I have now deemed traveling alone with a toddler (ie, without another parent) my own personal version of hell.
It's not that it's REALLY bad, but it's not fun and I don't think I'll be voluntarily doing it again anytime soon. (Or ever. Grandparents, take note.)
And I really think that the TSA should have some kind of special set up for a lone parent traveling with a small child (or children) to make things just a little easier. Having to handle a carseat, multiple carry-ons, removal of shoes, taking out of liquids and a computer, while also wrangling a toddler who doesn't want to stay in line is just ridiculous. And it was definitely the hardest part of the day. Oh, and thanks so much to the people who used the "family and medical liquids line" even though they obviously had neither of those things.... glad you held us all up so you could have the "shorter" line.
Beyond that, the suckiness that is traveling with the kid - in general, not just by myself - is that she doesn't really like to sleep on planes, so she gets cranky and out of sorts, which just isn't cool in large, crowded spaces like, say, the Atlanta airport.
What's even better is when you get to Chili's, thinking you'll grab a quick bite to eat on your forever-long layover, and you realize that the toddler who wouldn't sleep on the plane will sleep in her carseat while you're wheeling her through the airport.
Although the impromptu nap messed with my dinner plans, I have to say that finding the gate that had just been vacated and propping her seat up on her backpack so she was leaning back a bit and could sleep comfortably gave me a nice little 45 minute break, which was just what I needed.
And thank goodness for Go Go Babyz wheels which allowed for the wheeling and sleeping in the first place.
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