Bringing milk for a toddler (26 mths) on a plane?

[amarberry]

Vague? I don't think so.

See http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/children/formula.shtm from which I'll quote two paragraphs:

Baby formula and breast milk are allowed in your carry-on baggage or personal items. You can take these through the security checkpoints and aboard your plane. However, you must be traveling with a baby or toddler. All items including formula or breast milk will be inspected.

Please note, that juice and all other liquids or gels are not permitted.​

OP wanted to carry on "sealed Horizon milk singles" — not Baby formula and breast milk.

Again, milk can be purchased for consumption in the airport terminal. And milk is available during beverage service (at least it is in American and United, and I suspect on all other airlines). Sure there might be a catering glitch now and then, but that would be the exception, not the rule.

OP here. Well maybe I'm just an idiot, but I did think that this exact passage was vague due to the inclusion of "toddler". Toddlers, generally, don't drink formula so it wasn't clear to me that cow's milk wouldn't necessarily be included if you were allowed to bring aboard beverages for toddlers.

I didn't intend to start a debate about this. I just wanted to know what constituted a "toddler". I'm not planning to sneak milk on board. I'll buy milk in the terminal and throw it away before we board. I'm not overly concerned that we won't be able to get her something to drink (juice is a special treat for her, so I'm sure that will make her happy).

This is just a different situation for us because I'm one of those moms who always has a little lunchbag with milk, bottled water, snack, etc. so my DD always has a healthy snack available when we are out and about for more than an hour. I guess that my DD is use to milk on demand (something we started when she was a nursing child...hmm, now I wish she was still nursing, but that would be another debate I'm sure ). Guess I'm an over indulgent parent . I'm sure we'll be fine on the flight. It's only a couple of hours. Like I said, I just wasn't sure if she fell under the toddler definition or not.

 

[Tinker*Shell*Bell]

Right - you'll be the person glaring at said 2yo from across the aisle because she's upset that she can't drink anything during take-off...

I don't recall anyone saying the child can't have a drink for take off. This discussion is rather heated for no real reason.

Don't sneak anything on the plane.

Ask the flight attendants for a drink for your child before the doors close.

Problem solved.

can someone close this side show now? please.

 

[MAGICFOR2]

We are just back from DL flying from Oregon to Orange Count, CA. We brought milk in a sippy cup for our DGS - 19mo - He's pretty big for his age, too. They looked at the sippy cup, but didn't even open it. This was true coming and going. We really wanted it to help him with his ears on take off and landing. One thing I would be ready for - have you noticed how the TSA has their gloves on and then touches everyone's items? Dirty Kleenex and all??? We brought disinfectant wipes so we could wipe down the sippy cup before our DGS touched it. Have a great trip!

 

[bicker]

That is unclear from TSA's own website, Bicker, when you are talking about babies and toddlers (for which a 2yo qualifies).

The website is actually quite explicit about the fact that liquids other than baby formula and breast milk are prohibited. See Horace Horsecollar's message above.

Don't sneak anything on the plane. Ask the flight attendants for a drink for your child before the doors close. Problem solved.

Yes. Very well-said!

 

[DJNOWICK]

The website is actually quite explicit about the fact that liquids other than baby formula and breast milk are prohibited. See Horace Horsecollar's
message above.

Reasonable people can disagree. The inclusion of toddlers, imho, makes it somewhat unclear as the overwhelming majority of 2 year olds - who are toddlers - no longer drink formula nor breast milk. YMMV.

And asking the FA for a drink only solves the problem if your child will drink something they serve on the plane - which does not always include milk.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

I flew several times last week and once I went through the first security screening, there were no additional screenings for prohibited items, although there were many signs and announcements form the airline that liquids were not allowed.

Beverage service on every US plane I have flown includes milk. No need to bring your own, but you can always call the airline first to make sure they will have some.

 

[bicker]

Reasonable people can disagree.

Granted.

 

[amarberry]

Beverage service on every US plane I have flown includes milk. No need to bring your own, but you can always call the airline first to make sure they will have some.

Thank you. I had read conflicting information regarding whether or not milk would be available for children, but that is an excellent suggestion to call the airline directly. I'll do that (we're flying TED).

I'm done . Continue with your debate, if you'd like.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

I flew several times last week and once I went through the first security screening, there were no additional screenings for prohibited items, although there were many signs and announcements form the airline that liquids were not allowed.

True. There is not another screening when entering the aircraft, just signs and announcements.

A passenger who willingly ignores the direction and is then seen retrieving banned items from his or carry-on — such as containers of liquids purchased at an airport shop — should not be surprised if there are consequences, including attention from a Federal Air Marshall onboard or authorities waiting upon arrival.

Beverage service on every US plane I have flown includes milk. No need to bring your own, but you can always call the airline first to make sure they will have some.

I agree. Milk is a standard catering item on flights with beverage service.

 

[disneyldwjr]

Your blind loyality to the government is inspiring!

What does it remind me of?? Let's see....there was Germany in the '30s.....

It is not blind in the least. My obedience to the law and the realization of the tacit agreement to follow the rules/laws of the airline and TSA when I buy the ticket is very real.
Read up on your "rights" and then come back and discuss this issue without snide comments.
As I have said before: IF the ACLU THOUGHT FOR A MINUTE OUR INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS WERE BEING INJURED OR TAKE AWAY FROM US BY THE TSA RULES, THEY WOULD BE ALL OVER IT, LIKE WHITE ON RICE.
Your inferring that it would be ok to carry something prohibited on the plane shows an amazing lack of respect for rules and laws. Total entitlement attitude.

 

[bavaria]

Since this thread covers flying, children, and even Germany, I am going to jump right in as I have personal experience with all three.

The advice to follow the TSA (or CATSA, or BAA, depending on the country) website is the best advice given. We have seen on this website that a number of posters don't seem to understand the TSA website; I would argue that it is actually very clearly laid out and seperated into checked baggage and carry on items. As the TSA cannot reasonably address any item that someone may inquire about, be it gum, Ipods, or milk, they have listed the most frequently questioned items, and categorized other items togeter (ie milk = liquid)

For those who advocate trying to take a prohibited item past security - I can personally attest to three different flights in the last ten days where my security experience was delayed from the usual 2-3 minutes (I use an elite line) to over 20 minutes due to travellers who were carrying prohobited items. In each case, the traveller admitted that they knew that the item was prohibited, but had decided to try and break the rules. This in turn resulted in siginificant delays for the rest of us.

Also remember the 10 flights diverted a few weeks ago? on several of those, passengers brought out banned items or did not follow FA instructions (such as to turn off all electronic devices); other passengers or FAs reacted in a certain way, and flights were diverted or returned to the gate. Imagine the cost and loss of time involved in these incidents.

Finally, I posted shortly after 8/10 that we need to put these restrictions into perspective. Very few people bothered to read my post, choosing instead to join the fear inducing threads which were spreading misinformation. In that thread, I recalled taking the train through East Germany with nothing to drink. Guess what - I survived. So did my parents. And I can assure you that I would have been told to suck it up and wait until a drink was available. (In the end it was a small container of juice bought on a station platform after several hours, and it was hot due to being in the sun) That may not be how you parent, but it was the reality of the situation and we were taught to obey our parents instructions.

Too often these threads deteriorate into shooting the messenger (ie those who advocate visiting the TSA site, or quote from the site) and/or advocating breaking the rules, to the possible detriment of your fellow travellers.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

OP here. Well maybe I'm just an idiot, but I did think that this exact passage was vague due to the inclusion of "toddler". Toddlers, generally, don't drink formula so it wasn't clear to me that cow's milk wouldn't necessarily be included if you were allowed to bring aboard beverages for toddlers.

The TSA ban is on liquids and gels — except for baby formula and breast milk when "traveling with a baby or toddler."

A baby is usually defined as a very young child (birth to 1 year), who has not yet begun to walk. So the TSA added toddler to allow baby formula and breast milk for very young children who were still on baby formula or breast milk, but were no longer babies.

The TSA did not say, "any beverages for any toddlers are okay."

The TSA is not vague on this matter.

 

[disneyldwjr]

That is unclear from TSA's own website, Bicker, when you are talking about babies and toddlers (for which a 2yo qualifies). See my PP and contrast that with the one above about juice and other liquids not being ok -- both are directly from the TSA website. It comes down to how you interpret "other baby items."

TSA is VERY irregular about how they themselves interpret their own rules and much depends not only on the airport but the particular screener. In Islip on 8/14 they hand-checked for liquids before you board the plane, but ONLY if you were leaving the food court area. There was no hand-check in the normal baggage screening process.



Right - you'll be the person glaring at said 2yo from across the aisle because she's upset that she can't drink anything during take-off...

Jackie

Ah, no I would not. I was responding to the post where it was stated that the child would scream if she could not have milk. Nothing else was mentioned about any other kind of drink. Maybe I was lucky, but, NO was the final word with my children. Screaming and throwing fits was NOT acceptable.
Let's not degenerate into a child rearing debate, OK? You have your ways, I had mine.

 

[disneyldwjr]

OP here. Well maybe I'm just an idiot, but I did think that this exact passage was vague due to the inclusion of "toddler". Toddlers, generally, don't drink formula so it wasn't clear to me that cow's milk wouldn't necessarily be included if you were allowed to bring aboard beverages for toddlers.

I didn't intend to start a debate about this. I just wanted to know what constituted a "toddler". I'm not planning to sneak milk on board. I'll buy milk in the terminal and throw it away before we board. I'm not overly concerned that we won't be able to get her something to drink (juice is a special treat for her, so I'm sure that will make her happy).

This is just a different situation for us because I'm one of those moms who always has a little lunchbag with milk, bottled water, snack, etc. so my DD always has a healthy snack available when we are out and about for more than an hour. I guess that my DD is use to milk on demand (something we started when she was a nursing child...hmm, now I wish she was still nursing, but that would be another debate I'm sure ). Guess I'm an over indulgent parent . I'm sure we'll be fine on the flight. It's only a couple of hours. Like I said, I just wasn't sure if she fell under the toddler definition or not.

I hardly think you are an idiot. Everyone interperts things differently. Like others, the key words for me were:Please note, that juice and all other liquids or gels are not permitted.
The definition of toddler is amazing. Do a google search on "define toddler" and you will find an amazing amount of variables.
One said: one who toddles and is learning to walk. Another said until 48 months (just about preschool age).

 

[disneyldwjr]

Thank you. I had read conflicting information regarding whether or not milk would be available for children, but that is an excellent suggestion to call the airline directly. I'll do that (we're flying TED).

I'm done . Continue with your debate, if you'd like.

Calling the airline is a waste of time. They do not make the rules, the TSA does. The airlines can enhance the rules to include more banned items, however, they cannot allow anything banned by the TSA. And, the airlines do not do the screening. In fact, part of our ticket price goes to paying the agency.

 

[bavaria]

Also, calling the airline may not be helpful for a number of reasons: some airlines stock different beverages depending on route and/or length of flight; the beverage cart may not be fully replenished after an inbound flight; the beverage cart may not make it onboard (I've had that occur more than once); the milk may not be the type that your child drinks (I know several small children who are fussy as to percentage of fat and/or taste of milk).

The best suggestion is to try and be flexible. You can have a drink before security, toss it, buy another drink after security, toss it, and probably get another drink on board. Then you can buy yet another drink when you land.

I did a 6 hour flight last week and was just fine with one small cup of water on board, because I did exactly what I listed in the above paragraph.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Calling the airline is a waste of time. They do not make the rules, the TSA does. The airlines can enhance the rules to include more banned items, however, they cannot allow anything banned by the TSA. And, the airlines do not do the screening. In fact, part of our ticket price goes to paying the agency.

The reason amarberry wants to call the airline is to ask if they cater milk on their flights — not to ask the airline to change or ignore TSA security rules.

I'm sure that the Ted/United rep will say yes. For information on United's beverage service, see http://www.united.com/page/article/0,6722,51500,00.html

However, even if the airline rep says yes, there's not a 100% guarantee that that milk will be on the plane and that they won't run out before they get to a someone's seat — probably only a 99% chance that milk will actually be available.

 

[disneyldwjr]

The reason amarberry wants to call the airline is to ask if they cater milk on their flights — not to ask the airline to change or ignore TSA security rules.

I'm sure that the Ted/United rep will say yes. For information on United's beverage service, see http://www.united.com/page/article/0,6722,51500,00.html

However, even if the airline rep says yes, there's not a 100% guarantee that that milk will be on the plane and that they won't run out before they get to a someone's seat — probably only a 99% chance that milk will actually be available.

Opps, misread, I am sorry about that.
Just a FYI, SWA does not list milk in their beverage menu. http://www.southwest.com/travel_center/inflight.html

 

[SuzanneSLO]

By the way, the website for American Airlines notes in their list of beverages available: "Milk (Not available on all flights)"

Not relevant to the OP but this might be helpful to another person. I would agree that the availability will depend on many factors, but the airline may be able to tell you whether they normally cater milk for a particular flight. I would guess that flights to and from MCO would be more likely to have milk catered than some flights to and from other destinations.

Best of luck -- Suzanne

 

[bavaria]

I believe that the OP is flying TED; United lists milk, TED website does not list any beverages (TED is the low cost wing of United). My only caution would be that I have been on TED flights to MCO many times; there are lots of children, so milk may run out more often than on United mainline flights which are more business oriented. Also due to TED's attempt at quick gate turnaround, I have had experiences where the beverage cart is not completely replenished.

The frequent United fliers over at flyertalk.com don't like TED (I don't mind him) and the beverage service is their single biggest complaint after the one cabin setup. (Granted, most of them aren't looking for milk as a beverage )