Traveling With Formula: Tips for Feeding Your Baby Anywhere

Traveling with a formula-fed baby can be manageable with a little planning. Babies still need regular feedings while you are away from home, so it helps to think ahead about how you will prepare, store, and carry formula safely during your trip.

The best approach may depend on how you are traveling. Airports allow parents to bring reasonable quantities of baby formula and other infant feeding supplies through security, while road trips may require extra planning for safe water, refrigeration, and bottle preparation. Knowing what to pack before you leave can make feeding your baby on the go much easier.

Packing Formula To Go

When traveling with formula, it is a good idea to pack more than you expect your baby to need in case of delays, spills, or changes in your schedule. Think about how many feedings your baby typically has each day and bring enough formula for the trip, plus some extra.

• Powdered formula can be pre-measured into clean, dry formula containers or dispensers to make feeding on the go easier. Keep the powder dry until you are ready to prepare a bottle, and always use the exact amount of safe water directed on the formula label.
• Prepared or ready-to-feed formula can be convenient while traveling, but opened or prepared formula must be stored safely. If it needs refrigeration, carry it in an insulated cooler with ice packs and follow the product’s storage instructions.
• Water used to prepare formula should come from a safe source. Safe tap water can generally be used, while bottled water may be a useful option if you are unsure about the water quality at your destination. Bottled water is not necessarily sterile unless the label specifically says so.

If you are traveling somewhere with questionable water quality or under a local water advisory, plan for a safe water source. Ready-to-feed formula may also be a useful option because it does not require mixing with water.

Dealing With Airports

If you’re traveling by plane with your baby, you can bring formula, water for mixing formula, baby food, and related feeding supplies through airport security. These items are considered medically necessary liquids and may be carried in reasonable quantities greater than the usual 3.4-ounce liquid limit.

TSA recommends that parents:

• Tell the TSA officer about your formula and other baby-feeding liquids at the beginning of the screening process. Remove these items from your carry-on so they can be screened separately.
• Consider using clear or translucent bottles for formula and other liquids. This is not required, but it may make screening easier. Liquids stored in bags or pouches may require additional screening.
• Be prepared for additional screening. TSA officers may need to test formula, water, or other liquids for explosives or prohibited items. X-ray screening does not adversely affect formula or baby food. If you do not want these items X-rayed or opened, tell the TSA officer so alternative screening procedures can be used.
• Keep enough formula and feeding supplies with you for your trip. Formula, water for mixing, and cooling accessories such as ice packs are permitted in reasonable quantities in carry-on baggage.

Changes in cabin pressure during takeoff and landing can sometimes cause ear discomfort in babies. Feeding your baby from a bottle or breast, or offering a pacifier, can encourage swallowing and may help equalize pressure and ease discomfort.

Traveling By Car

Mixing formula and keeping bottles clean while traveling by car can take some extra planning. Premeasuring powdered formula into clean, dry containers or formula dispensers can make it easier to prepare bottles without trying to measure powder in the car or at a roadside stop.

You can also travel with prepared formula, but it must be kept cold. Store prepared bottles in an insulated cooler with ice packs and keep the cooler closed as much as possible. Ready-to-feed formula can also be a convenient option for road trips because unopened containers do not require mixing with water.

If you cannot keep prepared formula properly chilled, use it within two hours of preparation. Once your baby begins drinking from a bottle, use the formula within one hour and throw away anything that remains. Never refrigerate or save formula left over from a feeding.

When you reach your destination, place properly chilled prepared formula in the refrigerator and use it within 24 hours of preparation.

Cleaning Bottles on the Road

You can clean baby bottles while traveling much as you would at home, with a few extra precautions. Packing a small cleaning kit can make the process easier, especially if you will be away for more than a day.

• Bring a small plastic basin or collapsible wash tub used only for infant feeding items. Avoid placing bottles and bottle parts directly in a hotel sink.
• Pack dish soap and a clean bottle brush used only for feeding items. After washing, allow bottle parts to air-dry completely on a clean drying rack, unused paper towel, or other clean surface.
• Disassemble bottles completely before washing and use safe water for cleaning and rinsing. If you are unsure whether the local water is safe, follow local guidance and use an appropriate safe water source.
• If sanitizing is needed, follow the bottle manufacturer’s instructions. Depending on the product, options may include boiling, a dishwasher with a sanitizing setting, or a microwave steam sterilizer designed for infant feeding items.
• If cleaning bottles during the day will be difficult, bringing enough clean bottles and feeding supplies to last until you reach a place where they can be washed safely may make travel easier.

Safe preparation and storage are important whenever you feed your baby, but the NEC claims Morgan & Morgan evaluates involve a specific set of circumstances. If your baby was born at 36 weeks gestation or earlier, was fed a qualifying infant formula or fortifier shortly after birth, and then developed necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), Morgan & Morgan can review what happened and help you understand your legal options. Contact us today for a free case evaluation.