
If you’re travelling with baby on a long haul flight and have lots of expressed breast milk, it can be easily transported. All that hard work doesn’t need to go to waste. Or, if you need to move multiple feeds worth of formula, we’ve got the answers to the most hygienic and risk-free ways to do it. Here's how to travel with baby's milk on the plane to ensure a stress-free start to a fab family holiday.
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It’s best to
avoid trying to transport fresh milk of any kind. You can’t control the
temperature in the plane’s cabin and even if you ask the hosties to refrigerate
it for you, during meal service there is a high risk your bottles will be moved
and allowed to inadvertently warm up.
·
If you need to
carry formula to cover several feeds, carry the boiled water and the formula
separately. Most airlines will allow you to bring water onboard if you have a
baby with you (although some will ask you to taste test it at security). Only
mix up the formula per feed as and when you need it and if your baby prefers it
heated up, then ask for the service staff to help you at the time.
·
In an urgent one-off
situation when you don’t have enough boiled water, you can substitute bottled
mineral water.
·
If your baby
drinks fresh milk, don’t risk bringing it onboard unless you are going on a
very short haul flight because you cannot refrigerate it safely. (In these
circumstances, pack it in an insulated bag surrounded by ice packs.) Purchase
individually sized UHT milk packs just for the duration of the flight until you
can buy fresh milk at your destination.
·
If you want to
transport multiple feeds of pumped breast milk only bring it onboard if you are
going a very short distance. (In these circumstances, pack it pre-frozen in an
insulated bag surrounded by ice packs.) Instead, pre-freeze the milk in
individual feeds a full 48 hours before travel. Store the milk in a large
insulated Eski-style bag and surround it with ice packs. Then check it in with
a fragile sticker – the cargo area is the coldest place on the plane. Provided
you unpack it immediately when you reach your destination, it should still be either
completely frozen or otherwise thawing and almost ready to use.
It’s important to note that
if you are ever unsure about whether the milk is safe for your baby to drink, then
it should be discarded and not consumed.
For the suitcases&strollers travel advisor on family-friendly airlines, see the story Airlines Compared.
For more travel tips on flying with kids, see the suitcases&strollers story here.
May Cay
14 Feb 2014, 10:50am
Hi! We will be traveling to Brisbane, Australia with young children. We plan to bring formula milk. Does anyone know if the Australian customs will allow that given the food restrictions? Thanks!
Aimee
17 Feb 2014, 2:26am
Hi May Cay, Yes Aussie customs will allow baby formula but you MUST declare it on your quarantine form when you enter. Be prepared to queue as it can take them sometime to search your bags once you have declared something to quarantine, but often if you tell them that all you are bringing is baby’s milk, they might feel sorry for you and let you straight through. Search at Woolworths or Coles online (the big Aussie supermarkets) as many of the large international brands are stocked in Australia and if your baby is easily transferrable, it might be easier to just buy when you arrive. Good luck from suitcases&strollers;.
May Cay
17 Feb 2014, 2:32am
Thanks for putting my mind at ease, Aimee! I recalled that the Australian customs used to be strict with dairy products when I was traveling alone. I am glad that they do make concessions for young children.
Aimee
11 May 2014, 6:24pm
Hi May Cay, just a little update. We have just posted this story about Australian quarantine which will hopefully help you and other parents know what you can and cannot bring into Australia. Good luck from suitcases&strollers;. http://www.suitcasesandstrollers.com/articles/view/bringing-food-into-australia?l=all
Alison
10 Nov 2015, 2:52pm
After looking for some advice on taking formula/water on a long haul flight and not being able to find exact info I needed, I thought I would share my experience.
We travelled from Manchester - Dubai - Melbourne - Auckland and Auckland - Sydney - Dubai - Manchester.
-Manchester let all formula/water through security with no issues as long as you declare it. I didn’t have to make any up to ‘taste’ either.
-Dubai (we were in transit here) took all water from us at the gate bag check before you re-board the next flight. Even unopened bottles of evian we had just bought in the airport on arrival! I argued with them until they allowed my to keep 1 bottle and I also got away with my refilled flask of boiling water as they were just looking for obvious water bottles.
-Melbourne (we were in transit here) let all water/formula through with no problems.
-Auckland were also fine with letting all water/formula into the country as we declared everything on arrival.
-Auckland departures were also fine and let everything through with no issues.
Our little boy was 4 months old at the time we travelled (June 2015) and he has a milk protein intolerence so we had to take powder formula with us (and 17 tins in our suitcases!)
We flew with Emirates and the sky cots were very small, our little one just about fitted but with no room to move! Make sure you pre book these as well as people just book them for the extra room then give you dirty looks when they have to sit next to a baby!! Maybe we just got rude people on our flights!
suitcases&strollers;
12 Nov 2015, 12:21am
Hi Alison, Thanks for that really interesting feedback. So much of it definitely depends on who is manning security and quarantine at the time you go through, doesn’t it? PS: Well done on doing such a long haul with your baby. We hope you had a great trip regardless. suitcases&strollers;
jeanny boyd
21 Sep 2018, 10:21pm
My sister is flying from the US to Australia in 3 weeks. Can she bring unopened cans of her baby’s milk formula into Australia. Baby drinks Earths Best Organic Dairy, infant formula? I know we have organic choices here, but not that brand. I’m sure she doesn’t want to have to deal with a crying baby because it doesn’t have the milk it is familiar with, let alone a long haul flight from LA and a new country.
Thank you in advance.