Flying into MCO with milk?

[ElleBelle88]

So I’ve just been happily reading my ‘The Magic Starts Here’ book which I have received from Disney.
It states: ‘Customs will confiscate all fresh milk...when travelling into the USA;however, powder formula is allowed.’
I was planning on purchasing ready made formula milk land side and packing it in my carry on. Can I do this?! TIA

 

[sponica]

Like enfamil ready made formula or whatnot? You should be able to fly with it domestically provided you are traveling with an infant/toddler, although it does go through special screenings.

https://www.tsa.gov/travel/special-procedures/traveling-children

 

[ElleBelle88]

Thanks for the link. I suppose it depends on what TSA deem a ‘reasonable amount’. We are flying in from the UK and were planning on buying 30-40 7oz bottles of pre-made formula air side at London Gatwick so that we didn’t go over our weight allowance at check in before we fly. I’m now re-thinking this plan!

 

[sponica]

You might get better info on the UK forum:

https://www.disboards.com/forums/uk-trip-planning-forum.47/

 

[jtopp]

Are you staying at a hotel where you can have groceries delivered? There are many services, and a few supermarkets in the area that offer delivery for a nominal fee. It also means you don't have to carry it all thru the airport, etc..

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

They might allow it, but I'm guessing they will consider that to be more than a reasonable amount to carry on a flight. Is there any reason you can't get the powder and then mix it with water as needed? You can bring a few bottles pre-filled with water on the plane (though they will still do a special check on it), or buy bottles water in the airport, and bring the powder to mix when needed during travel. Or just bring a few bottles of the pre-mixed stuff. Then you could order some to be delivered to your hotel in Orlando.

 

[Tink_83]

How about shipping the bulk of it to your hotel (or ordering on-line and having it delivered). Is it a brand that you can’t get here? If it is a brand you can’t get here then I’d ship it in advance, call the hotel and let them know what you are doing and they can probably tell you how best to ship it... if you can get it from amazon that would be my preference since I’m a prime member so no shipping. Also, if you did do amazon you could also have diapers delivered as well to cut down on bulk when flying. Good luck!

 

[quandrea]

How about shipping the bulk of it to your hotel (or ordering on-line and having it delivered). Is it a brand that you can’t get here? If it is a brand you can’t get here then I’d ship it in advance, call the hotel and let them know what you are doing and they can probably tell you how best to ship it... if you can get it from amazon that would be my preference since I’m a prime member so no shipping. Also, if you did do amazon you could also have diapers delivered as well to cut down on bulk when flying. Good luck!

This is what I did for my twins in 2009. We were going to need so much formula for the two week trip and I wanted it to be the formula they were used to. Worked great. On travel day, I took powder.

 

[daisy2013]

I think milk refers to cows milk or goat milk etc - animal products which may be subject to customs inspection and destruction. Similar to bans on bringing fruit or vegetables into the country from abroad. Formula is highly processed and wouldn’t have the same issues. Also from a practical stand point buying in bulk at the airport may be the most expensive way to get formula. Amazon prime or instacart when you arrive

 

[kgriffitts]

If I recall correctly formula is considered a medical necessity so it doesn't fit under the normal liquid rules. The only issue is they may require you to open the bottle to test the formula. I know with the ready to use formula I have used in the past once it is open the clock starts ticking on how long it should keep if not refrigerated.

 

[marchingstar]

What formula do you use at home? Is there a powdered version? I think you might be making things a bit harder on yourself than they need to be, and you could get by easier with some powder and premixed bottles.

We're Canadian and we visited with our formula-drinking infant in December (7 months at the time). We packed a big, sealed container of the powder in our carry on (1.5 kg. I mean big!). We also brought a cooler with 4 8oz bottles we prepared in advance in our carry on. Our kiddo was eating some solids, so we brought a half dozen jars and pouches of food plus a bag of oatmeal. On top of wanting to keep our baby on the same food he has at home, we wanted extras in case there were delays on our travel day (like you, it's a full day of travel to get to Florida). No one batted an eye at our setup.

 

[Nsaudra]

They used some sort of test strip on the formula for us. All was good