Long Haul INFANT meals - what are they?

[HipHopOpotomus]

Hi - just looking for a little more info as travelling 26 hours with very hungry 10month old later this week.

I booked an 'infant meal' and then luckily called the airline (Air NZ) who told me is was basically a puree. She said oh they do a "post weaning infant meal" so this is what I've booked. But she couldn't give me any information at all as to what this consists of.

Anyone had one of these for their LO? I'd love to know what it consists of.

I can take baby food on board but they can't heat it. Will take lots of fruit and yoghurt (memories of 2 year old not eating a thing the airline provided during 2 26 hour tripos a few years back).

I am still BF but anxious DD gets some good meals least she eats me alive (the TEETH - shudder)! Plus I like to have everything kind of organised in my head in advance :)

TIA

When we flew to Australia with Emirates, when DD3 was 13 months, their infant meal was 2 jars of smooth purees

They were absolutely vile and she (who would eat anything) wouldn't touch them.

I ended up sharing my meal with her...

No idea what a 'post weaning infant meal' is though!

Do not reply on the airline to fully provide re foodstuffs for yourself let alone your child (airline meals can be truly awful); you can take along enough food for the flight.

Can you take other types of foodstuffs like breadsticks etc for your child?. Yogurt can be messy and is counted as a liquid so the 100ml at the security checkpoint applies. With regards to fruit anything uneaten will have to be left behind on the aircraft.

Thanks Sidge - there is a real lack of info available. DD2 will be fine on fruit, yoghurt, oats etc if she has to be, but as she is a great eater already at 10 months I think we'll all be happier if she gets a good meal.

Your poor DD - she must have been very !!

I'm glad I called again or I wouldn't have been offered the 'post weaning meal' - and in fact I was offered the infant meal originally on a phone call - no mention of the 'post weaning meal' then.

Last time with 2 yo I took large bunch of grapes and carton of goats milk as a last minute thought (yes security let it though - I was prepared to have to ditch it!!) - it was all DD1 ate the whole trip!

yes attila that's one reason I don't want to take too much. you have to ditch it all on entry to NZ (and possibly for security in Hong Kong?). I'm taking snacky things.

Any yoghurt will be classed as 'baby food' however (has done in the past) so I should be able to take it (see above re carton of goat milk).

I've been happy with AirNZ meals in the past (for myself) - it's just a shame they can't heat baby food. Mind you if she is hungry she will eat it straight from the pouch I guess!

Snack type stuff is a good idea. Better to have ample rather than not enough (have seen airlines run out of childrens meals before now).

Re the yogurt, certainly take it with you but just bear in mind that if its over 100ml per pot the security people may look at that more closely.

I'll get those wee Plum yoghurt's. Grapes, berries, bread sticks. Have baby muesli I can mix with some formula takes especially for purpose. Fruit tubs and a pouch or two should do it.

I've never had a post weaning meal on a flight (when we flew with ds on Virgin I just took my own food) but I have bought things airside to take on board and they're fine with that. I've bought Ella's pouches at both Gatwick and heathrow branches of Boots, and the cabin crew are happy to provide a tea pot full of hot water to warm it up in if you want (though ds was happy to eat them cold - bleurgh, cold broccoli and pear anyone?)

I flew to america hen smallest dc was a similar age and i took some of the ella's kitchen pouches for the flight. They heat really well in hot water which the cabin crew were happy to do for me. I assumed a similar product would be available in the US to buy for the journey home but was wrong! I made do with yoghurts and fruit purees.

That'll teach me to get sidetracked while typing! Xpost with headfairy

Thanks all. I've got some 10 month pouches that I hope are lumpy enough for her (I've made all her meals thus far but they would be harder to heat/transport .)

I am now Quite Excited as to what a Post Weaning Infant Meal consists of! Will report back.

Just want to echo a previous poster - don't rely on the plane meal. On my last long haul flight with ds, they didn't have his children's meal, despite it being booked in advance. He was ok with most of the adult meal (as bland as mushy anyway, eww), but could have been difficult if he was too young for that. He was three at the time. Mind you, that was with BA.

Have a safe trip!

Thanks Sal. I haven't even ordered DD1 (4yo) a kiddies meal for this trip as last time they were quite gross.

As with all 'special' meals the butter gets replaced with margarine, and she didn't get fruit juice like I got but 'fruit drink' with sugar AND sweeteners. I was perplexed as to why they would do this to a childs meal. So DD1 is just getting a normal meal this time.

My thinking is even if she turns her nose up at the meal at least she will have bread roll, butter, cheese and juice.

I would recommend your DD tries the pouches before you fly...if there's one she hates, or won't take them, you can perhaps find something else.

My DC liked the chikchikchicken and hated the beef one. DN was the exact opposite.

Not sure if the hipp organic toddler meals would count as baby food? DC liked anything in a heart-shaped dish at that age.

definitely avoid the kids meals for your 4 yo, we just did a BA flight to St Lucia and the food for ds was hideous. Congealed dried up baked beans, soggy chicken nuggets, and some grim trifle thingy. He didn't eat any of it, I was very glad I'd followed advice given on here and made a picnic for ds (sandwiches, fruit, veg sticks etc) as he didn't touch the meal given to him.

Mind you, I think BA are really cutting back on their meals, the quality was terrible. I think they can't afford to do nice meals any more. They've got a massive pension black hole to fill :o

DD2 eats pretty much everything - only refuses food if she isn't hungry. DD1 at 4 and after a few terms at nursery (bless them) is coming out of the 'fussy stage' and has become a 'good' eater again - hooray.
Thanks for all your advice everyone - I feel less anxious about it and more prepared in my head!

UPDATE POST TRAVEL

DD2 is 10 months & I ordered her the POST WEANING INFANTS MEAL after learning of their existence. The Infant meal was described as purées only and she was well beyond that and is a good eater.

For each meal she got a tray containing:
Hot meal - various (see below)
Juice Drink (containing sugar!) or sometimes a juice (she didn't consume these)
crackers and/or roll with butter (once margarine)
Fruit salad - fresh or 'processed' or rice pudding.
Low fat yoghurt with artificial sweeteners.
sometimes a chocolate

All the hot meals were great though I am unsure of salt content. I wouldn't have thought they would add salt to a babies meal, but I also thought they would supply proper juice, not juice drink - so who knows?

Egg with a tomato sauce - huge portion, delicious.
Pasta with cheese sauce - yummy.
Minced meat, mashed potato, pea & broccoli mash - yummy.
Egg, beans. potoat hash.
Pumpkin mash & mash potato - this was the least successful meal and arrived during feral baby moment towards the end of 26 hours of travel - I wore more than she ate.
A couple of others I'm too jet lagged to recall.
A couple of the meals were served just after take off and she didn't eat them as she was sleeping. Overall she really liked the meals.

Overall I think the POST WEANING MEALS were pretty good and would be suitable for up to 2 or older - they were tasty & DD2 loved them. But take your own snacks - DD2 is still BF and she did feed lots on the flights and drink lots of water too.

I was disappointed to receive margarine, artificially sweetened yoghurt, "juice drink" on what is essentially a babies meal but I've found that you get these with all special meals, including children's meals. She didn't eat the yoghurt, drinks, chocolate etc anyway. I had some fruit pouches with me as a snack.

After DD1 not eating any of the children's meals when she was 2, she just had the normal meals (now 4). She didn't eat much either way - she really doesn't like airline food. I fed her grapes, bananas, crackers and cheese and of course she loved snacks supplied by airline.