I don't think it's necessary to pat anyone down. I'm not a fan of the TSA patdowns, believe me. But realistically if they're going to keep up the farce, they can't exclude kids from random searches. If anyone's going to smuggle something on board, the ideal place to do it is in the clothing of their kids, the ones least likely to be searched.

Back in my retail days, I saw plenty of women caught shoplifting because they'd stuffed a small, expensive item into their baby carrier or down their kid's pants. If adults are going to do something unethical/illegal, they won't hesitate to drag their kids into it.