Long haul holiday with formula fed baby - help

[lulu]

Hello,

We are thinking of taking a long haul holiday with our little one. She will be around 8 months when we go. We haven't decided on a destination but wondered if anyone had any tips? Particularly on the practical aspects of bottle sterilisation. We were thinking of taking formula cartons as a bit worried about the water situation but this will then add extra weight to suitcases.

Any advice re destination or bottles would be welcome

L

[Sunlover00]

Hi Lulu

I bought disposable sterile bottles (available in John Lweis) for planes and took a microwable sterilation bag (available in JoJos) to sterilise bottles provided you have access to microwave at your destination.

I pre-ordered lots of ready made forumula from boots air-side and once passed security, I collected the cartons intended for times when we were on the move and wouldnt have access to boiling water to make milk up. Yes, it more hand luggage but for us it saved faffing around mixing on planes.

Tip re: the disposable bottles - practise screwing the lid on otherwise it can leak if not fixed properly, and it can easily overheat so when warming up milk on plane, be mindful that it wont need very long to get to the desired temp.

Good luck

[mima08]

Hiya

we also used the disposable sterile bottles and took sterilisation bags for when we got there- you just add water and can leave things to sterilise in them for several hours. I seem to remember getting everything from Amazon.

mx

[Ellie78]

You can buy cartons the other side of security at heathrow at least- we reserved out with boots a week before and picked up on the day- it means you'd only have to think about the weight of the cartons on way back... Would that help?

[lulu]

yes all this advice is really helpful. Thanks. did you guys go long haul? any tips regarding destination? Good tip regarding pre ordering the formula at the airport.

[devsdev]

Hi Lulu,

I flew 8-9 hours (to India) when my LO was 3 months and then back when she was about 6 months. I ordered formula packs at LHR from the Boots airside - they're very used to it and numbers available on airport websites and on boots.com. If you use something other than Aptimil then definitely call at least a week in advance to ensure they can order it in (we're using Hipp and they had to order it). In India when we were coming back miraculously they didn't take away the formula from me since I couldn't buy any in the airport! Definitely check what to do at the airport from where you'll be returning.

At 8 months you may not need to sterilise depending on where you are going and what the quality of tap water is there. If you wash in hot water it may be fine. For the plane I had a small suitcase and changing bag stuffed with many bottles. On our way back our LO was having about 6oz so I had 4 big bottles and a couple of small ones and I just threw away any left over milk in the carton as there was too little to bother storing it in a bag of ice and then figuring out how to rewarm it (the stewards wouldn't store the leftover milk in their fridge).

When you choose where to go, see if you can get a self-service apartment with a kettle and microwave so you can follow your formula routine. If worried about local water then use mineral water and boil it completely before using to make up formula (powdered). Ready-made formula would be quite heavy, but then again you'll probably have to take some with you if you're going to be out and about.

If you do decide you're likely to sterilise I have a smallish Avent micro-steriliser you're welcome to borrow to take with you.

Re: destinations - entirely up to what you want to do and where you want to go! I'd personally recommend going somewhere close like Spain where you'll have good food, good weather and get to relax - but that's just me voicing what I wish I was doing this summer! Of course you can always go to the Caribbean instead!

Hope this is helpful!

[lulu]

Yes really helpful and thanks for the offer. We use Hipp to.

[ortuke]

Hi

We flew 8-8 1/2 hour to Barbados when our daughter was 5 months old. Top tips I'd give are:

1. Miltons do cold water steriliser tablets : easy to carry and easy to use

2. Don't stress about sterilising though particularly if yours is over 6 months. Just make sure the bottle is clean. Maybe pour boiling water all over it if you're worried.

3. Take powder as well as cartons. Especially if you're going somewhere hot as they're likely to be thirsty. That said, you can give water too. I say this as we ran dangerously low when we were away!

4. Plan to open 50% of what you want to carry on the plane as you pass through security. We didn't have to but better safe than sorry. And definitely get your formula at the UK airport once you're through - boots had lots.

5. Take a baby bjorn or equivalent onto the plane as although you can take your buggy to the plane door here, they don't always bring it back when you get to your destination so juggling a baby plus all the hand luggage can be a challenge if you don't have a buggy.

6. Don't forget your mosquito net for your buggy / cot if you have one.

7. Go self catering or book a hotel room that has a separate room for your baby or you'll be in bed early every night whispering (!) plus one of you will be stuck in the hotel during daytime naps.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head!

Have a lovely holiday wherever you go!

[wellieboot]

I took loads of microwave steri bags with me and found that there was no microwave so any tablet/water based ones are a must for back up at least. On the plane I just had to open one carton and taste a little..

[mima08]

Cold water tablets are great - as I said, you can get them in/ with special plastic bags you can easily use anywhere - and we reused the bags on multiple occasions (with new tablets, of course).

All the things Ortuke said, plus, get a UV suit for the baby - makes life a lot easier in the sun!

My vote for a long-haul would be Caribbean, 8-10 hrs, but of course that depends on the time of the year you are going...

[Convex]

We went long haul when my baby was 10months.

Because we were going to Cambodia initially and weren't sure of the facilities, we took everything.

Formula plus one of those little stacking pots that could hold measured out feeds. The bibi one is good as it takes up less space.

Our usual bottles - didn't see the point of buying new.

Milton cold water steriliser tabs and a container.

Bottle brush and detergent.

Mini travel kettle. (Probably wasn't necessary)

A cool bag to hold the days feeding paraphernalia.

And for the plane, we took ready made milk. We were asked to open 1 I think, I just poured the remainder into a bottle and made sure it stayed upright.

I have also used powdered milk on the plane too and that's been fine, a bit more of a faff but they have boiling water for tea etc.

If going to a hot country, take more than you think you need. We were away for 2 months and took 12 boxes, and only just had enough.

What else... Take heaps of nappies for the flight. We had to buy nappies in Sydney airport and the tossers charged about a quid each!!!

[lulu]

Wow thanks for the advice. I definitely feel a bit more confident about going long haul now. We were thinking Caribbean. Just hope LO is ok on the flight...

[Convex]

Caribbean will be fine. If its the plane you are worried about take a sling, at least then you can walk the baby to sleep or at least give the people around you a break!

Make sure you get a cot seat booked, it's a lot easier.

[jLo]

Ooh, and here's my top tip: lanyards! I ordered a bunch from Amazon and they were brilliant. One for his dummy, one for each toy - so they couldn't be dropped/thrown on the floor. My son was 6 months when we flew to Australia - he is very wriggly and so didn't like being strapped down on my lap during long taxi and takeoff etc. Having a couple of toys hung round my neck (and his dummy round his neck) was very useful!

(I should stress that these lanyards had quick-release clips so there was no chance it could choke him)

[gwod]

Hello,

we did long haul with my girls when they were babies. The disposable bottles (like a bag that fits into a plastic bottle) are fab for travelling. http://www.lenafashionworld.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=1395

They are pre sterilised and pack very small. Also, I didnt sterilise bottles at all after about 6 months. Just washed them well and didnt store milk in them. (Made it fresh each time) I figured that once they could roll over and lick the carpet or chew the toys at playgroup there wasnt much point!