Hellobee Boards

@lctbqe we just flew over Thanksgiving with my 15 month old. He nurses still but also drinks formula. I brought some sealed travel containers (the on the go bottles). The TSA agent told us the options were either they open them and test them, OR leave them sealed but they have to hand-check all our carry on luggage and give us a pat down. I'm not sure if this is the official policy or what but just be prepared and give yourself a lot of extra time. (We were only going on one 2-hour flight, so I just poured the milk into his sippy cup).

We are flying Friday for Christmas and it is a very long travel day so I am not going to open the milk at security - so I'm prepared that they will hand search our carry ons.

For heating milk, I would see if you can just get a cup of hot water at Starbucks or something if you're in an airport... on the plane, I'm not sure. Maybe they can do that as well, depending on the airline.

It is easy with a 3.5 month old! Bring extra clothes x2 for your baby and also an extra outfit for you. I always pack a gallon size ziploc baggie and a plastic grocery bag for disposing of poops and/or storing dirty clothes. My son's diaper leaked on our flight this summer and my jeans got covered in pee. So now we put him in an overnight diaper before we get on the plane.

When we flew with formula, I think we just took powder in a dispenser that lets you premeasure like this:http://www.target.com/p/munchkin-formula-dispenser/-/A-13991505 so that it was easy/fast to make a bottle when needed with bottled water that we bought after going through security. Might be too late if you're flying tonight to find one, esp if you don't use powder regularly anyway, but just an option in the future! I can't remember if we ever tried flying with the sealed bottles, but I def know we used those dispensers along with breast milk and ice packs

I would do the same as @DesertDreams88: . Sealed, pre-measured formula packets, and then get hot water somewhere and let it cool. maybe bring an empty thermos to put the hot water into and then you can mix some hot with room temp or cold water if he likes it warm.

In my excperience they just swipe the outside of the sealed bottles and swipe your hands to test them.
Same for pouches of babyfood/apple sauce and cartons of milk.

I had a TSA agent make me open all breast milk and formula bottles for testing. I had to open and hand them over a wall (I was SO afraid it would get spilled). I was so frustrated. I ended up looking further into it later and was told you can refuse opening - since formula and breastmilk are allowed. They would do that test strip on your hands, but do not need to test the milk.

I bring an empty Swell bottle and premeasured powder formula. Once at the gate area I ask for hot water at Starbucks and mix it with cold bottled water in the Swell bottle so it's warm. Then if I need formula on the plane I can just shake it up. But I prefer to nurse if I can.

@LCTBQE: I hope our flight goes similarly today, I'm so nervous! I really am crossing my fingers he falls asleep. Ours is about 3.5 hours, how long was yours?

@LCTBQE: it went great! He slept for an hour but didn't cry at all the rest of the time, just kind of looked around. But yes, not comfy. I squeezed the boppy into my carry on, that helped a lot.

@LCTBQE: yeah, the boppy basically took up my entire carry-on suitcase, lol. We ended up checking two suitcases, I had a carry-on with the boppy and a few other things, the diaper bag as my extra, purse-type item, and then my DH had a backpack.

Yay for getting a whole row! We're flying back on New Year's Day, not sure if it'll be super crowded or not, but I'm hoping a little less than on the way here.

Also, I'm obsessed with TSA precheck, that was a lifesaver on the way here. The regular security line was really long, but the precheck line was super short. I just walked through a metal detector wearing F and that was it. No taking off shoes, didn't have to take him off or anything. It took about five minutes from getting in line to being done.