Traveling with a Baby: Going Through Security Checks

Our Adventuring Akiva is now 7 months old and has taken 7 flights.  That should make me a qualified expert on going through airports with a baby.  One thing you will experience when traveling with a baby, especially if you are traveling by air, is the security checks you will have to go through.

I find that actually traveling with an infant has some perks.  In Sydney International Airport today, we encountered an exceptionally long line waiting to go through security.  We bypassed it all and were put in a special line for people with infants or with disabilities.  We did not have to wait in the long line holding an overactive infant.

Usually, people are happy to see a baby, especially if the baby is not crying.   Suddenly the security guards cease to be “guards” and just become “people” – they smile at the baby and will coo at him just like anybody else!  It’s really nice.   And if your baby is crying, usually people will look at you with sympathy and understanding (remember, many of them are parents, too!), and will treat you with kindness as a result.  This came as something of a surprise to me because I expected a crying baby to be greeted with annoyance, but that has not been my experience at all!

Generally, security are very understanding and supportive.  They will help you with the baby, almost always supplying you with a portable “change table” style bed to lay the baby on while you fiddle with your other belongings.  This is incredibly helpful, especially if you can convince someone, whether security guard or fellow passenger, to play with the baby while you get your other belongings in order.

Of course, going through security is still something of an inconvenience, no matter how you look at it.  This is again especially true when you are traveling with a baby.  Often when I travel with a baby, I put him in a carrier (like a Baby Bjorn) or a sling just to make things easier.  In small airports with few people going through security, the security guards will sometimes be very understanding and let you just “wear” the baby through the metal detector, especially if it’s a simple sling made only of fabric.  On the other hand, if you are going through a busy line, are in a big airport, or are traveling internationally, the security guards will be apologetic yet strict.  You must remove the baby and the carrier, sending the carrier through the scanner and carrying the baby in your hands through the metal detector.

If you are traveling with a stroller, you must remove the infant (and anything else that may be hiding underneath the pram or in its pockets), fold up the stroller, and put it through the X-ray machine, while carrying your baby through security.

As for baby food, I have had security ask me before about food for the baby.  When Akiva was very young (he first flew at age 2 months), I brought bottles of expressed milk for him.  Security never said a thing about them; they did not even check to see if they were more than 100 mL (they probably were).  On today’s flight, security asked me if I had baby food for him.  I make my own baby food, so I simply brought “solid” foods for him, like red lentils and roasted pumpkin and sweet potato.  These foods are “solid” enough not to be considered “liquid” (like a puree), yet are soft enough that I can mash them up on the plane for Akiva to eat.  It’s the perfect solution, plus it keeps me in line with my person desire not to feed Akiva premade or processed baby foods.

So I did not find going through security with an infant that difficult at all! Security guards love babies just like everybody else and more often than not they understand how challenging it can be to travel with a baby, so they try to help you out as much as possible.

Happy travels!

A Solar Eclipse in Australia - What is the blessing (bracha) on a solar eclipse and is there a blessing on a solar eclipse?

Solar eclipse over Australia (Surfer's Paradise), as seen through a frosted glass screen

Last week there was a total solar eclipse in Australia.  It was best seen from the north, in Cairns.  While we didn’t make it all the way up there, we did make it halfway there.  Akiva and I joined our friend Mia at her apartment in Surfer’s Paradise and watched the solar eclipse from her balcony.  I remember learning about eclipses in school and I think I remember one happening when I was in elementary school, but I don’t remember if I was actually able to watch it or not.  This is the first solar eclipse I was able to actually see.

It began at 5:57 AM, peaked at 6:57 AM, and finished by 7:57 AM.  The sun was mostly covered by the moon.  Unlike in Cairns, however, the view of the eclipse was only partial and so the sunlight was not entirely blocked.  I was a bit disappointed that during the solar eclipse we were not plunged into darkness, although the light was less bright during the height of the eclipse.

At first, I could not even see a difference.  This is especially because you must never view a solar eclipse with the naked eye.  It can actually cause real and severe damage to your vision or even blind you, and very quickly, too!  So always make sure you are using proper eyewear when viewing a solar eclipse.  I watched the eclipse through a frosted glass screen that blocked out the sun’s harmful rays, as you can see in the photograph.

I did not make a blessing on the solar eclipse.  Although we Jews do make blessings on most of the wondrous phenomena we see G-d create in nature, the eclipse is not one of these – neither solar nor lunar.  In fact, an eclipse is seen as a bad omen! A solar eclipse is considered a bad omen for the world (which follows a solar calendar), while a lunar eclipse is considered a bad omen for the Jewish people (who are likened to the moon and who follow a lunar calendar).  Generally, when there is an eclipse it is a sign that we Jews should increase in good deeds and should say more prayers and tehillim (psalms). Of course, there is enough suffering in galus (exile) and enough reasons that we should be doing more good deeds and saying more prayers and tehillim all the time anyway!

Adventuring Akiva’s First Bushwalk (Hiking with a Newborn!)

Akiva definitely takes after his father. In fact, he is probably more like Rabbi Ben than Rabbi Ben is like himself, if that’s possible!

I carried two-week old Akiva in a sling, where he was curled up and comfy just like he was still in the womb.

Adventuring Akiva went on his first bushwalk long before he could walk.  He went on a bushwalk in Middle Cove (in Sydney), Australia long before he could ever walk. In fact, he went on his first bushwalk when he was only two weeks old.  Incredible, right? Well, with Rabbi Ben you would expect nothing less!

It was a short bushwalk, the round trip only taking an hour and a half or maybe two hours with breaks.  Akiva, being a newborn, slept the entire time.  It’s actually pretty easy to hike with a newborn if you have a sling.  For a newborn, I felt more comfortable using a sling than a Baby Bjorn (and anyhow I didn’t have a Baby Bjorn yet then).  We use the Baby K’tan sling because it is pre-tied and so it is easy to put on.  Using the “cradle” or “pouch” method of tying the sling creates a pocket where the baby can curl up and feel just like he’s still in the womb.  In fact, while wearing newborn Akiva like this I have been mistaken for still being pregnant!

A sample of the terrain on Akiva's first bushwalk. The path was well-maintained and easy to walk. While carrying a newborn, you must be very careful where you step.

The only thing about hiking like this with a newborn is that you must be extra careful not to slip and fall.  Since the baby is still very fragile and no longer has the benefit of placenta and amniotic fluid to cushion it in the event of a fall, you have to really watch every single step you take.  I recommend only doing easy hikes.

Also, I found that Akiva would sleep for as long as he was in the sling and I was walking with him. Once, he slept 5 hours like that.  This sounds great, except that babies that young need to eat more frequently than that in order to get enough calories and to grow well.  Their tummies are so tiny that they cannot hold so much milk all at once.  When Akiva woke up after 5 hours in the sling, he was starving hungry and screamed until he could be fed, which took a couple of minutes!  Also, he then ate too fast and spit up a lot of what he ate, in addition to swallowing too much air.  So if you are hiking with your newborn, please make sure to take a break every three hours or so for an hour to allow your infant to eat and play a bit.

I’m sure Akiva enjoyed his first bushwalk, even if he slept through the whole thing – or maybe because he slept through the whole thing!

Adventuring Akiva’s First Flight! (Flying with a Baby – Eek!)

So this post is a couple months late but, well, what can you do? At least I’ve been consistent with my parsha posts! Rabbi Ben owes everyone some updates, too. (Hint: “Kokoda!”)

At the young age of 2 months, I took Akiva on his first flight.  Not having a passport for him yet, we could only go so far, so we flew to Brisbane.  On the flight there, he was a happy little bubba.  He nursed on takeoff and landing, which  saved his ears from hurting. As it was a morning flight and he tends to be quite happy in the morning, he slept until takeoff, played during the flight, and fell right back asleep again after we landed.

I chose not to take a pram (stroller) with us simply for convenience – I was traveling only with carryon baggage.  This made things much easier because I wasn’t shlepping so much stuff.  To simplify things, I brought only the essentials – a portable soft (and therefore light) bassinet (the Valco Baby Soft Bassinet – although I got mine secondhand and don’t have the fancy hood).  I carried Akiva in a Baby Bjorn and also brought a Baby K’tan sling with me. I used both, although initially at the airport I used the Baby Bjorn.  The sling is cloth and pre-tied and its sash converts to a carry bag, so it’s easy and convenient to bring with. It’s also much more versatile than the Baby Bjorn, as I could use it to carry Akiva in a cradle position (like a baby koala in its mommy’s pouch!).   Aside from that, I brought a few changes of clothing (we were only going for 3 days so I didn’t need too much) and some blankets/swaddles.  I didn’t bring our staple gripe water (at 2 months Akiva still had some nighttime colic and gas) or diapers, but chose instead to purchase them in Brisbane to save on shlepping.

I packed the bassinet with most of Akiva’s items and only brought one change of clothing for myself to save on space. So what if I wear the same thing twice?  That’s how we travel light! So even with bringing my camera and some extra food and toiletries, I was still able to get by with the bassinet and a small backpack, even having some extra space left over!  While I was away, my parents (who were visiting) shared the burden of shlepping Akiva around in either one carrier or the other, so that no one had to bear the burden on their own.

On the flight back, Akiva didn’t do quite as well.  It was a later afternoon flight, so he was kvetchy.  He needed a nap but just refused to sleep on the plane.  As a result, he screamed for most of the flight.  The plane was tightly packed and the one aisle narrow, so there wasn’t even enough space for me to try to walk him to sleep during the flight.  Even nursing didn’t help him. He was just plane upset (haha get it? “plane” upset!)

I was really touched by how wonderful and helpful everyone was.  I flew Virgin and on the first flight they gave me an entire row to myself so I had plenty of room to play with baby and to feed him during the flight. The pilot himself came over when it was time to disembark and insisted on carrying the bassinet full of stuff for me.  It was very special.  On the flight back, the middle seat in my row was vacant so I again had some extra room.  The businessman who had to sit on the aisle was incredibly understanding and kind, even though he kept having to move to let me in and out as I tried to settle my crying infant.

It really drives me crazy now to hear people complain about a baby crying on the plane. After being “that mom” with “that baby,” I can honestly say that I did everything I could, but if your infant wants to cry, it’s going to cry. Babies are people, too, and they have their own minds and their own ways.  Just because you’re the parent doesn’t mean you can control them (although you’d like to!). And no parent likes it when their baby is crying. If my baby is crying, it means he’s unhappy or hurt or uncomfortable… and I don’t want him to be any of those things! So if it’s possible for me to keep him happy and quiet, trust me, I will!

Anyway, that is all I really have to say about Akiva’s first trip. Traveling with a baby wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be!

City to Surf (City2Surf) in Sydney, Australia

Akiva and I at Bondi Beach, the finish line for the famous City to Surf (City2Surf) race, where the wind made the surf very strong indeed!

Today was the big City to Surf (City2Surf) race in Sydney, Australia.  City to Surf (City2Surf) is an annual and quite famous race from downtown Sydney to Bondi Beach. It is the biggest road race in Australia and there are tens of thousands of participants every year. Racers fly in from all over the world to participate!  If Rabbi Ben wasn’t busy traveling, I’m sure he would have done it! (I would have made him take Akiva, too!)

Adventuring Akiva and I just did Bondi Beach to Surf, which was about a 5 minute walk down to the beach.  But it was fun to see the crowds and watch the racers cross the finish line, with all the cameras flashing.  There was a lot of food cooking and music blaring.  At the end of the City to Surf (City2Surf) race was a finish line with giant digital clocks on top showing how long it had taken the runners (and walkers) to arrive.  The slowest took over 5 hours… I don’t know how long it took the fastest runners because Akiva didn’t wake up early enough to catch them (lucky me!).  After the festivities were over and the runners had all arrived, the buses to Bondi Junction started and there were three very long lines for the buses snaking all the way back down the hill to the beach!

City to Surf (City2Surf) was an appropriate name for the event today because the wind was so strong that the ocean was raging… there was plenty of surf!  They were probably the biggest waves I’ve seen since I arrived here.  Akiva enjoyed looking around at the ocean and at all the people… until his nap time, when he fell asleep.

There were a lot of Jewish runners in the event this year, as there always are.  On their way up Old South Head Road, they passed the JEMs (Jewish Education Matters) table.  JEMs volunteers gave out 4000 cups of water, 2000 biscuits, and even helped 12 men put on tefillin!  It is amazing to see how they turned the City to Surf (City2Surf) race into an opportunity to do mitzvot.

City to Surf (City2Surf) has thousands of participants. The roads around Bondi Beach were closed off. After the race, thousands of people lined up to get on buses back up to Bondi Junction. In the distance, you can see some of the lines of people waiting to get on a bus.

Another new addition to the City to Surf (City2Surf) race this year is a new kosher cafe – Glicks on Hall.  For a long time, Glicks has been a stalwart of Jewish kashrut in Sydney.  It is an established bakery that people know and trust.  For a long time there was also a kosher shop called Starks, but a few months ago it closed. Glicks took over the space and turned it into a cafe.  They serve hot soup, sandwiches, bagels, salads, pasta, and more, in addition to fresh breads, pastries, and coffees.  The new Glicks location is on Hall Street, which leads up from Bondi Beach toward Old South Head Road. So when the Jewish participants in the City to Surf (City2Surf) race were finished, they could refresh themselves with a hot drink or some delicious food.  In a smart business move, Glicks does not advertise itself as kosher with big glaring signs, but instead acts as a neighborhood cafe, drawing in all sorts of clientele.  Today, many City to Surf (City2Surf) racers visited Glicks and discovered that it is true that Jews really do make the best bagels! In Glicks I saw everyone from the most frum (religiously observant) of Jews to black people to Indians and Asians.  But I think it was especially nice that the Jews who ran in City to Surf (City2Surf) had somewhere kosher to go after the race, while other people were eating the non-kosher food down at the beach.

I think everyone, Jewish and non-Jewish alike, had a great time in the City to Surf (City2Surf) race today! I know that even though Akiva and I did not run the whole distance, we also had a fun time down at the finish line! And we even visited Glicks for a kosher hot chocolate after the race festivities were over. It was a great day for everyone!

Forty Shades of Grey: How Travel Opened Nicky Larkin’s Eyes

You can’t travel with a closed mind.  You can try, but inevitably something will come along and bust down your door and break in.  Travel, for better or for worse, opens your mind.  Are you prepared for that?

Nicky Larkin is an Irish filmmaker who had exactly that experience when he recently traveled to Israel.  Ireland, for reasons I really don’t understand, is overwhelmingly anti-Israel in its media and political bias.  So Nicky Larkin applied for arts funding and flew to Israel, planning and expecting to make a documentary about how bad Israel is.

How his eyes were opened!

In an interview with the filmmaker, he describes his surprise when he enters Israel and instead of seeing a country of Jews clad in kapatas with peyos dangling, he encounters the secular and cosmopolitan world of Tel Aviv.  It was not what he expected.  The doors to his mind were flung wide open.

As a result, he made a documentary, called “Forty Shades of Grey,” that explores the Israeli-Palestinian reality.  It is not black and white like the media portrays it.  It is, instead, Forty Shades of Grey.  And while he doesn’t talk about why he chose to use the number forty, it is a number that holds special significance for us Jews.

Watch the interview with Nicky Larkin here:

And watch the film trailer for “Forty Shades of Grey” here:

I’m sure it will be a much more worthwhile watch than the much more hyped up “Fifty Shades of Grey” that everyone keeps talking about!