Flying with a baby through Seattle airport

SEA’s nursing room near Checkpoint 6 is before security. Family restrooms have changing tables. At security, tell the TSA officer about milk or baby food before screening starts. You’ll need to take your baby out of the stroller for screening, so keep one hand free if you can.

Before you join the line

Check your airline’s rules for checking or gate-checking your stroller and car seat. Ask where it wants a gate-checked stroller tagged and where you’ll collect it after landing. SEA lists stroller and car-seat rentals at Smarte Carte Baggage Storage, on the baggage claim level between Carousels 9 and 10. The desk lists daily hours of 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., with closures from 11:30 a.m. to noon and 6 to 6:30 p.m. Smarte Carte takes no reservations, and the rental price isn’t listed. Call (206) 248-3645 for a price before relying on one.

If you need a feed or diaper change before screening, do it in the Main Terminal. Any of the six regular checkpoints reaches every gate.

If you want help from the curb to your gate, CLEAR Concierge starts at $99. It includes a curbside greeting, help with bags and an escort through the CLEAR+ lane at security.

You can refill a bottle before security at the water station by Checkpoint 6. There’s another on the baggage claim level.

After screening, choose a feeding space near your concourse:

To reach the N suite, take the airside Green Line from C or D. For the S pod, take the Blue Line from A or B. Trains on both lines arrive every three minutes. A, B, C and D connect on foot after security.

The N suite has shared seating, a single-use restroom and a changing table. A nursing room can be used by a single parent or a family, while pods are single-user spaces. The Port says these spaces have a lockable door, a seat, a flat surface and an outlet. Parents of any gender can use them. An additional room on the International Arrivals Facility mezzanine is for internationally arriving passengers.

Which checkpoint to use with a baby

Checkpoints 1 to 3 sit nearest the A and S gates. Checkpoint 4 is nearest the Central Terminal, B and C. Checkpoints 5 and 6 are nearest C, D and N. Checkpoint 1 is on the baggage claim level, reached from the south end of the arrivals drive by Doors 6 and 4. Checked bags still go to the ticketing level with your airline.

If the adults’ boarding passes show the TSA PreCheck indicator, children 17 and under can use PreCheck without their own Known Traveler Number. PreCheck lanes are at several checkpoints, including 2, 3, 5 and 6. At Checkpoint 3 they run 4 a.m. to 8 p.m., and at Checkpoint 6 they run 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. For a general screening question, text AskTSA at 275-872.

More than a third of SEA’s daily passengers arrive before 9 a.m. Two more busy spells run from 2 to 5 p.m. and from 9 to 11 p.m., when waits can reach 45 to 60 minutes. The Port advises arriving two hours before a domestic departure and three before an international one. Our security wait guide has the details.

Getting your baby items through security

TSA lists SEA among airports with a Families on the Fly lane for adults traveling with children age 12 or younger. Checkpoint 4 lists a Family Lane and is open 24 hours. TSA says it won’t separate children from their parent or guardian during screening.

At the belt, put toys, blankets, bags and other loose items through the X-ray machine. Items can stay in stroller pockets or baskets, go in a carry-on bag, or go on the X-ray belt. TSA screens strollers, baby carriers and car seats by X-ray. If an item won’t fit, an officer inspects it. Take your baby out of the car seat and carry them through the walk-through metal detector. TSA also permits an infant in a sling or carrier through that detector, though further screening may follow if needed. Children age 12 and under can keep their shoes, light jackets and headwear on for ordinary screening.

Formula, breast milk, toddler drinks and baby food, including puree pouches, can exceed the usual 3.4-ounce liquid limit in your carry-on. They do not have to fit in a quart-size bag. TSA also allows cooling accessories, even when you’re carrying breast milk without your child. Take amounts over 3.4 ounces out for separate screening. TSA may test the liquids. Clear, translucent bottles can make screening easier. Bags and pouches may need another screening method. If you don’t want an item X-rayed or opened, tell the officer. You can request private screening at any point.

If your child needs extra help because of a medical condition or disability, tell the officer what your child can do and what equipment they use. TSA Cares takes questions and assistance requests at (855) 787-2227. TSA asks you to call at least 72 hours before your flight if you want checkpoint assistance.

For a hidden disability, SEA gives out free Sunflower lanyards. Before security, ask at the information desks on the ticketing level or in the International Arrivals Hall. After security, try the A Concourse desk near Gate A5. The desks are generally staffed daily from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. If a desk has no staff, ask the staff at a checkpoint Premium lane.

A change, a feed, or a missing diaper after security

The Port says most other restrooms also have changing tables. The all-gender restroom in D Concourse, after security near Checkpoint 5, has multiple baby changing tables. Use our restroom listing or SEA’s interactive map to find the nearest one. The A1 children’s play area in A Concourse has a family restroom nearby. There’s another play area near D25 in D Concourse. Both are recommended for children under 4 feet tall and 100 pounds. Take shoes off before play. No food, drinks or pets are allowed in either area.

SEA has two sensory rooms after security. One is in the SEA Underground A Station hallway near the elevators. From A Concourse, take the elevator across from the Starbucks near A3 down to the train level. The other room is above C3 on the C gates third floor. Both list daily hours of 4 a.m. to midnight. Call (206) 787-5229, then press 1 for the key code.

For a feed after security, find your gate area on the water refill station list:

The D21 station is on the baggage claim level. The airport map marks N8/N9 before security, so use another N station after screening.

Arriving internationally? The International Arrivals Facility has stations at passport control, by Claim 23, at bag recheck and on its mezzanine. Use the one you reach next in the arrivals flow. For a connection, the IAF transfer checkpoint runs from 6 a.m. to 9:45 p.m. Pacific and leads into the A Concourse. When it is closed, collect and recheck your bags, then exit to the pre-security side and screen at a main checkpoint.

If you’ve run out of diapers before security, 7-Eleven at Baggage Claim 15 is open 24 hours and Urban Market at Bag Claim 7 is open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Both list toiletries, though neither listing mentions diapers. On the N Concourse, Pike and Pine near N2 lists toiletries and is open 4:15 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., also with no diapers listed. By Gate A1 in A Concourse, a Baby Foodie vending machine next to the children’s play area stocks formula, diapers, wipes, pacifiers, snacks and hand sanitizing wipes. The Port points to Hudson stores for diapers and medicine. All these Hudson branches are after security. The Central Terminal store is open 24 hours daily. For another branch, use the one by your gate. These are its listed daily hours:

Sources

• Our security checkpoints, nursing rooms, families and kids, restrooms, sensory rooms, water refill stations and luggage storage pages
• Our hidden-disabilities guide
• Our terminal guide, Alaska Lounge listing and security wait guide
• Our food and shop directory
• Port of Seattle’s Pro Tips from Traveling Parents
• TSA’s Families on the Fly page and Traveling with Children page