Proper documents for children

https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/268/~/children---child-traveling-with-one-parent-or-someone-who-is-not-a-parent-or

Children - Child traveling with one parent or someone who is not a parent or legal guardian or a group

Due to the increasing incidents of child abductions in disputed
custody cases and as possible victims of child pornography, Customs
and Border Protection (CBP) strongly recommends that unless the child
is accompanied by both parents, the adult have a note from the child's
other parent (or, in the case of a child traveling with grandparents,
uncles or aunts, sisters or brothers, friends, or in groups*, a note
signed by both parents) stating "I acknowledge that my
wife/husband/etc. is traveling out of the country with my
son/daughter/group. He/She/They has/have my permission to do so." See
our Q&A parental consent.

Adults traveling with children should also be aware that, while the
U.S. does not require this documentation, many other countries do;
failure to produce notarized permission letters and/or birth
certificates could result in travelers being refused entry (Canada has
very strict requirements in this regard).

There is not a CBP Form letter but this is a letter you create. The
"Parental Consent Letter" should include the following elements:

Who What Where When Why Contact information for the absent parent(s).
Having the letter notarized is not necessary but highly recommended.

For frequent border crossers, the letter should not exceed one year.
It is recommended to have the letter in English.

You may also want to carry some kind of "medical release form for minors" such as:
https://e4k.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Medical-Treatment-Authorization-Form.pdf
Probably a good idea if the form included the parent's contact information.

I second what Edgar says. I've done it - and I took a notarized travel letter and a consent for medical treatment. It doesn't take long to get those documents and could save you a ton of hassle.

Wow, I never thought of this. I am traveling with my 16-year-old daughter in a few days, do you think it's worth getting the documents together, or not?

Judy, if your daughter is traveling with both parents, no special documents are required. If she is not, or if there is some "unusual" situation (two mothers, single parent, etc), better safe than sorry. In an emergency, you don't want there to be any questions about who can authorize care for her. And you don't want any problems with being suspected of child abduction.

@Judy - whenever I traveled abroad with my minor daughter I took both a notarized letter and a medical release with me. The one time I took a cruise, Princess sent me a letter saying we couldn't even board the ship unless both parents were traveling or we had the notarized letter and the medical release.

How about if one parent is deceased? I'm wondering if I should bring a copy of death certificate? And child's birth certificate since we don't share the same surname?