Introduction
Traveling with young children is hard, but if they have medical conditions which require special formula powder to supplement their diet it’s an additional challenge. Our daughter has four foods she can safely consume in addition to one formula produced by Abbott Labs. Without it, she needs breastmilk, but not just any breastmilk – she needs breastmilk free from nearly a dozen trigger foods, otherwise she will be sick. While traveling internationally, this presented us with a number of challenges that we powered through.
In this post, we’ll share what those challenges were as well as travel tips for addressing them head-on so you can have an amazing trip! Whether this is your first time traveling or you’re experienced with plane travel, we hope you can take away some of our advice.
Five Challenges While Traveling Abroad
There were plenty of challenges – some foreseen and others unplanned that we had to work through. We’ve traveled domestically many times and have undergone additional screening since our formula-fed baby requires Elecare.
Estimating Formula Consumption
Enough formula was not “enough.” Our outbound plane was extremely hot, and one of Ellie’s quirks is the inability to regulate her temperature. I can’t even count how many servings of formula we went through trying to make it through that first flight when she couldn’t sleep and kept crying for milk (and, because I’d already eaten the airline-supplied meal, I could not nurse her safely). We ended up rationing her formula for a few days to make sure we could stretch our supply for the entire trip, and leave enough for the return flight home when we would be totally reliant on formula and not on food. Side note: our United Airlines flight attendant was simply amazing and offered to help whenever possible!
Traveling With Fresh and Packaged Foods
Produce and animal products are not allowed across international borders. Whatever chicken, avocado, and banana we brought onto the plane had to be consumed before deplaning, at which point we were again at the mercy of our formula supply. This impacted our outbound flight, before we could buy groceries locally, and also our return flight, when our last hotel’s mini fridge did not keep our remaining chicken and avocado fresh and we had to dump it before we even got on the plane. Safest bet: check with the authorities at your destination to determine what you can and can’t bring into the country. This also applies to the formula itself – our destination allowed 2kg of “powdered medical food.”
We found many of the same staple foods abroad that are available in the United States. However, one of our daughter’s safe foods is a specific brand of a single-ingredient food pouch (Plum Organics prunes). Before traveling, we did extensive research of the local supermarket chains at our destination to determine whether a comparable item was available locally. Once we confirmed it would not be available, we knew we had to bring it with us. Since it is pre-packaged rather than fresh produce, we felt confident carrying this into our destination country based on their restrictions.
Accommodations with Cooking Facilities
We had to book accommodations with kitchens. We had one 2-night stay in the middle of our trip with just a mini fridge, rather than a full kitchen. To prepare, we cooked chicken before checking out of the prior rental house, and cooked a new batch immediately upon arrival to the next one. Since we did not have a way to freeze her Packit lunch bag in the mini fridge, we had to plan our outings around her meals on those days, and could not assume her food would stay fresh on excursions. We found the best way to find accommodation to fit our needs was through AirBnB, VRBO, and other vs. a hotel stay.
Pumping and Dumping
Ever dumped pumped milk? It’s awful and hard, but it did allow me to eat freely. I pumped and dumped for the whole trip, plus a buffer upon return. The easiest way for me to handle this emotionally was for my husband to dump it for me (and wash all the dishes), and still it was very hard.
Stress, Stress, and More Stress!
We had so much food anxiety during this trip. We always do, but this time we worried about issues with customs and airport security: What if they question why our formula is expired (@abbottglobal 
There was a particularly stressful period at the airport for our return flight, where one gate agent said we would have to put our formula in our checked bags. Thankfully, I speak the local language and could explain that without her formula, she’d be screaming bloody murder for the whole flight. Even more thankfully, it didn’t come to that. We were able to bring it all through security and on board with us.
Despite this, we returned from a two-week trip overseas and it went as smoothly as you can expect. We made it work through careful planning and research before our trip to ensure we were compliant with food import rules.
Six Recommendations For a Successful Trip
Research Formula Import Requirements
Because Ellie can eat 4 foods, she is not 100% reliant on formula feeding for all meals; formula supplements her nutrition. This meant we could carry “enough” formula into our destination country and be under their import limit (quotations explained above).
Take Advantage of Local Grocery Stores
Three of her safe foods are readily available at most grocery stores, so we were able to buy and prepare those foods at our destination, and carry her safe pouches with us after extensive research to confirm an alternative was not available locally.
Pump and Dump
During this trip, I took an extended break from my elimination diet, so we only had to accommodate her needs, and not both of ours. This might be an option for everyone but if it is then your stress will be significantly reduced.
Fly Business – If You Can Swing It
Yes, it is significantly pricier. However, cabin crews tend to be more attentive to the needs of those passengers than in economy. There are ways you can even fly for little or no cost through redeeming points and miles with a reasonable amount of planning. Here at Arroyo Travels we want to help you achieve that goal!
Bring Travel Formula Dispensers
It’s a minor thing, but pre-measuring formula can take the stress out of the travel experience. Especially while on board the plane when turbulence can hit at any moment, handling a single serving versus the entire can makes it much easier to prepare a serving while wrangling a baby or toddler. When it’s time for a feeding, simply pour in the pre-measured formula to quickly get your meal ready!
Baggage Allowances
When researching, you may read blog posts indicating that your diaper bag does not count as a carry-on bag. For some airlines, this may be true. In my experience, however, if you are traveling with a lap child, the diaper bag IS counted as one of your carry-on bags, and is not an exception to the one carry-on one personal item rule. That said, there are a few things to keep in mind. Bags which contain only medical equipment, however, ARE exempt. That can include a breast pump and accessories, medications, EpiPens, any kind of medical equipment you may personally require (such as a wheelchair battery), and so on. In our case, we put all of our medically necessary food into the same bag as our breast pump and other medical equipment. Provided that you are using this policy as intended, you should not have to pay any additional bag fees if you carry a bag of medical supplies, including a breast pump or medically required formula.
My advice: declare it when you arrive at the gate. This is not necessarily required, but think about it — the gate agents know approximately how many carry-on bags they can accommodate, and then they announce when they will be over their limit, right? By letting them know upfront, you are making their jobs easier, and preventing a situation where you are unexpectedly asked to gate-check a bag of medical supplies.
Wrapping Up
During our last trip, we learned that Abbott had quietly reopened their plant. You can read more on our “about us” page about why this was an issue, however, just know that the baby formula crisis has impacted us incredibly hard. While we were jumping through hoops and making these accommodations to keep our little girl safe, Abbott was prioritizing their reputation above the sanity and emotional well-being of the families that depend on them.
The good news is we made it work. The trip was very memorable, and we will do it again. If your little one depends on formula, don’t let it make you feel trapped. With extra time and planning, you too can have a successful trip!4
