AIBU to ask for your urgent help with airport and baby milk

[LittleRen]

This is totally not an AIBU but I need urgent help so hopefully no one will mind!! We are flying tomorrow within Europe (4.5 hour flight) with a six month old baby and I am not sure of the rules with baby milk and security. We have flown a lot with our older two so fully aware of the general rules surrounding liquids but we have never flown with a baby this young who is still so reliant on formula.

I have read online that people have been asked to open bough ready made formula and taste it, which then means it can't be kept for longer than two hours. Other people say they were let through without it having to be opened. Manchester airport only really gives info on bottles of breastmilk and doesn't specify what kind of formula can be taken through.

Our plan was to take 3 or 4 ready mades (it's a lot but I am allowing for potential delays) and maybe a little bit of powder. Are we best ditching the ready made bottles completely and taking a tub of formula in the hand luggage then asking for boiled water on board to make each feed fresh and then wait for it to cool? Or do we make up a number of bottles at home and just risk them being out of the fridge?

I know you can potentially order to the airside boots but it's too late to order online (takes 5 days) and no guarantees they will have it in stock if we chance it.

Oh and also he is weaned so I can try and keep him going with some baby food sachets but he really does love his milk still as it's very early stages of weaning.

Please help!!

I've done Gatwick a few times and they have never opened the bottles. You place all baby items into a tray and they scan it. We have taken powder, flasks of hot water, baby bottle of drinking water and pre made formula.

Pre made formula as in the bottles you buy.

@nonocharlierascal thank you, that is what I wanted to hear.. hopefully someone will come along and say the same for manchester!

I took powder, empty bottles and a flask. A pub on the airside filled the flask up for me after security.

They have a liquid scanner now so they'll take the bottles from you and scan them - best bet i think is ring your airline.

We always take ready made in its cartons and empty bottles. In theory they can ask you to pour it into the bottles and taste but this has never once happened and we’ve done a lot of European (and US) flights. Get them out at security and flag them to the staff, they’ll put them in their own tray and some or all of them will be out through a special liquid scanner. You may have to wait a while for this so allow plenty of time. You can also take baby food like Ella’s pouches, it’s a normal liquid if under 100ml, if it’s over then same procedure as the bottles. Cool boiled water in a sippy cup is also ok but not juice/squash.

Do not ask for boiled water on board the plane, they don’t ever clean the water tanks and it can be full of icky bacteria (google if you’re feeling brave as it will put you off that in flight coffee). If you go down the powder route then get your hot water from a Starbucks or similar and make bottles up before boarding.

Have a great holiday

Regular Manchester travelle.rWhich terminal? All the ones I have been through have had the cartons of premade formula.
Can you take ready steralized bottles you can take empty bottles through securityMost airlines will warm bottle if necessary

If you're terminal 3 there are 2 boots after security.none before the perfume run that is duty free and one after.
As it's a 4.5 hour flight is it Canary islands in which case there are no pharmacy after security on way back Tenerife south definitely plus not sure but think not other Canary islands. On way back water is 1 euro from vending machine but no formula available after security. You can take empty steralized bottles and powder though

Terminal One

Thanks so much everyone - this has reassured me that we should be ok with pre mades!!

@Starisnotanumber It's Rhodes, hoping it will be more like 4 hours. The way home it's a very late night flight so I'm hoping it will be less of an issue as he will naturally be sleeping then (but who knows as the holiday will probably mess up his routine....).

We rang Danone and they confirmed we can buy Aptamil in Greece, sods law we just switched him to Cow & Gate after the Aptamil 'scandal' but at least I know if by some fluke we do run out over there then we can get Aptamil.

The amount of stuff we need for baby is unbelievable. We flew to New York when I was pregnant with number three and it was SO easy in comparison just having the two older boys!!! Can't wait to just get there and relax!

Sorry no knowledge of Rhodes. Enjoy your holiday