So you’re getting ready to go on holiday? How fun! While packing shoes, clothes and personal care items are quite easy, traveling with homemade baby formula is definitely a bit trickier!
Packing the 14 different ingredients used to make the homemade baby formula can definitely pose a challenge to even the most organized parent.
What if you are flying a long distance with fresh milk for more than just a day or two? How in the world do you pull that off?
Careful planning of exactly how much formula you will use while you are out of town and the most effective method of transporting it with the least amount of hassle will save you from {gasp} having to resort to commercial formula as a stop-gap while you are away.
Resorting to commercial formula while on vacation even if organic, when your baby is accustomed to the whole, nourishing homemade formula, is sure to wreck your vacation with sleepless nights and colicky days from a very gassy and uncomfortable baby.
Don’t risk it!
And, have you heard that even organic commercial baby formulas use genetically modified ingredients? (1)
You just cannot trust anything made in a factory anymore, especially if it’s for your precious baby!
There are just way too many loopholes and games manufacturers play to get around the rules. If you need decent baby formula, you must make it yourself and this includes while you are traveling!
Resign yourself to the fact that when you travel, you must figure out a way to take these homemade baby formula ingredients with you.
Here are a few tips and ideas that may help you make the process a little less stressful:
Easy Traveling With the Homemade Formula
- Ask a friend or relative at your destination to source the ingredients you need before you arrive. This is probably the easiest way to travel by not having to take anything with you and having the ingredients ready to go upon your arrival.
- If you don’t have a friend or relative at your destination who is on board with the importance of the homemade baby formula, contact a local Weston A. Price Foundation Chapter Leader at your destination and ask if there are any Moms in that area you could contact ahead of time who are currently using the formula who could source the ingredients for you.
- If there are no Moms at your destination who are using the homemade formula, try to at least find someone who has access to raw milk who can have some fresh raw milk ready for you when you arrive. Then, you only have to travel with the rest of the ingredients which are far less bulky.
- Consider shipping all the ingredients for the homemade formula from Radiant Life to your destination and have them waiting for you. Â Then, all you have to worry about is the raw milk.
What To Do If You Must Take ALL the Ingredients With You.
- When traveling with homemade formula, pack all the ingredients except the raw milk and the liquid whey in a small carry-on bag.  The oils do not travel well if checked at baggage claim (I know this from experience) and tend to leak all over the place no matter how securely you fasten the lids.  If questioned at security, just say they are particular foods required because of a special diet.  Pack the oils in the labeled bottles they come in and put each in a separate ziplock bag just to be safe in case they leak.  You don’t want any unmarked bottles that might be taken away by TSA.
- The remaining dry ingredients should be included in the separate, small carry-on bag as well.  Keep the ingredients in the containers they come in so that security can see what they are.  You don’t want some zealous TSA official taking away your lactose, for example, thinking it is cocaine because it is in an unlabeled ziplock bag!  I know this seems funny and perhaps far-fetched, but stranger things have happened at airport security!
- Include several glass bottles of already prepared homemade formula in ziplock bags with ice packs in the small carry-on bag. You never know when your flight will be delayed so you need to have an ample supply of formula already made in case you don’t arrive on schedule and your baby gets hungry.  You can always get a cup of hot water at an airport cafe to quickly warm up one of the glass bottles for your baby if need be.
- Freeze the amount of raw milk and liquid whey you need for the entire trip and place these containers (not glass) in the smallest cooler you can and tape it shut with packing tape.  Remove any labels that indicate the milk is raw to save yourself any questioning or hassle from TSA if traveling to a state with different laws on raw milk than your own.  TSA won’t be able to tell the milk is raw from just looking at it and will assume it is pasteurized.  Make sure you put your name and destination address on the cooler as well. Check the cooler at baggage claim. The milk will stay safely frozen for the duration of your trip and you can quickly thaw some in a sinkful of warm water when you arrive at your destination.
Don’t Forget About Water and the Blender!
One of the key ingredients in the homemade baby formula is clean, pure, filtered water.  If you can’t be sure about the water source where you are traveling, don’t forget to take some of your own with you!  Freeze it and put it in the cooler with the raw milk and liquid whey and plan to check it at baggage claim.
Be sure to double-check that your destination has measuring spoons, cups and an appropriate blending device. Â Take your own if in doubt.
Do you have tips for traveling with homemade formula? Â Please add your experiences in the comments section for other parents to read and learn from!
Never Heard of Homemade Formula Before?
Do you think making your own baby formula will be too time-consuming or costly?
The fact is that it only takes about 10 minutes to make a batch once you learn how. Budget-wise, making a top-quality, wholesome homemade formula costs about half what the organic commercial formulas cost per ounce!
I recommend sourcing your ingredients from this vetted source to ensure quality.
Happy travels!
Reference
(1) GMOs in Organic Baby Food
More Information
Feeding an Adopted Baby without Commercial Formula
Homemade Nondairy Baby Formula
Goat Milk Formula
High Levels of Arsenic in Organic Baby Formula
Good point! I’m sorry you had a bad experience with a lactation consultant. I am fortunate that BFing went very well, but I know friends for whom it was all but natural. The lactation consultant who did the support group I attended always had the wonderful advice to mothers who were struggling – “Rule #1 is – feed the baby.”
@ Claire I am probably overly sensitive to this issue given my experience with a very black and white lactation consultant many years ago. Those types of arguments are not helpful in any way to the discussion. I don’t want women reading that post trying to get tips for traveling with the formula to somehow come away feeling guilty about it!
And for a mom facing the daunting challenge of getting a baby and all related accoutrements through the TSA line, it was wonderful advice! I’m sure donated breastmilk would get just as many weird looks and questions from over zealous agents as the vitamins and oils. 🙂
I understand and agree with you, but all the same it seemed like she was just sharing her thoughts and opinions (although the length of her response certainly took over the thread!). I appreciate passion for beliefs no matter what the belief. But yes, very much agree that such black and white views can be very disheartening to those struggling with breastfeeding. No woman should have to feel guilty for not nursing if she truly is unable to.
@Claire She was using my blog to promote her platform which is misguided and not helpful to other seeking true solutions to their breastfeeding challenges. I almost quit breastfeeding many years ago when I came up against someone with such a black and white view of breastfeeding. I can’t allow that on my FB page for fear it could discourage others too.
I wish you had not removed the woman’s post. She was passionate in her argument, as are you. When the topic is something you care strongly about, what’s wrong with being passionate? She was not slamming you or your nutrition values, just stating her opinion that breastmilk, regardless of the source, is what she feels is the best food for babies. It bothers me when posts are removed not for being inflammatory, but merely for being passionate about a differing opinion.
What about the women who can’t breastfeed or adopt? Donor milk banks are not an option as the diets of the mothers is unknown and most likely seriously deficient. Women MUST have a whole foods based alternative to breastmilk. Even 5000 year old baby mummies have been found with sheep teats fashioned into nursing bottles.
This is the point I diverge from Sally Fallon and the whole Weston Price Movement, I think this focus on home made formula is so misguided and misleading. Babies do fine on just breastmilk until they show they need more my expressing hunger. It is common and fine for babies to eat only breastmilk and just toy with food until age 1 at least, let the baby’s appetite lead the way. The fats and live food aspect of breastmilk, plus its calorie density, make it the perfect food for babies. Egg yolk is a good first food, but babies do not need egg yolks and meat the first year to develop their brains. And if your baby gets the full infusion of cord blood from a healthy birth where the cord was left intact anemia will not be a problem. Breastmilk is the most easily absorbed kind of iron, and in a well nourished woman offers plenty of iron for at least a year. Why work so hard to promote this formula, why talk about ANYTHING but breastmilk if you are claiming to be pro-optimal nutrition for infants? I would rather my baby get donor breastmilk, a living food full of stem cells, and microphages, and immune goodness than some liver concoction from a blender. Ick. If someone could not nurse or get breastmilk donated, this formula would be a good alternative, but lets focus on supporting women to get the breastfeeding help they need then, not promoting formula of any kind, not in a organization that is about optimal nutrition the traditional way!! Nothing comes close to breastmilk, and nothing could be more convenient for travel than breastfeeding. Keep the formula talk out of the discussion about healthy infant feeding!
http://www.health-e-learning.com/articles/JustOneBottle.pdf
This is an old post but I had to reply. First off, I don’t think anyone on this blog or health path would believe for one second that Sarah is advocating formula over breast milk. I for one am VERY glad she posted this, but unfortunately it was too late to help me. My breast milk would dry up mysteriously when the baby was around 4 months. By time my 3rd child came along I was prepared, I thought I was eating better (I didn’t know about traditional diet so in hindsight I was not) and I took every precaution I could. Come 4 month it started to happen, so I downed every herbal remedy I possibly could, my milk slugged along for another month. Finally I started supplementing with organic formula and to my horror is caused bloody stools and stomach pain in my infant. I went straight to the doctor and begged her for anything that could help my milk production. I was put on a Reglan (I know, completely horrific) and sure enough my milk came back for one more month and then that was all she wrote. I was dried up. I started begging breast milk off my SIL and my cousin, I never in a million years thought I would use someone else’s breast milk, but seeing my baby in pain I got over it real quick. My point is I wish I would of known about this formula recipe, it would of saved me many sleepless nights and lots of worrying. I hated every bottle of formula I made for my children. To this day I regret it. So I for one am so very glad Sarah is sharing this info for the moms who find themselves in situations like mine.
Hi Sarah, I am fortunate enough that I have not had to supplement or use anything but Mamma’s milk for our baby. The first two children I did not know better about baby foods. I have since drastically and gradually been changing our eating as a family. We now have a new little baby. My husband is military and we are awaiting orders to move, possibly cross country. These trips combined with vacation and visiting may take a few weeks. Our baby will be 8 1/2 months. Is there a safe commercial baby food? Or would nursing, bananas, and avocados be enough in that time frame. I don’t know if I will be able to find a safe source of liver and eggs while travelling. I don’t want her to be loaded up with neurotoxins nor do I want her be not getting enough nutrition! Thank you for your often thought provoking posts and education. I am in awe of the time you spend on your family, kitchen and blog!
Sarah, you should be fine. I went back to work when my older son was 5 months old and continued BF until he was 3 years old. I pumped milk at work and my MIL gave that to him throughout the day with some solids. I nursed when I was home. I did use jarred baby food (organic) with additional salt and healthy fats but my MIL also prepared fresh foods for him. I did the same with my younger one but did almost no jarred baby food as I stayed home with him for almost 11 months. Bananas and avocadoes are great – sweet potatoes are another great choice. I would try to find the best eggs I could – farmer’s markets might carry some better options (my HFS carries local pastured eggs which I buy frequently). I think going without liver for a few weeks will do. I look forward to seeing what Sarah says…
Sarah, at 8 1/2 months old your child needs meat and good fats and I’m not talking about the monounsaturated fats like whats in avocado (although that is ok). Make blended homemade soups that include meat with homemade broths and stocks. Bananas and avocados along with just breastmilk is NOT enough food at 8 1/2 months. Not by a long shot.
Try to incorporate egg yolks into your baby’s diet. Liver was a first food in some traditional cultures (at 6 months of age). My children loved liver at this age and woofed it down .. babies can run out of iron stores around 6 months and need meat starting about this time. Egg yolks and liver are full of the good fats your baby’s brain needs at this time.
Remember that a baby’s brain grows the most in the first year of life. This is the most critical time to ensure plenty of good fats in the diet and not just from breastmilk.
Hi Sarah, on the subject of commercial baby food, I used organic jarred baby food with my first child but not with my next two. I made all my baby food myself for them. I think commercial baby food even if organic is not the best choice as the food is microwaved and diluted with water. You will get a far better result making it yourself at home.
Sarah, I plan to make most things at home while I can but the time we will be without a home is what I am concerned about.
Can you make a bunch of soups ahead of time, freeze them and take them with you? Jarred organic baby food is ok in a pinch.
Thank you for all the time on my question!!! Yes, I will try and hope we can keep them frozen for a few weeks!!
Hitting the Road With Homemade Baby Formula – The Healthy Home Economist http://t.co/3Am2ecQq