To ask for your experiences flying with a formula fed baby

[Sayhellotothethings]

Posting here for traffic

We are visiting family abroad when LO will be 5 months. Only a short flight but I'm wondering about getting formula, sterile water etc through airport security or at the airport. I read that you can take up to a litre of cool sterile water but have now been told by the airport we are flying from that the 100ml rule applies! Unless we take 10 100ml bottles? And get boiling water at the other side?

Not sure about any prepped formula!

Has anyone done this and what were your experiences?

In fact I'm going to be extremely annoying and paste this in bold too for future skim readers: it is deadly in 20-50% of cases.

You are playing Russian roulette with these tiny babies by giving out bottled water or tap water advice. Read the fucking tin!

If it's a short flight you shouldn't need that many feeds, premade formula would probably be less hassle. We have a 5 hr flight next month with a 8 month old so I will pack powdered formula to use on resort but have some premade cartons for the flight.

I'd get ready made formula to avoid hassle and bring a sterile bottle.

We never used powder at all for DD or DS. bought big 1litre cartons of ready made and it keeps on fridge for up to 48 hrs. You can buy smaller ones that you can collect a boots airside.

Op, this is what people are referring to when they say premade formula:

www.boots.com/cow-and-gate-1-first-milk-starter-pack-ready-to-feed-6x70ml-10175041?cm_mmc=bmm-buk-google-ppc--PLAs_HeroCompare--Cow+%26+Gate-_-Boots+Shopping+-+Category+-+Baby+-+Mobile&gclsrc=aw.ds&&gclid=CjwKCAjw8NfrBRA7EiwAfiVJpQ5eYqNfYD3d-3-qrrZVt941llAa9FKQ7iQmaFtI7_enRVEd09xrPBoCl-YQAvD_BwE

(They're sealed bottles, with foil lids, no fridge needed, safe to just give without prep)

People don't mean formula you've mixed hours ago yourself from powder, they mean manufactured premade bottles that have been done in a controlled environment.

They'll solve your problems. But more expensive and you'll need to check liquid guidelines that a pp linked up thread...

It's not the first milk starter pack we're talking about. Its individual cartons or bottles you can buy and then you decant into your own sterilised bottle

Yeah, here's a 200ml bottle:
www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/281185051

The bigger ones are cheaper than those starter sets

Also, other worrying advice on here re making up bottles (sorry OP for ignoring you). Formula cannot be made up with bottled water - such water has added minerals and is not safe for babies. Again, NHS advise (www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/childrens-health/can-i-use-bottled-water-to-make-up-baby-formula-infant-formula/).

As pp have said, water above 70 degrees can be added to formula and topped up with cooled boiled tap water. But not bottled.

OP, I'd go for the readymade cartons as others have found it a doddle :) There's enough stress with flying already and the small amount you'll need wont be ridiculously costly for the ease of use you'll gain!

The pre-made formula and a sterilised bottle would definitely be your best bet OP, as per previous advice.

By the way, WHO state that if you don’t have access to boiling water, you can use “fresh safe water at room temperature” but this must be consumed immediately. I did this with my DS1 if I was not sure I’d have access to boiling water - I’d take a pot of powder, a bottle of cool boiled water, mix them up and feed straight away. But WHO clearly state that the SAFEST way is with 70 degree+ water. When I stop BF DS2 I’ll be using the sterile pre-made formula this time.

By pre-made I mean the ready-made stuff in boots, as per the helpful links / pics above

You can take baby milk and food with no issues. What's the use of cool sterile water though? You need water of 70 degrees Celsius to sterilise the milk powder.
You'd be better buying pre made milk.

My DC wouldn't drink the pre-made formula so I took a thermos, formula powder, sterilised bottles and a large flask of cooled boiled water. I filled the thermos with boiling water in the airport and used that and the cooled boiled water to make up bottles as and when they were needed.

I had no problem getting it all through security, they did take it all to one side to do certain tests but it didn't take long and let me take it all once they were finished. The only thing I'd say is it all has to go through the scanning machine so make sure whatever flasks you take don't leak!

I was fine taking a few ready made cartons through and empty bottles. Saying that though They had no testing machines then (was 11 years ago) and they made me open one at security, decant it into a bottle and drink a bit don't know what they thought it was 🤷🏻‍♀️
Think you'll be ok these days though with these machines taking your own through if you don't want to buy when your through security

My dd has prescription milk.

We took bottles and powdered milk. Boiling water from the cafes in departure/on the plane and a bottle of water from boots once inside.

It's a cultural thing, in other countries it's perfectly acceptable and safe to use bottled water (the ones advised for new born obviously) and warm up the bottle.

Even in the UK, so many mothers use COOLED boiled water, which is barely tepid and does nothing at all...

But anyway, amusing facts aside, ready-made cartons are the solution.

Formula cannot be made up with bottled water - such water has added minerals and is not safe for babies.

bollocks

Evian for example is perfectly safe for newborn! I don't believe British babies are any different and water safe in another country would be unsafe to them.

The bottled water must have a sodium content of less than 20 mg per litre. This level will be clearly labelled on the bottle either listed as ‘Sodium’ or as ‘Na’ so be sure to check before buying. Evian and Volvic are two examples of brands that are suitable.

I’ve not read the scary gubbins re bottles water (probably ok for use in UK but I’d not take the chance, they have a symbol in Europe we don’t have here so don’t chance it) BUT

just get some premix. They let us take a 4 pack through for a one hour flight to Amsterdam.

Aptamil 4 packs are about £3.50 in Tesco. Suited us fine and same on the ferry too.

If you bring the sterilised water in baby's bottles then you will be absolutely fine - I did that and had the formula separate to make up later. I was able to get some hot water from the cafe/ flight attendant to put with the formula and then top up with cooled boiled water (perfect prep style)

Thanks for the correction re bottled water, was unaware there are some safe for use in the uk :) Have always just taken the headline as standard, I should read more!

To be fair, the advice is completely different from one country to another (or even one HV to another)
I don't believe an entire country of babies is specially unsafe!

I guarantee you that, unless they have a perfect prep, most mums do not use boiling water to make a bottle either.

Most mums?

Not anyone in my friend or family network, I can honestly say. And if I saw any of them not following the safe UK-specific guidelines, I'd point it out. I couldn't have baby being ill or dying on my conscience.

The idea that "most people don't follow safe guidelines so it'll probably be ok" is acceptable.. well, I think that's ridiculous. And dangerous. And should be called out as such.

There's no downsides but big risks here. Why not just prepare it properly?!
Why such resistance to doing things properly?!

Are you the sort of person that puts 40 degree clothes in on a 60 wash then acts surprised when stuff shrinks? Trivial example but the same weird insistence on doing things incorrectly.

Just order the prepared stuff from the air side boots. We've flew loads with little ones. By far the easiest way. We took the 1l bottles in our hold luggage as we couldn't guarantee the water quality where we were going. We had fridges in our rooms.

No idea if you are taking food for a baby that young. But the couple next to me had all their pre packed baby food taken away as it was liquidy and they had removed all the cardboard sleeves and it no longer said what it was in sealed plastic tubs.

Very easy. I took a huge flask of boiling water and wasn’t stopped! Actually thinking about it, I probably should have been but didn’t need it anyway as the airline provided boiling water.

Most mums?

Not anyone in my friend or family network, I can honestly say.

thats the advice I have seen again and again on parenting forum and parenting groups in this country. I don't think I ever read a use BOILING water advice, it's always "COOLED" boiling water.

Which always strikes me as making no sense whatsoever...

The idea that "most people don't follow safe guidelines so it'll probably be ok" is acceptable.. well, I think that's ridiculous. And dangerous. And should be called out as such.
the point was that your safe guidelines are NOT the safe guidelines from other countries, and I do not believe that a British baby is any different or more fragile...

Their rates of caring for new mothers and babies are much better than ours, we don't even see a paediatrician when we have a baby here, so I really would take all UK advice with a massive pinch of salt.