Tips for formula feeding and ultra long haul travel?

[trrk]

We are preparing to take a long haul trip trip to New Zealand (for a family visit) with our baby who will be 7 months old by then. Slightly terrified by this prospect so would appreciate any tips on how to deal with formula feeding on the trip there and back with no opportunity to sterilise bottles along the way. The door to door travel time will be around 40 hrs (getting to Heathrow, check-in, two long haul flights, one or two domestic flights, transits between flights etc). If we take enough bottles and pre-made formula for the trip plus a bit extra that's going to take up a lot of hand luggage space. Guess there is no other otpion. I assume pre-made formula is easier while travelling but we may have to deal with milk powder on the way back as pre-made formula is not used in New Zealand unless we bring enough for the way back as well.

Would you try to bring enough normal milk for the whole trip or just buy baby formula in New Zealand? We use Kendamil which is not available there. Usually the powder at home and pre-made while out and about. Don't want to upset here stomach by frequently changing milk but it will be pretty heavy to take enough milk with us.

Any tips on how to deal with formula feeding on very long trips would be much appreciated!

Hi there, I haven't done long haul but we did several trips abroad including plane journeys with DS this year, he's 9 months old.
We brought enough pre-made formula for the entire duration of the journey not to have to deal with bottles, boiled water etc. as I found the airport haul with a small baby was stressful enough.
For the time in the destination I found Aptamil tabs really useful, takes much less space and you don't have to measure.
You can also sterilise bottles on the way, Milton has a travel sized bottle steriliser, just ask for water from the crew and add a quarter of the regular tablets.
I also brought a travel size vital baby sanitising spray on hands, surfaces, skin etc for the airport, plane, changing rooms etc.

Thanks for the advice! We will definitely take readymade for the flight but we will still have to deal with bottles I guess as the 70 ml ready to feed ones would take up a lot of space (she drinks about 900 mL per 24 hr at the moment). Do you think bottles that are clean at the start of the trip will be OK without further sterilisation? I was looking at the single bottle steriliser from Milton but wondering how we would wash the bottles first as airplane bathroom water is not drinking water.

Wash them in the sinks and ask the stewards to help with pouring some boiling water over it. Even a quick dip in a mug with boiling water for the feet and a swill around in the bottle will be fine.

*teet (not feet!)

And I'd pack enough pre-made bottles in your hold luggage for the way back and just do powdered when you're out there.

I had travel bags for sterilising that were good. At 7m he’ll be weaning so might have less milk?

I would take enough premade formula and empty sterilised bottles for both legs packing the formula for the return in my checked bag. Don’t forget extra for delays. Baby will probably be weaning by then too so you will probably need pouches, spoons and sippy cup for water too. Like with milk there’s an exemption to the 100ml security rule for baby food.

I’ve personally never worried about the going over 24 hours thing for the bottles as they’ll be properly clean when you start and that’s better than anything involving gross airplane bathroom water. Plus sterilising is just in case any milk residue is left behind after washing- bacteria just doesn’t start growing immediately after 24 hours in totally clean bottles, hence why you wouldn’t sterilise or worry about a time limit for a sippy cup used for water.

Then I’d do powder out there. I don’t know how different NZ formula is to UK formula, if it’s like European formula then I would probably switch but if it’s very different like American formula then I probably wouldn’t. But if you don’t want to risk it then you could do a box in your carry on and another in your checked bag in case the bag gets lost and takes a few days to turn up.

I think they would be fine, I sterilise bottles in advance and used it after 24 hours, never had any problems. I found taking as many clean bottles as possible with me far easier than trying to clean bottles in a tiny plane toilet and trying not to obsess with accidentally touching anywhere before handling bottles
Oh the other thing is try the single use teats that come with 70ml bottles at home, DS refused them.
Agree with everyone else on weaning, DS dropped 1-2 feeds after he started to have proper meals.