Baby Bottles on Plane-regulations

Hey D.,
I just flew last week and the lady next to me had bottles filled with powder and asked the flight attendant for half hot water and half cold. She also had some that were already premixed in little pouches. I hope this helps.

J.

I have just had the experience...it was actually A LOT easier than I thought it would be. First, let me just say that I was traveling alone with my then 4 & 1/2 month old. People were soooo helpful, esp at Hartsfield, employees & patrons!!!
I have a little travel thing for the powder formula (it has 3 compartments, for 3 different feedings), & had that filled up & then just 3 empty bottles in the diaper bag. Then, I waited until we got on the plane to actually make the bottle - I asked the flight attendant for 1/2 cold & 1/2 hot (FYI - don't ask the people at the Starbuck's kiosks, they didn't listen, & it's a good thing I could feel just how hot it really was). I had always heard that it's better for the baby if they are drinking something during take-off (& landing, depending on how far you are traveling), to help their ears pop. I made the bottle right there (with lots of helping hands around), & he went right to sleep once we got in the air.

Hi D.,
This is just our own experience..I wouldn't take a chance making bottles early. We were able to get our formula(powder) in small, travel sizes. You can get water (or any other liquid) once you've gone through security. Since there are a number of stores and shops around the gates, it's easy.
FYI, they will definitely take any liquids, including lotions, but are usually not as strict with moms. Don't forget the stroller so you can jump to the head of the security line..woohoo! Sometimes it pays to be a mom.
You may even consider calling Hartsfield to make sure the rules/regulations haven't changed.

As of the last time I flew, which was a couple of months ago, there is no limitation to the size of the bottle. You may bring bottles filled with whatever your baby is eating/drinking. I had mine filled with formula, but ended up breastfeeding on the plane. (I have a bebeaulait coverup, and was fortunate to not have anyone in the seats next to me.) Good advice: get there early. Once you get to your gate, ask if the plane is full. If it is not full, ask if they can relocate you to a spot where you have noone seated next to you, so you and your baby can spread out. They know it is best for everyone on the plane that baby is happy--- more space is likely to make the situation easier, which makes for a happy baby!!! Also, I took the park and ride shuttle...they dropped us off at the curb-side service-- they got all my luggage ready for me (everyone's soooo.... nice when you're traveling with a baby.) Once I got to the what seemed to be a hundred mile long line to pass threw security, I asked an airport guy if they did anything special for people traveling with babies--- he put me to the front of the line!!! Ordinarily, he said they only do that for "stroller babies", but said he would take us anyway. I'm sure if you ask, they'll do the same for you. (I carried my baby in a baby bjorn---- It was perfect.) As crazy as it sounds, traveling with my baby went more smoothly than any traveling I'd ever done. Also, make sure to bring lots of toys and things to distract your baby. I brought a blanket, also, so that she could get some tummy time in once we got to our gate-- in my situation, we had an hour drive to the airport, an hour wait at the airport, and a 2 hour flight-- I thought she really needed that tummy time!) Stay organized, and it will go great. Oh yeah, to battle potential problems with ears and the changes in pressure, make sureto breastfeed or bottlefeed your baby when the plane takes off and lands--- the sucking helps your baby pop her ears. After doing all of these things, both the flight to Dallas and back to Atlanta went absolutely perfectly!!! Good Luck!!!!!

Hi D.,

If you take the powder and the bottles without the liquid, you shouldn't have any problems. You can get water on the plane (bottled water) to mix the formula.

If you take jars of baby food, put them into quart sized Ziploc baggies, as well as any other liquid or gel type substances (diaper cream for example). This is the same for your makeup and such that you are carrying on.

The regulations say that you have to declare them when entering security screening area as well as when you are getting screened; however, in the two airports that I experienced, the screeners didn't care to see them individually-- they only looked at them through the x-ray machines.

You can see more detail at:

http://crime.about.com/od/terrorism/qt/newcarryonreg.htm

I hope this helps.

Safe travels,
D.

HI, I just traveled through ATL the other day. You are ok to bring a bottle for the baby. They don't have a limit on the amount as long as its for your baby/toddler and its not a clear liquid (ie. water). They made me throw out my toddlers water the other day but said if it was milk or juice it would have been ok. Good luck!

D.,
I have flown twice with my twins (at 4 months and 7 months) and had great success with the pre-filled 2 oz bottles on those 4 flights. We flew on Delta both times and I called them before the first flight and they reported that eventhough baby formula/breast milk is allowed on flights that no containers can have more than 3 oz of fluid on a plane. My son takes 8 oz/feeding and my daughter 6.5 oz/feeding so I had to bring a bunch of the 2 oz bottles (eventhough the flight was <2 hours, I brought enough for 2 feedings each in case we got stuck). The good thing was that all you need is a new ring & nipple and you're ready to go with the next bottle!

Hope you have a great trip with your little one!

I'm getting ready to travel with my 3 month old so I have researched this extensively. You can bring formula or breastmilk in any quantity but you need to notify the agent you are carrying it and it will be sibject to addition search requirements. At no time should they ask you or your baby to taste it. You are also allowed to bring juices for older children and medications. Here is the link to this section of the TSA website: http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/children/formula.shtm

I traveled with my daughter when she was 4 months (now 7months) on a plane. I nam breastfeeding her. They allow you to take empty bottles but no liquids (water). You have to buy the water after you go through security and all that or of course get is on flight from the attendant. The attendants are pretty nice about parents with kids. They even warmed up the pumped milk I took on flight. But on my returning flight, I nursed her in the waiting area and just covered myself up. I guess if you're comfortable doing it, I was because I was covered and I did it in the corner. Your flight might have empty seats where you can nurse also. But you are allowed to take formula and bottles, but not the water. Hopefully this will help you!

Bring the mix and bottles and mix them on the plane. I've traveled extensively when my daughter was formula fed and when I traveled through Charlotte I had no problems getting her water through security, but at Logan I have never been allowed anything other than jarred baby food. They made us dump all the water from her bottles and buy bottled water. It's really annoying but a fact of air travel nowadays. Have the formula in it's original container and bring some cash to buy a bottle or 2 of water. Know that the security check will be time consuming too. You need to put the stroller, baby's coat and shoes in the xray machine too. Hopefully you'll have some help. Some airport staff are really nice and others . . . not so much.
Another tip, make sure to give your baby something to drink at take off and landing so the change in elevation doesn't effect her ears. It's worked like a charm for my little gal.
Good luck!

You can carry any amount of mixed formula, no problem. However, there is nowhere to keep it cold and it shouldn't be out of a cooler for more than 1 hour.
I would usually bring just the powder (premeasured) and mix it with water bought at the airport (they won't let you bring water though security).
Of course, my daughter wouldn't drink it cold, so that was another problem. I'd go to a coffee shop and they'd usually give me free hot water to warm the bottle, or put it in the microwave.
Good luck with the trip. Hope she sleeps for you!!!

I flew with my son and daughter a few months ago and I was pretty much allowed to bring anything for the little ones. I brought a bottle of breastmilk for my son and water for my daughter in a sippy cup. I have learned however that it depends on the airport and its personel. In Detroit they made me pour out everything (even the milk eventhough I knew that was okay). In Greenville they let me take on apple juice for my daughter. So, my advice is to bring a bottle filled with formula but also bring water and powdered formula. I think the bottles I brought were 4 oz bottles but I am not sure that mattered. You can also call the airline or look on their website. Good luck!

Hey,

We have traveled plnety of times with our son and his bottles. What I normally do is have one ready to go through security and just tell them.Then I have some with powder (based upon the flight time)and when I need water, I either buy one or ask the flight attendant for some. Most flight attendants are more than happy to fill it for you and even warm it.

I have the perfect solution.I have flown with my infant son 3 times and what made it so easy is two things. One is that my son is on a formula that makes travel size packets just like the Crystal Light does but formula and it makes a 4 ounce bottle. The flight attendants are number 2. They are great at giving you bottles of water. So 2 packets of formula and 1 bottle of water and you have a 8 ounce bottle. THis way I didn't have to pack a bunch of premade bottle or anything. I have left through many major airports but amazingly enough it was a tiny jetport that checked a bottle that my son had not finished and all they so is ask you to open it and they wave a dipstick over, check the fumes then you can close it up and you are go to go.
Don't stress over travel, just enjoy it. I did! The secret is to have plenty of time to get from plane to plane.

Before moving back to Atlanta, I lived in California. I have been flying back and forth since my son was two months old. The restrictions on liquids apply to all liquids, including baby formula. I flew with powder, because you can carry more in less space. (And, since you have to pack so much to travel with baby anyway, every extra bit of space helps.) You are not allowed to carry any amount of water through, so plan on buying a $20 bottle of airport water. If you do decide to carry liquid formula, you can only carry it in four ounce containers, and all of the containers have to fit into one liter size bag. In case they didn't have them before, though, there are changing tables in the restrooms on the airplane. (I was surprised about that.) Good luck!

Just make sure you tell the inspectors before trying to go through the line that you have milk for your baby and you should be ok. I had to fly with breast milk (without my baby with me) and there was no problem. I had to open the cooler to show them the milk and they let it pass through.

I know Similac makes formula in little to-go packets. I'm not sure if any other brands do this too. Maybe getting those and bringing empty bottles along so you can fill them up with the water provided by the airline and mix the bottles on the plane. I had a nifty travel warmer too that I got from Babies R Us.

C.
www.purelybalanced.com

Many explosive and biological compounds are clear like water. This is probably the main reason they won't allow clear liquids to come past security.

I was stationed in Germany 2x and each time we were specifically instructed not to carry clear liquids onto the plane (all my military flights were on commercial airliners). It's a safe bet that, unless you have a security agent willing to get into a discussion with you about it, that they won't specifically tell you the reason you are asked not to bring clear liquids on board. The word "bomb", "terrorist" or any of the words identified as a threat to national security aren't allowed, either.

One clear liquid probably won't hurt anything but terrorists have been reported to travel in packs and will bring liquids separately aboard that can be combined into a lethal concoction after boarding the plane. The precautions are there for a reason and I'm really glad they are.

Your best bet would be to call the airport and ask what the current regulations are. I know that's not much help, but as you know they are constantly changing the rules. In addition, enforcement of regulations varies from airport to airport. I can't tell you how many things I've had confiscated because they were fine one week, and then baned the next. (They even took my tweezers!) If you call the airport, at least you'll be sure in advance and hopefully not have any problems. Good luck!

We flew to Cali for Thanksgiving and flying out of atlanta, I was fine. I had 3 bottles filled with 6 oz of water and prepacked formula in her bag. Now on the way home from Cali back to Atlanta, the San Diego Airport made me empty the water out of the bottles before I went through security. So I would say your best bet is to either call, or just make sure you have plenty of time just in case you have to empty out some water.
Have a safe trip!!

The regulations do not apply to baby formula/baby bottles. You can go to the FAA website and get a complete list of the rules and regulations, but we've flown several times while my son was still taking a bottle with the new restrictions, and the list says baby bottles are exempt. They may smell of it or check it out -depending on the agent.

I don't think baby bottles count. Of course I haven't been on an airplane in 20+ years. To me it's like going to the doctor and there is a sign that says "no food or drinks". Well, of course the baby needs it's 'food'. I don't think it applies to babies. If you aren't really sure, you could go to the website and see what they say....I'm sure it would be in the FAQ.

D.

Hi D.,
I think that they allow formula in bottles for babies now, but to be sure, I would call Delta or whatever airline you are flying and ask them. Or, there might be a tab on the Hartsfield site that details the latest security measures. They did not allow me to take water or yogurt, but apparently they allow formula already mixed up. Crazy, no? Good luck. It seems like it changes every week.

Amazingly, I have a little bit of experience with this. My husband, son (11 months at the time), and I along with my In-Laws travelled to Poland this past summer to visit family. It was a 24 hour trip all together. I ended up bringing a can of powdered formula and a bunch of dry bottles with me. I would buy a big bottle of water once past security and I used that for the bottles. Sometimes I would ask the flight attendent for a squirt of hot water to warm it up. The big bottle would make his bottles and keep me hydrated too. I never had any problems with security using this method. I also had no problems with the small jars of baby food except for when I was coming back into the states with some Polish baby food. The TSA guy didn't know it was baby food because of the Polish on the label. ;-)

We just traveled from Myrtle Beach to NY and we were allowed to bring the made (milk) bottles on the plane, but the water bottles I had to empty, and than buy $2.19 on a bottle of water when we got past security!

D.,

I flew home with my son back in September of last year. I think it depends on the airport but I had juice and milk in sippy cups for my son and they were fine with it. You have to have food for your child so I don't think they can really tell you that you can't bring it on the plane. In both airports, they just scanned my diaper bag and they all yelled baby as it was going through so they obviously know you have to have drinks and food for your child. I would contact the airport to see what the regulations are. I think you can also go to the website of the airline you are flying to get more information on what is allowed and what isn't. I hope this helps.

Thanks,
S.

P.S. When I flew home in Sept. the terrorist level was higher then normal...so they were pretty picky at the time but I was still able to carry on his sipppy cups with juice/milk already in it.

I don't think they are a problem but call the airline. I would use powder and mix with room temp water. Then you won't have to worry about refridgeration or warming.
Just a side note: Why go anywhere else to nurse? A baby blanket works fine.

I don't have the answer for you, but here's a funny story about this topic...

My son was just over 6 months old and he and I flew to PA for a long weekend to visit my family. The day we flew up there was THE day the liquid ban started. As I was getting ready, I heard on the radio about it. Since I checked on it with the airline, I was told baby bottles already prepared were okay to take on the flight. I made his bottle as normal, with formula, rice cereal, and his medication for acid reflux. When I went to board, I was made to drink from the bottle to show that it was okay. I wasn't allowed anything after the gulp, either (I was finally able to drink something after we reached cruising altitude and drinks were passed out). For hours, I would gag at the memory of the taste from the bottle. I apologized to my son over & over about having to feed him that.

Enjoy the flight and I hope this caused you to smile.

The regulations do not to apply to anything baby related. You may bring whatever you choose, even baby food, on board. And, yes, the stewardess will provide you with water upon request, but it is a safe bet to already have at least one bottle prepared to ensure that your baby has a bottle ready for take off. With the stewards being so busy with boarding, it's best to be prepared so that your baby can offset the cabin pressure by drinking. I guess pacifiers work, as well, but my babies didn't take them so the bottles and nursing (which was so much easier for me) worked great. It even put them to sleep for the duration of the flight! I hope this helps! Hope you have a great time!

You can ask a stewardess for water for her bottles. Also I would put into the bottles the premeassured amount of powder for that bottle. Good luck and Have fun!

Hey D.,
I have traveled a few times w/ my daughter, and she's bottle fed w/ concentrated formula. I called the airline that I was flying with, and they told me that I could bring enough premixed bottles to get to my destination. You could check again to make sure that nothing has changed. When we went through the security check point, I just let them know that I bottles for my baby, they looked at them, and we went through without a problem. She's a year old now, and I've flown with her twice so far, and I haven't had any problems w/ carrying on her bottles. Hope that it helps. L.

if you find something out i have been wondering the same thing. i am flying out with my husband and daughter at the end of april and was trying to find out also.

The best advice I can give you is to just call the airline. Have a safe flight!!!!!!!!

Baby formula and bottles are exempt from the liquid restrictions. I personally bring powdered formula in the separated container and usually have one bottle already made. Then once through security, I'll buy a bottle of water to use for the next bottle after my son finishes the pre made bottle.

I would definitely recommend using powder and mixing on the airplane. Contrary to popular belief, airplanes do NOT have microwaves (they have convection ovens) thus no way to warm your bottles. They do have hot water readily available but it is really HOT coming straight from the coffee machines so you will need to mix with sufficient amount of cold water so as not to be too hot for baby. As a flight attendant for almost 20 yrs. I was surprised so many moms assumed we had the type of ovens to warm bottles. The best we could do under such circumstances was to put hot water from the coffee makers in an airsick bag and place the baby bottle in with it for a while to warm it up. This did work but it took awhile and did little good for a fussy baby who needed the bottle pronto! Good luck!

Hi,

I travelled with my sister and infant niece. Baby bottles are allowed, but be prepared to drink some of it if asked. Depending on the lenght of the fligh I would not carry more than two prepared bottles and just carry the rest in powder form.

Enjoy your trip!

I would call the airline just to make sure, so I'm not much help there...my main reason for writing is to remind you that airlines do not disinfect anything!!! not even your tray tables, so bring wet-ones, hand sanitizer (they make a convienent pen-sprayer now!), and take your 5 yr-old often to wash his hands, especially if he has been digging through items on the floor. I flew alot overseas when we were in Germany and finally learned myself after getting sick every flight we took. and if you don't have one, you can rent portable dvd players at the airport, just make sure you have headphones and bring his fav movies.

During the Christmas holidays I traveled with my than 4 month old son. I was able to bring bottles and even my stroller and carrier through with no problem. You can have 4oz bottles made or 6oz and if you're uncertain just ask the airline in which you're flying and I'm sure they will help. Depending on the length of the flight I would carry enough to fullfill her.

D.,
I traveled on a plane to Hawaii with my 12 month old about a year ago. We had no probelms with baby bottles, baby food, and even small bottles of drinking water. As long as you tell them it's for your child, you should be fine. As an extra precaution, I'd take a little powder with you in case you have problems. Happy travels! D. H.

You can go to www.TSA.gov for information on what you can carry on.

They won't let you carry the pre-made bottles on the plane. Take the powder to mix on the plane.