Flying to New Zealand via Hong Kong (5 nights). Does anyone know the airline restrictions at the moment and what sort of baby food you can buy in Hong Kong??

[sarahandruby]

Hi. I'm flying with my 9 month old daughter to Hong Kong for 5 days for a wedding and then on to New Zealand (which is where we are from originally), with Air New Zealnd. Does anyone know what restrictions the airlines have departing London at the moment re: water, bottled milk, baby food etc. Also contemplating buying all her baby food here before we leave as not sure what you can pick up in Hong Kong, does anyone know what sort of food you can get there?? Any help will be appreciated. Thanks Sarah.

Don't really know but I know my SIL had to taste all baby food she took in her hand luggage when going to portugal this summer!

Don't know about current restrictions from the UK, but you can get all the usual international brands of jar baby food and formula from any supermarket. Wellcome and Park n Shop are the two big supermarket chains and they're absolutely everywhere - you'd have to be deeply unlucky to be staying somewhere that was more than a block away from one or the other of these.

If you want the organic roast spatchcock and Jerusalem artichoke cooked in authentic dew from Mt Kilomonjaro type imported baby jars, you can get them at Olivers or City Super (IFC mall - tallest building in HK, can't miss it) or the Prince's Building (opposite Mandarin Oriental) or in the basement of Pacific Place (huge mall at Admiralty).

Be prepared to taste any jars and bottles of liquid in your hand luggage and yes that does mean unsealing the jar! It's hit and miss though - we fly loads and sometimes I have been made to taste and other times if the jar is sealed no probs. Once I had to taste a jar for 1yr+ quite solid but not the Organix fruity oats/rice. It really does not make sense.

Also check with the airline what they provide on board - most will provide boiled water for feeds etc. Are you breast feeding at all? - I found that is the easiest option for liquid. Some airlines like Virgin provide jars others like BA provide no baby food. Not sure about Air NZ - would be worth checking with them.

Have a good flight and make sure to request bulkhead seat with sky cot.

I think that the only restrictions are for liquids in your hand luggage. Stuff packed in your suitcase shouldn't be a problem.

Re: liquids in your hand luggage, when I flew out of Heathrow in July, security staff tried to make me throw my packets of ready-mix formula away because they were over 100mls in quantity. I refused and made them get their supervisor who said that if i emptied them in to the sterilised bottles that I had and tasted them, I could take them through. Yum!

The lesson being that if at furst you come across an idiot, try and try again.

Thanks everyone. It's so hard to know especially when they keep changing the rules and it's one thing you can't mess with is baby's food. Good to know you can get all types of baby food there. Getting excited now. thanks ladies.

You'll have a hoot - babies are adored and everyone will coo and make a fuss of her. Almost all restaurants will have high chairs; it's perfectly normal to take babies to restaurants from birth.

My one warning would be if either the bride or the groom is mainland Chinese (not HK Chinese). They may let off those fireworks that look like strings of dynamite and sound like a pitched gun battle, which still make me jump out of my skin after seven years in Asia and may cause either you or your baby to shriek and crap herself.

Which hotel are you in? Land being in such tight supply, supermarkets are often upstairs or in the basement of a building, so if you can't see one at ground level look around for signs.

Thanks for that ninedragons. We are staying at Harbour Plaza Metropolis, i think it's kinda central. She is HK Chinese, so hopefully no nasty fireworks displays haha. Great to know babies are well looked after, alot of places even in London people stare when you take children out for dinner, nice to be in a place where they are doted on.
Many thanks

Is that Tin Hau/Causeway Bay kind of area? Heaps of amenities, you'll be fine.

I don't know why HKers tend not to go for the whole fireworks thing as much as the mainlanders do. A mainland wedding is insanely loud.