Fellow family traveler Beth Henry frequently flies the friendly skies. As an airline attendant she has seen the ups and downs of family travel over the years, and is now experiencing it first hand with her own little ones.
Milk options when flying is always a hard one to figure out when you travel with a toddler, but Beth has come up with a plan that will make travel easier for not only her family, but when you travel with babies as a lap child, too.
Options when Flying with a Toddler
Once your baby is weaned off breast milk and formula, what are your options for milk when you travel?
This is the question I had to ask when we were packing for a trip for Miami Beach. My son John, who was just over one year old at the time, depended on milk for a good part of his nutrition, but no longer used formula.
Since I work for an airline I know it is best to assume milk will not be available on your flight. Airlines do supply it, but in small amounts and not at all times of the day.
In fact, the airline I work for doesn’t stock milk on flights after 10am for those sitting in economy seats (only for first class), except for on transcontinental and international flights.
Remember: You will still want to figure out if you want a window seat or an aisle seat, have that baby carrier on hand even if you are traveling with a car seat, and a change of clothes for mishaps.
Travel Tips when Packing MIlk
I was looking for the best milk to pack as a back-up in case fresh milk wasn’t easily accessible while en route.
I don’t remember for sure what I used to pack for my older daughter Ella for our first time when she was off formula; I probably just went for the milk boxes you can find at any U.S. grocery store.
After a bit of research, I found these options for bringing milk on a plane though, which are FAA approved and can fit in your cary-on bag.
Baby Formula or Toddler Formula
If your baby still tolerates the taste of formula this will probably be the easiest option when traveling. I love the sticks of powdered formula since they are lightweight and easy to pack in a carry-on bag or checked bag.
It’s perfect for young children, even those off the bottle in their own seat with a seatbelt safely around them, when you are diving into air travel for the first or 12th time with a toddler.
You can try to buy fresh milk everywhere you go, even after you check in at the airport, but as a back up you can carry the formula sticks in your bag for those times milk is nowhere to be found. Your fellow passengers will thank you.
Money saving tip: Write to formula companies to request samples. If your baby isn’t picky about the flavor, these formula samples are perfect to have around “just in case”. Just make sure your baby has tasted that brand and liked it before depending on it for travel.
Milk Boxes
Milk boxes work well for travel since they do not require refrigeration. The downside of flying with milk boxes is you will need to declare these at the TSA checkpoint for additional screening since they are above the 3.4 oz (100mL) permitted. Thankfully, you do not need to let the gate agent know you have them, just TSA.
Although TSA does allow a reasonable amount of milk or other liquid for babies you might not want the added hassle of extra screening time.
For me, the few minutes the TSA took to check the milk was worth the extra time for the convenience of having milk readily available for my toddler, especially when on long flights across the country.
Milk in Reusable Containers
You could just bring your own milk in containers when flying with toddlers, but then you need to worry about keeping it cold enough and getting it through security.
I usually go ahead and fill a bottle with milk as we leave the house to use right away when we get to the airport, but after that I don’t want to worry about storing the milk at a safe temperature. Usually, we would get through this fresh milk during pre-boarding, which was great at avoiding a meltdown when he needed something ASAP.
As every parent knows, when a two year old wants milk, no amount of negotiating will work.
If you bring fresh milk for young kids make sure you bring freezer packs that will really keep the milk at a safe temperature.
Note: Check the TSA website for the latest on carrying freezer packs through security. Always check the airport security rules for any country you will be traveling from that is outside of the U.S. Each country has their own rules for airplane travel when it comes to liquids and freezer packs.
Airport Vendors
Not all airport vendors carry milk in convenient bottles (no straws or easy way for a baby to drink). Sometimes you only find pint size bottles or cardboard half pints which easily spill.
I have seen Horizon Milk Boxes (similar to juice boxes) at some U.S. airports including LGA, SFO, and JFK. At DFW I can only find the pint size bottles.
I always bring a bottle, sippy cup, or even for my daughter Ella, at age 5, a straw cup to pour drinks into when we travel. These are great at keeping spills to a minimum for small children ages 2 years old and up, especially if they have a short attention span and are clued to a tablet (iPad or Amazon Kindle Fire can be a life saver) propped up on a tray table enjoying a little screen time while you get settled in your airplane seat.
Depend on the Airline/Hotel/Restaurant
I always think “what if” and plan for the worst. If milk is not available for some reason, what is my back up? My son John will drink water, but I have not offered him any other liquids yet.
Sometimes milk is all that will do for that relaxing drink before nap time. If your hotel doesn’t have a refrigerator in the room you can usually request one, but I have stayed in hotels that have actually run out of extra refrigerators!
Bringing your own back up options keeps these little hiccups from becoming a huge inconvenience on your vacation, cuts back on tantrums and gives you more options whether your child is a 6 month old or a few years old.
Tip: Call ahead to the hotel to request a mini fridge for your room. They may not be able to guarantee it, but at least you won’t be the last in line on the request sheet when you arrive.
Best Milk Options
In packing for our trip last week to Miami Beach I decided to use Formula Sticks in the diaper bag. I also packed three milk boxes in the checked bag to use as back up if I couldn’t obtain milk as I needed it.
Sadly we had to cancel our trip because my husband was very sick and there was a winter storm that had iced over our roads.
I am happy to have the powdered milk and milk boxes on hand for back up at home though. It’s not a bad idea to have these around in case of a power outage or other emergency!
Beth Henry has been a flight attendant for a major US Airline for over 14 years. She frequently flies with her children, Ella and John, ages five and one. Beth offers tips to help make flying with kids fun and memorable on her blog, Cloud Surfing Kids.
Featured image of mother feeding baby by Anne Hack Photography for Cloud Surfing Kids. Baby Drink Milk via ShutterStock.com
Featured image of mother feeding baby by Anne Hack Photography for Cloud Surfing Kids. Baby Drink Milk via ShutterStock.com
What an informative article. Thank you for these great tips.
These are all great tips. Can I add one more? Somewhere along the lines, I got a small cooler pouch that just holds 2 bottles/2 sippy cups. I bring that (empty), empty sippy cups and a small zip lock bag with me to the airport. Once I get through security, I go to one of the coffee shops and buy cold milk – sometimes they fill the cups directly, sometimes they prefer to give it to me in a cup which I then pour into the sippy cups. I also get a cup of ice which I put in the zip lock bag and into the cooler pouch. This will usually buy us enough time (and milk) until we get to our destination. Plus the coffee shops usually have the range of milks from whole to skim so you can choose what your kids would normally drink.
Christin, that is an excellent idea! Have you ever had trouble with the ziploc bag leaking? I sometimes do. I guess you could always double-bag it. I like to use The First Years “Take and Toss” cups. They are reuseable but inexpensive so if you need to toss them you’re not losing too much money.
I think I’ve used this method several times and only had 1 leak which was mostly contained in the cooler pouch. I try to use the quart size freezer bags so they’re extra thick. Doubling up is a great idea though.
Another alternative is freezing grapes and sticking them in ziplock bags. Works as a great freeze pack and you get to eat them once it thaws. I also grab ice from a vendor at the airport, but always double bag the ice. I have enough spills to deal with from my kids 🙂
Very well thought-out article! Our preference is the cardboard milk containers because of their convenience (no refrigeration *required*) and inability to cause large spills if just turned over thanks to the small hole for punching a straw through (watch out for squeezing too hard though). I also like that the cartons are disposable pretty much anywhere; the last thing I want to have to worry about while traveling from Point A to Point B is washing out a reusable container which has been filled with milk; the smell becomes stomach turning in a hurry (especially if you leave it in a hot car at your destination!). Thanks for sharing this article.
Jason- Oh I hate when I find sippy cups with milk in them in the car! Worst. Smell. Ever!
Thanks for the good ideas!
I like to bring powdered milk for my kids. I know it doesn’t taste as good- but my kids don’t seem to notice. It’s way easier to pack and when you need it you just add water. No need to keep it cold and it’s easy to pack in a ziplock bag and use as much as you need.
That was comprehensive, thanks for sharing this well thought out post on toddler milk options.
Great tips – I think many parents will find them useful!
Love these tips! I think it’s always important to plan for “what ifs” too. I wouldn’t count on an airline having milk when you need it. Unexpected turbulence may delay the beverage cart, much to your (and the rest of the passengers’) dismay!