Flying with Prescription formula

[dreamsofdisney]

I didn't read all of the responses thoroughly, so I apologize if my info is repeating what others have shared...

Our last trip to WDW was April 2011 when DD was 2. She's a former 1 lb 2 oz preemie with Autism, cerebral palsy and a feeding tube. She was 100% tube fed, and we were staying at WDW for 10 nights. She was taking about 5 cans of Pediasure a day at the time, and we wanted extra cans for wasted formula in the parks or in case we "fed the bed." (We did, by the way, but thankfully we noticed right away since she was sleeping with us!)

I brought a letter from her GI doc explaining the medical necessity for her enteral formula and pump, syringes, etc. I also contacted the airline to let them know ahead of time. We were told that all of her medical equipment, including any formula, should be packed in a separate piece of luggage and would be inspected when we went through security. We either flew Southwest or JetBlue - I can't remember which because we fly them both a lot - and they said there was no charge for the medical supply bag and it did NOT count towards your allowed luggage per person.

I packed a 4-5 cans in my diaper bag, and packed her medical supply with another 5-7 cans and used that as a larger carry on. I was too nervous to check her medical supplies...especially her pump!

Her supply company offered to ship her formula to the hotel, but I was worried it might get lost, so I shipped 2 1/2 cases via UPS. I checked online to find out the expected arrival date for different shipping dates, and shipped it so that it would arrive 2 days before we did. We were staying at AKV and it was waiting for us when we checked in. (I also ordered her diapers and wipes from Amazon and had them shipped to AKV, too, with no complications.) I loved that I could track the formulas progress, and knew before we got on the plane that it was there waiting for us.

When we flew out of both airports, I declared the medical supplies and "liquid nutrition" and they didn't even blink. They just pulled the bag aside, unzipped it, poked around a little, and that was it. Maybe an extra 4-5 minutes.

Feel free to PM me with any questions, and have a magical trip!

 

[MommaGinger]

My daughter was 4 on our trip last year and is on Pediasure also. We had no trouble at all bringing 9 bottles onto the plane with us on our carry on (which would last us 2 to 3 days). I also shipped down some more about a week before hand and confirmed that it was at the hotel waiting for us before we left. I had a note from her doctor as well (just in case) but they never asked for it.

 

[Bitsmommy]

OK guys after about 14 drafts, this is what I am sending to his PCP to put on letter head. I could have gone into great detail and did a couple of times, but something tells me that the TSA doesn't want to read this letter, much less decipher through a bunch of medical jargon that they don't understand. Do I need to add something else? All of his other liquid medications are in prescription bottles, so I don't think that we will have any issues there. THANKS

Chase W#*$$**@ G*&**** is has a Gtube and his primary source of caloric intake is Pediasure 1.5. This product is medically necessary liquid nutrition and is a prescription only product.

 

[buffettgirl]

OK guys after about 14 drafts, this is what I am sending to his PCP to put on letter head. I could have gone into great detail and did a couple of times, but something tells me that the TSA doesn't want to read this letter, much less decipher through a bunch of medical jargon that they don't understand. Do I need to add something else? All of his other liquid medications are in prescription bottles, so I don't think that we will have any issues there. THANKS

Chase W#*$$**@ G*&**** is has a Gtube and his primary source of caloric intake is Pediasure 1.5. This product is medically necessary liquid nutrition and is a prescription only product.

I think you're spot on - they're not going to try to decipher the medical info. So you've stated precisely what the item is, and what it is for. I think that's all you need.