Flying with a bottle-fed 5 month old?

OK, so Dylan has a passport (don't get me started on the idiocy of that piece of beaurocracy), and the flights are booked. We're off to France so Dyl can get properly acquainted with his grandad, who he met only briefly one afternoon at about 2 weeks old when SCBU relaxed the rules for us.

So.... tell me about flying with a bottle-fed 5 month old. We've paid a premium to park near the airport (Southampton) so we don't have to worry about transferring on the bus, and we're thinking of taking him in the sling rather than lugging the pushchair with us. How does it work with bottles etc - can I take in bottles of water with formula pots or will I need to take sealed ready-made formula and empty bottles? What about expressed milk?  Are tins of formula ok to travel in the hold? Is he likely to scream blue murder on the flight?

We *might* need to take our car seat with us - my ma hasn't yet confirmed that the one they have is rear-facing. If we do need to, how does that work - does it get checked in with our baggage?

Any tips on how to get through the experience as stress-free as possible would be much appreciated!

TIA

Sx

I would sling - much easier than a buggy through the airport. You can take fluids through security, but they will probably get you to taste them. Milk powder is fine in the hold. I know at LGW/LHR there is a BOOTS and you can get the ready made formula in cartons which are good to travel with.

Our car seat has always been checked in. Take a black sack with you to put it in, as a couple of times they haven't had the large plastic bags to put it in to protect it. It just saves it from getting dirty/wet if it's sitting around waiting to be loaded onto the aircraft.

I imagaine it's just a short flight, so I wouldn't worry. The thought is worse than actually doing it! We have done a few longhaul trips with LO (now 18 months), and it's never been an issue. As for screaming - who knows!! Out LO screamed blue murder for two hours coming back from NY once, but what can you do? Don't get upset and ignore any looks you might get from other passengers. If they are parents , I'm sure they will have been there!

Enjoy your trip.

5m is a lovely age for the first flight - S was 6m for hers and it was pretty easy.

Formula is fine in your hold baggage, just double-bag it in case it leaks powder everywhere.

We did varying combos of steribottle, powder/water and readymade formula, which might look something like this:

Formula made up in a Steribottle to give S a final feed before going through security (bottle then thrown away).

Sterilised bottles in hand luggage, either

a) with boiled water and formula powder, which we had to taste (tastes of potatoes, yuk) or

b) empty, then we bought readymade cartons from the Boots the other side of security (this is Gatwick and Stansted, I believe you can call ahead and reserve cartons in other airports if they don't have big shops?)

You'll need enough bottles/formula for 1 before security, 1 on the flight (perfect for take off and landing sucking), plus at least one the other end before you get your steriliser etc sorted. Again steribottles can be fab for that last feed (remember to save some for doing the whole thing again coming back!). I believe if your child is on a formula for medical reasons it counts as medicines, and most airports will give guidance about those, but you will want to check.

In your hand luggage, mini Calpol sachets are fab, as are alcohol wash bottles (subject to size limits). Take a changing mat and you may be able to change Dyl on the seat of the plane (loos on planes are grim).

Car seats are generally acceptable as extra to your baggage allowance, but check with airline. If it's part of your buggy/travel system you can usually leave it at the entrance to the plane with the buggy. If not they will let you check it in.

S has flown over a dozen times in 3 years and gets better every time - and it gets easier too!

We took Zoe to Orlando at 4 months and it was a great time to travel.

We rang Boots airside and ordered cartons of ready made formula to collect when we had gone through customs.  I also put some in the hand luggage just incase.  Technically you are meant to have to open and taste each item of baby stuff (over the 100ml normal restriction) but in actua fact that didn't bother at all.  Meant we had loads of the stuff for on the flight but I preferred that than panicking that we didn't have any.

Definitely take your sling, even if you take the pushchair anyway, it's great to have two free hands when actually getting on and off the plane.  I walked around the plan with Zoe in the Kari-Me to try and settle her as wel.

Carseats - check in with your normal baggage.  Probably be sent to the outsize baggage desk to have them taken off you.  Collect at baggage reclaim.  Virgin provide a thick plastic bag to put them in but I don't know about other airlines.

As for if he's going to scream - possibly.  The pressure change on take off and particularly landing can cause them problems and crying actually helps relieve it.  Definitely try to feed on take off and landing as this helps hugely.  Don't start feeding as soon as the aircraft moves as, if LO is anything like Z it will all have gone by the time you actually start to take off.  Listen out for "cabin crew take your seats" and that's the clue that it's time to start feeding.  With landing you'll feel the descent start, normally just before the seat belt sign comes on for landing.

I had a little bag with the changing mat, a couple of wipes and a nappy in so when going for nappy changes didn't have to take the whole big changin bag with me as the loos aren't the biggest.

I'm going to put my fingers in my ears and sing lalala and pretend that Madonna didn't really say anything about changing on a seat.  The cabin crew in me may come out a bit ranty on that one ;-)

<Blows raspberry at JB>

Well, it works better than those crappy budget airline jobbies if needs must... (disclaimer, not for messy changes or poos, no fellow passnger needs to see/smell that lol!)

Madonna, you would be surprised what some people do.  And the lovely passengers who leave the dirty nappy in the seat pocket for me to stick my hand in when doing security checks after every one has got of .... 

People are vile things JB, you don't have to convince me...

I seem to be the only person who takes extra nappy sacks on board so I can fill them up with the litter we create instead of leaving it everywhere...

What a brilliant idea !  I hand out plastic carrier bags to all the familie with young kids at the start of the flight and get them to fill them up.  No one's ever brought their own.

Not sure if others mentioned as only skimmed read but don't forget you have to taste 50% of the bottles/ liquid you take when going through customs,  I deteste the taste of powered milk so I make up the bottles of just water and take the powder seperately so I just have to sip boiled water.

ccan't help with formula but most airlines check in a buggy and car seat for free. when we start flying with sarah (my family are in spain) i've been recommended to feed on take off and landing if poss so the sucking sorts the pressure in her ears

Thanks everyone - sorry, couldn't get on before my internet is playing up and driving me crazy!I have my phone off the hook as the only way I can get a connection (WTF?!)

Will definitely do bottles of water and powder in pots then - I do not want to have to taste that stuff, it is vile! Dyl has prescription formula so I guess we probably couldn't get that airside easily, though if he had to he could have something else, just might spend the whole flight clearing up sick (who am I kidding, we probably will anyway!) - so would I have to drink 50% of the boiled water from each bottle? He has 180ml per feed and normally only feeds every 3 hours, so I'd planned on feeding him before getting on the plane but then he probably wouldn't take anything for take off and landing (flight is only about 1.5 hours) - does a dummy work the same way? (much as I hate to give it to him we do have one for emergencies). Surely if I drink from each bottle then they're no longer sterile?

JB - people leaving dirty nappies in the seat pocket? Ugh. I wish I could say that I was surprised, but some people just have no sense of decency do they? at Madonna changing S on the seat - don't think I'll risk that, it's a budget airline and there may be a riot! Hopefully if I change him before we get on and as soon as we get off he should be ok - it's usually a fairly quick transit through the airport the other side and I think it'll be a pretty empty flight this time of year (what's the betting we get an explodapoo now...?)

Thanks!

Sx

spud77:

Thanks everyone - sorry, couldn't get on before my internet is playing up and driving me crazy!I have my phone off the hook as the only way I can get a connection (WTF?!)

 

Will definitely do bottles of water and powder in pots then - I do not want to have to taste that stuff, it is vile! Dyl has prescription formula so I guess we probably couldn't get that airside easily, though if he had to he could have something else, just might spend the whole flight clearing up sick (who am I kidding, we probably will anyway!) - so would I have to drink 50% of the boiled water from each bottle? He has 180ml per feed and normally only feeds every 3 hours, so I'd planned on feeding him before getting on the plane but then he probably wouldn't take anything for take off and landing (flight is only about 1.5 hours) - does a dummy work the same way? (much as I hate to give it to him we do have one for emergencies). Surely if I drink from each bottle then they're no longer sterile? 

Just need to sip the bottles, ie: if you take 4 bottles will need to sip from 2.

R had done 6 flights by 4 months including long and I think he is even bored of flying by now

Have a great first flight!