveler or if you're coming to the United States from another country; we do have some differences in our security procedures such as needing to take off shoes when going through the TSA checkpoint. You can also check the TSA's website here if you need more details.

Can you take milk on an airplane?

A common concern that comes up a lot from parents traveling on airplanes with small children is how TSA deals with milk -- either cow milk, formula or breast milk. The short answer is YES, you can take milk in reasonable quantities through security (note: "reasonable" is obviously a judgement call, but be prepared to explain why you have the amount of food on you that you did; we had 12 food pouches on us when we flew to Singapore and were questioned on the quantity. Once we explained where we were going and that we expected our 11 month old to need one packet every 3 hours, TSA told us we were fine) . However, some things to make taking milk through security easier:

1. Carry your baby's food in a separate carry-on and declare ahead of time -- BEFORE you start putting your things in the x-ray machine -- to the TSA that you are carrying baby food. Carrying it in a separate bag will make it easier for you to take it out when TSA asks.
   
2.  If your child is old enough, you could consider using milk boxes, like the Horizon Organic ones. Unfortunately, they do not have whole milk options, but for a short trip, it might be a good and convenient option (and less messy too!).
   
3. If you are taking formula, I recommend taking powdered, not ready-to-feed formulations; I did hear one horror story from a mom who had to cancel her trip after TSA made her open every single one of her ready-to-feed formula bottles and as a result, she had to throw them out as she didn't have enough for the trip. When we traveled with formula, we always took the individual Enfamil formula packets as well the tub as a back-up. We never had a problem.
   
4. You can also ask the flight attendants for milk. We have started to take this approach because it's the easiest option.
   
5. Buy milk/water once you have passed through security. Items purchased after you go through security are perfectly acceptable to bring on the airplane.

Expect to go through additional security screening because you are bringing milk on-board an aircraft. Most of the time, this check consists of a visual screening and also scanning through a special machine that does not involve opening the package. Always be prepared, however, to actually open the food/beverage you're bringing through and plan accordingly. Once I got a full body pat-down as well.

You'll also find that strictness varies airport by airport and also day by day. When we flew to India, TSA in Newark scanned every single one of our formula packets (and we had 16!) and I noticed they were scanning another woman's baby bottles -- she had 5-6 of them. Our home airport, however, just ran 2-3 of our formula packets through their scanner, visually checked our food pouches, and called it a day. Expect the type of screening we encountered in Newark to be the norm though and plan accordingly.

As always, I recommend carrying copies of TSA guidelines on you just in case you run into someone who says you cannot bring milk for your baby through security.

Black Friday 2013: Canon EOS Rebel T3

One thing about travel and kids -- you want a good camera, one that can capture fast action and low light situations. I use the Canon EOS Rebel T3 with a variety of lenses, including my favorite: the Nifty Fifty. I really like this camera as it gives the user a lot of creative range in setting up the picture. For example, you can go the total automated route if you like as the camera includes your typical presets -- Landscape, Action, etc -- and a pop-up flash, but also allows for more manual settings such as setting aperture or shutter speed for more advanced usage. You can also have an auto white balance or you can set it yourself. It also has a broad set of ISO settings from 100 to 6400 so you can capture those sunset pictures on the beach!

One downside: this camera is more bulky than my point & shoot and so it is sometimes annoying to haul around a camera bag (I have this one) and depending on the types of pictures you want to take, you may find the 18-55 mm kit lens a bit lacking; I find the 18-55mm adequate for "walk around" -- when I don't know what I'm going to stumble upon and I need a good all purpose lens. However, I have supplemented the kit lens with the above mentioned Nifty Fifty and a zoom lens, the Canon 55-250 mm. That being said, I've taken this camera around the world with me and I've been very pleased with the quality of pictures I've gotten and I love having the presets at my fingers for pictures I don't want to "miss".

I'll be honest -- I don't know whether one should choose Nikon over Canon, but this camera is a good entry-level workhorse at a very reasonable price (currently $420 at Amazon with the kit lens). Nikon -- which I have NO experience with -- also has a reasonable entry level DSLR: the Nikon D3100  at a similar price price point.

I'm specifically pointing out the Canon EOS Rebel T3 because this Black Friday Cyber Monday, Amazon is allegedly offering the camera at a price "under $400". That's a fantastic value for this quality camera and the cheapest I've seen it new (I purchased mine in July of 2012 used for $420 and *that* was a good price then!). So if you've been thinking about buying a DSLR, I recommend this one, especially at the Black Friday deal price!

More airline fees, but they say you'll like these (really?)

Came across this article today: Airlines promise return to civility, for a fee. The article covers a variety of new pay-for-service options airlines are offering such as bypassing the baggage carousel or renting iPads or extra legroom (which on most airlines these days is already an additional cost). It appears most of these new services are aimed at the business traveler but the skipping the baggage carousel and having the bags delivered to your final destination seems to be a good option for parents who are already traveling with strollers, car seats, etc.

The Disney Experience app

If you are heading to Disney World, the article referenced in this post recommended using the My Disney Experience app. I've linked to the Android version but I'm sure you can find the app in the iTunes store as well. Note that it's absolutely free and provides lots of useful information for your visit including maps and more importantly, wait times and FASTPASS information.

LotD

An interesting perspective:
Why Lines for Disney Rides are Magic (an op-ed)

My last trip to Disney, I admit, I didn't notice anything but the crowds and the lines. The Fast Pass made things more bearable, but in general, things moved slowly, but we were also there during Spring Break and Easter weekend -- a typically busy time for the park.