Traveling with 11 month old on 13 hour international flight- what are the rules for his milk and food?
My husband is in the military our family is being relocated to a base overseas from where we live now it will be a 13 hour flight we've spent the last couple months getting the family pets ready to ride in the cargo but now it occurs to me that I have no idea how we'll be feeding our son during this long plane ride We have about one month before we move so he will be just shy of 11 months old at the time He will have been on calcium fortified soy milk for about 2 months and as for solid foods, he has never had processed baby food, I've always cooked his meals (from purees to finger foods) myself His pediatrician considers his diet and ideal balance of nutrients however it occurs to me that it might be more difficult to travel on plane with him: Because his milk is soy milk- we have to have some way of keeping it cool and because the flight is 13 hours, we'll need to bring about 20oz of soy milk Also Because his food is cooked by me- none of his solid foods come prepackaged and because the flight is 13 hours, we'll need to bring at least 3 meals worth of food We have no control over weather we get a day-time or night-time flight; unfortunately that is decided for us so we just have to plan for the worst I'm not experienced with travel by plane, and neither is my son I've been reading into it as much as I can but nothing I read really explains how I'm supposed to bring food to feed him- any tips or links to websites would be greatly appreciated I can not believe the judgmental answers I am receiving- first of all- I did breastfeed my son for 6 months, & I don't think it would have made this flight any easier to still be breastfeeding- second of all- the soy milk (not soy formula) that his pediatrician has him on MUST be kept cold, its bought cold and says right on the package "keep refrigerated" I understand that some soy milk doesn't need to be kept cold before refrigerating, but once opened it would need to be chilled As far as the solid food is concerned, I nanny children who are on jarred food & I find it much more difficult than the homemade baby food that my son is on- after a couple months of puree'ing vegetables, he can eat almost everything that I eat- how is that not easier? As for emerging myself in a new culture- my son and I are already studying the language of our new land as well as planning family vacations & trying foods we'll have available after the move--- How does any of that have to do with my question?
This is where breastfeeding is just so much more beneficial! We traveled on a 4 hour flight with my daughter when she was 9 months old. She was drinking formula at the time, so we put the formula powder into enough bottles and put them in the diaper bag. We used bottled water we got at the airport or on the plane (can't remember) to mix it. That way we didn't have to worry about keeping it cold. Until our flight got delayed by 4 hours. One of the restaurants at the airport was kind enough to put the bottles in their fridge for us. You are permitted to bring baby formula on board, but you need to put it in a sepearate zip lock bag and take it out to show them at security. You really should contact your airline to find out the specific rules. check their website, they will have a "traveling with babies or toddlers" section. As far as baby food goes - my daughter only ate home-made baby food too ( many mothers make baby food, it is sooo much better and so simple to make). But it will be very difficult, if not impossible, to travel with home made food and keep it from spoiling. In my opinion, you are going to have to purchase jarred food for one day. Or again, contact the airline and see if they will refrigerate it for you, but it will be difficult while you are waiting at the airport and during travel times. Your best bet is to call the airline for specific policies. As far as luggage - assuming you wil be purchasing a seat for your son since the flight is so long (you don't have to since he is under 2), each ticketed passenger is permitted 2 pieces of luggage. One piece of luggage can be substituted for two baby items (playpen, car seat, etc.). The stroller can be gate checked so doesn't count as luggage. As far as carry-ons go. Each ticketed passenger is permitted one carry-on AND one personal item (purse, laptop, etc.) AND one free baby item (diaper bag). We just flew to California yesterday (6.5hour flight) with my 5 month old. Thankfully, she is exclusively breastfed, it made it sooo much easier this time. But her medication was no problem to bring - we just put it in the ziploc bag and put it through security. Edit - I agree with JMc! It is one day of your life, suck it up and feed him a good jarred food, or bring finger foods that don't need to be refrigerated. They may refrigerate it on the flight, but you have to also worry about travel time to the airport, if you need to stay at a hotel the night before, time at the airport in the morning, etc. That is alot of time out of the fridge, even if they are willing to refrigerate it for you on the flight.
Well I am flying with my 7 week old daughter in just over a week and I know the airline we fly with has no restriction on bringing formula and food on the plane for kids under 2 years old. So thats not an issue. As for keeping it cold, I would contact the airline and ask what they recommend you do. This is what I'm going to do as my daughters medication and formula needs to be kept cold. edit: I agree with you...people are way too judgemental on here. I get more crappy judgemental answers to questions then I do actualy information. Anways...back to your question...the airline I am flying with allows milk or formula for a child under 2 so assuming your airline would be similar...milk should be allowed, but still contact them and find out how they want you to keep it cold. Best of luck!
Having done the flight from Seattle to Germany with a 20 month old (I'm military too) I have a couple things for you to consider: -has your husband gone to the agency on base to get his tickets yet? If so make sure they provide a seat for your 11 month old - you should not be required to hold him on your lap for that long of a flight - it would be HORRIBLE. If the agency does not want to purchase a ticket for your child have your husband ask to see the reg that prohibits a ticket for your child - if it's not prohibited by regs make sure he insists on it. -most international airlines have lots of different meals and depending on what airline you're on they might have an infant meal that you could try giving to your son. When you get your tickets call the airline or go on their website and find out the menu information. -food and formula for infants is allowed to be carried on but it must go through an in depth inspection - go to to find out if there are limits on quantities and expect some extra scrutiny at the security checkpoint. -Also, if you are going to Stuttgart, Germany insist on the Delta flight from Atlanta straight to Stuttgart (unless your husband is required to check in at Frankfurt.) The travel agencies on base try to put everyone through Frankfurt for some reason and it can be a real inconvenience if that's not your ultimate destination. Regardless of where you are going make sure the agency puts you on a flight to the closest airport to your destination. -On an international flight each ticket holder is entitled to a carry on and a personal item - diaper bags don't count against this - make sure one of your childs is an collapsible insulated bag - you can find them almost anywhere and you should be allowed to put one of those freezer packs in it to keep it cold.
I think you're making this harder on you and your family than it should be. First-- soy milk or soy formula? both can be stored at room temperature. If you are using soy formula, use powdered and save your self the extra weight on your carry on. If you baby is on soy milk for some reason, then that is usually purchased in cartons stored at room temperature, so these should not have a temperature issue either. Buy packaged baby food for the flight-- there are plenty of organic brands available and they will be easier to travel with. I really think that not giving yourself and your family this leeway is kind of silly (I'm sorry!) It's one day out of your lives and a move is stressful enough without making the travel even more so. Also-- you are moving somewhere where you will all be exposed to new experiences-- new cultures, foods, people-- maybe you could just immerse yourself in the adventure by starting now?
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