Kiki & Ollie
After months of struggling with breastfeeding, we switched to formula and have never looked back. Before Oliver was one, we traveled to five countries, mastering the art of bringing our “laboratory” set of bottles and formula along the way.
Fav Formula: Bobbie
Fav Feeding Product: Baby’s Brew
Even after traveling to 70+ countries before becoming a mama, often solo, I have never been more nervous about a trip than I was the first time I flew with my baby.
We took our first flight with Oliver when he was 3 months old. Even though it was a short, direct flight from San Diego to Denver, we had just transitioned from breast milk to formula.
We had such a difficult feeding journey when he was a newborn that the thought of traveling with formula seemed impossible.
After that first trip, all of my fears were put to ease. We now have a few countries, countless flights, and some mega long-haul adventures (28+ hours in flight to South Africa) under our belts.
We even chartered a catamaran for a week-long sailing trip while Oliver was still bottle-fed.
Here are ALL my tried-and-true tips to help you feel confident when traveling with baby formula!
Tips for Flying with Formula
With so many flights with Oliver as an infant, I learned a lot about traveling with formula. Here are my essential tips!
Always Put Your Formula in Your Carry-On
I always traveled with however much formula we’d need on a trip. I admit that packing 15+ cans of formula got a little crazy when we were on a six-week trip, which is a little koo-koo.
But it gave me peace of mind knowing he had the formula he was familiar with.
I also ALWAYS bring anything valuable, important, or irreplaceable onto the plane with me. This includes medications, jewelry, expensive electronics, and baby formula.
You can bring opened and unopened cans of formula and water for your infant. However, TSA agents will likely stop you to inspect the formula and water.
They have never required me to open sealed cans of formula. They typically hold a little paper over the water bottle to test the vapors but do not touch it.
According to TSA, formula, breast milk, toddler drinks, and baby/toddler food are considered medically necessary liquids and are NOT LIMITED like other liquids. You can bring as much as you need, and it doesn’t need to fit in a quart-sized bag. NOTE: This applies to flights to/from the USA, but might not be the allowance if you fly within another country.
This goes for your feeding necessities as well. Bring enough bottles for the length of your flight (plus an extra one, just in case).
You do not want to be washing bottles in an airplane bathroom sink.
For example: If your baby is taking 4 bottles a day and you have a 12-hour flight, I suggest bringing 5 bottles (one for their regular routine and one extra in case). Also, don’t forget to factor in travel time off the plane. You want enough for the flight and might need another one for the drive to your hotel!
Traveling with Breast Pumps and/or Expressed Milk
Breast pumps are allowed in addition to your carry-on allowance. You may also bring breast milk and cooler packs (in quantities greater than the normal 3.4 ounces rule) onto the plane. Just inform TSA as you go through security.
Measure Formula Powder Ahead of Time
Not only should you bring your formula cans with you in your diaper bag or carry-on onto the plane, but I recommend pre-measuring the formula powder and putting it in containers for each individual feed ahead of time. This makes it much easier than measuring and scooping on the plane!
Don’t Worry About Bottle Clean Up
Flying is already stressful as it is. Your bags are already packed to the gills, and making sure you bring sanitizing equipment and water to clean them all adds more items you could lose along your journey.
Just store the dirty bottles in your diaper bag (in a dry bag or gallon Ziploc) and clean them when you arrive.
Be Prepared and Bring EVERYTHING You Could Need
If your baby has specific formula needs or preferences, you may need to bring everything with you rather than buy it on the road.
With our son, we tried every single bottle manufactured. I’m not even kidding; we tried something like 30 different bottles, met with a lactation consultant, and had his tongue tied released. We did it all!
In the end, he would only ever use a Como Tomo bottle. Additionally, he only ever took Bobbie formula (a U.S. brand).
This was stressful for obvious reasons. What if we lost the bottles? What if we didn’t bring enough formula on an international trip?
How Many Bottles Should I Pack?
A good measure of how many bottles to bring is enough for a 24-hour period. That way, if you are on the road and don’t have access to wash them, you always have a clean bottle handy.
How Much Formula Should I Pack?
I always brought as much formula as we needed for the entire trip (plus some extra). Twice, I packed six weeks of formula in a carry-on when we were going through a can every three days.
Yes. I packed 14 cans and 2 extra (just in case) and lugged them around on TWO 6-week trips. SOS.
In the end, there’s no right or wrong. Pack for your ease and peace of mind. Many families will buy formula at their destination if their little one isn’t picky or they can find the brand they use at home.
But it never hurts to be over-prepared!
First flight with your baby? Don’t miss my guide below!
The Ultimate Guide to Flying with a Baby
Must-Haves for Flying with Formula
These items absolutely MUST go in my carry-on luggage or diaper bag. These are essential to making sure your baby is fed on the road:
Portable Bottle Warmer
The Baby’s Brew portable bottle warmer is an absolute godsend and can also be used to warm expressed breast milk. Be sure to order the correct adapters for your preferred bottles. Also, practice with it at home before your trip so you know how to adjust the temperature!
Portable Stackable Formula Dispenser
It’s personal preference, but you basically pre-measure the powder and then bring it on, so you just pour it into warm water when you’re ready to feed. I preferred something like this when traveling because you can just use one or stack as many as you want (there are six compartments, each up to 60g). It also can become a “snack stack” once you have a toddler.
Formula Dispenser Size
It’s important to read how much each compartment can hold. If your baby drinks an 8-oz bottle (older babies), for example, each compartment will need to hold 34g+ of powder.
Bottle PureVis
We splurged on the LARQ Bottle PureVis™, a purifying insulated water bottle for traveling with warm water. It keeps water warm for 12 hours, and the light cleans the bottle and purifies the water. The best part is that you can continue to use it for cold and hot water forever—not just baby bottles.
Portable Battery
Bring a portable battery to recharge baby stuff like white noise machines, your portable bottle warmer, etc. I always carry on two fully charged power banks and cables to charge everything. I would charge the Baby’s Brew, and as soon as I was done with the bottle feed, I would charge it again, so it was always ready to go.
How do you formula-feed your baby on a plane?
I took so many flights with Oliver when he was a baby and really mastered the in-flight bottle thing! Here’s a step-by-step example of how I would organize formula feeding on a long-haul flight:
- Before the flight, I’d open a can of formula and pre-measure individual servings for each feed so that I wouldn’t need to scoop on the airplane. Oliver was on 4x 8oz bottles a day when he was eight months old, so I’d portion out 4 scoops of powder into 5 individual containers (1 extra bottle, just in case we land and have a long trip to the hotel, etc.). Then, I’d pack the opened formula can in the diaper bag.
- I also packed as much purified water as we’d need for the flight. There is no limit to how much water you can bring on a flight with a baby, so I’d pack at least 40oz of water (5x 8oz bottles).
- When you reach the TSA before your flight, tell them you’re traveling with formula. They will likely look at the formula cans but not open them. If any water bottle is open, they will hold a little strip of paper over the top to test the vapors, but they will not touch the water.
- I’d try to time offering a bottle right around takeoff to help clear the pressure in the baby’s ears. As soon as you sit down, you can fill the baby bottle with water and attach it to The Baby’s Brew Bottle Warmer to warm it. It will keep the water warm until you’re ready to prepare the formula.
- I typically never wash bottles on the flight—and I don’t think you should unless you bring enough purified water to wash too. The bathroom water isn’t safe for consumption, so even if you do rinse, plan to wash and sanitize them once you get to your destination. You can bring a dry bag or gallon-sized Ziploc to store the used bottles.
- Repeat these steps throughout the flight as needed for feeding time.
- Once you land, it’s totally possible there will be delays or a long drive before you get to your accommodation. This is usually when I might use that extra bottle to feed Oliver.
- Once we get to our place, rest, and settle in, I’ll clean and sanitize everything by boiling or using the microwavable Dr. Browns bags (more on these below!).
And that’s about it!
Must-Haves for Traveling with Formula
Above, I shared everything you’d need for your flight, but there are a few things you’ll need throughout your travels when it comes to formula feeding your baby.
Here are a few of my favorite products:
Bottle Cleaning Supplies
You’ll likely have to clean all of your bottles by hand. This drying rack, brush, and washing solution are compact and perfect for travel.
Sterilizing Bags
I highly recommend packing some Dr Brown’s microwave bags for sterilizing. We didn’t have a microwave on board, but I always traveled with a couple for vacation rental/hotel stays.
Travel-Sized Bottle Soap
We bring these travel-sized bottles of soap on every trip. They’re great for washing bottles, pacifiers, and teethers!
A Great Product (for SOME Trips)
The Baby Brezza Formula Mini Dispenser Machine isn’t necessarily a “travel” essential, but it would definitely work for some families on certain trips.
We brought it with us on a week-long trip to New York and a six-week trip to Cape Town—it made sense for us to bring it when we were on long trips in a single accommodation. Basically, you fill the dispenser with all the formula, add the water, press a button, and it dispenses warm, perfectly mixed formula.
I would recommend this for families who:
- Are traveling by car and have a bit more room for their luggage and belongings
- Are planning longer stays (more than a week-long) in a single accommodation
Stay in Vacation Home Rentals
One thing we prioritized on almost every trip while Ollie was still on bottles, and still prefer now that he’s a toddler, is staying in vacation home rentals.
While many hotels offer amenities such as cribs, high chairs, and even babysitting services, I almost exclusively choose to stay in vacation homes whenever we travel as a family.
Staying in apartments or vacation homes means we get the whole place to ourselves, and having a kitchen and washing machine makes it easier to prepare meals for your little one. And you can conveniently wash that never-ending pile of laundry.
This way, you can access a sink, open counter space, stovetop, microwave for boiling and sanitizing, and other kitchen supplies.
It creates a comfortable and convenient home away from home!
