Formula and traveling

GwylimT

In September my son and I will be traveling to the states, at the time he will be seven months old. We are traveling so he can have a medical procedure carried out, our LHA authority has helped arrange flights etc and I will be staying in the hospital for the duration of the stay (4 weeks unless there are complications).

We will of course be taking formula with us on the aeroplane, due to my sons condition he has a special formula that can only be prescribed, you can't buy it from a shop.

I myself have a dairy allergy (not lactose intolerance) and I carry an epi-pen, so I am unable to sip some of his formula at security.

I will be flying with Virgin from Heathrow to Newark then to Philadelphia with United.

I have contact Philadelphia who have sent me a confirmation letter that means I will not be required to drink some of my sons formula when I enter or leave Philadelphia as due to my allergy I cannot drink any. I have been attempted to do the same with Heathrow, I have medical notes for both myself and my son, yet each time I contact them I get different answers. Surely there must be a way of doing this as I know if you are tube fed you can take your bags without having to open one and therefore destroy it.

Does anyone have experience in not drinking baby formula due to a medical issue?

claire16c

Could you bring the powder & ask the airline to boil the water for you on the flight, and once you're through security and waiting for the flight ask a cafe or restaurant to give you some?

Or put some in bottles smaller than 100ml and empty them into your baby's drinking bottle to space the gap between checkin and the flight?

What about leaving Newark? Could you do the same there, ask a restaurant to help?

Or some kind of Drs note?

I wonder if they would accept a friend drinking it if they came to security with you?

GwylimT

claire16c wrote: »

Could you bring the powder & ask the airline to boil the water for you on the flight, and once you're through security and waiting for the flight ask a cafe or restaurant to give you some?

Or put some in bottles smaller than 100ml and empty them into your baby's drinking bottle to space the gap between checkin and the flight?

What about leaving Newark? Could you do the same there, ask a restaurant to help?

Or some kind of Drs note?

I wonder if they would accept a friend drinking it if they came to security with you?

Hes on a prescribed formula that doesn't come in a powder, its in ready made sealed bottles, okay I posted a link but as I'm new it wouldn't let me.

We have doctors notes, but Heathrow so far seem unwilling to accept them, we have had to get quite a lot of documents for him to be able to fly and insurance wise we have had to be given a treatment guarantee from our LHA as he is essentially uninsurable. We have thought about a friend, but passport and board pass check is before the actual hand baggage check and it so far seems to be something that they are also unwilling to be flexible on. I just don't understand why, the airports in America made a decision straight away, you would think they would be the ones saying no instead of making special measures. Its just more hassle that we just don't need.

Tigsteroonie

GwylimT wrote: »

Hes on a prescribed formula that doesn't come in a powder, its in ready made sealed bottles, okay I posted a link but as I'm new it wouldn't let me.

I'm guessing it's something akin to Infatrini, which comes in 200ml sealed bottles. Our littl'un was on that, he's now moved onto Fortini.

(Sorry, no help & no ideas - we've only holidayed within the UK so far!)

claire16c

GwylimT wrote: »

Hes on a prescribed formula that doesn't come in a powder, its in ready made sealed bottles, okay I posted a link but as I'm new it wouldn't let me.

We have doctors notes, but Heathrow so far seem unwilling to accept them, we have had to get quite a lot of documents for him to be able to fly and insurance wise we have had to be given a treatment guarantee from our LHA as he is essentially uninsurable. We have thought about a friend, but passport and board pass check is before the actual hand baggage check and it so far seems to be something that they are also unwilling to be flexible on. I just don't understand why, the airports in America made a decision straight away, you would think they would be the ones saying no instead of making special measures. Its just more hassle that we just don't need.

Hmm tricky if its not in powder then!

If its just the ones you need for the flight, Im guessing you wouldn't be able to decant enough in 100ml bottles to last the flight then.

so the only other option I can think is, as its on prescription, could you arrange for it to be picked up in the Boots after security?

GwylimT

Tigsteroonie wrote: »

I'm guessing it's something akin to Infatrini, which comes in 200ml sealed bottles. Our littl'un was on that, he's now moved onto Fortini.

(Sorry, no help & no ideas - we've only holidayed within the UK so far!)

Sounds exactly the same just another brand.

GwylimT

claire16c wrote: »

Hmm tricky if its not in powder then!

If its just the ones you need for the flight, Im guessing you wouldn't be able to decant enough in 100ml bottles to last the flight then.

so the only other option I can think is, as its on prescription, could you arrange for it to be picked up in the Boots after security?

I hadn't thought of ordering it in to boots, we don't go through a pharmacy at the minute the hospital arrange for it to be delivered to our house twice a week and then collect whats left to see exactly how much he eats, but I will definitely have to see about that. As they're ready made bottles they are sealed so you can't decant.