Hi,
hope you don't mind but I recently gave some others advice on travelling with a little one as our dd was 7 months old when we first went and have cut and pasted two of my earlier replies below.
You are not allowed to bring
fresh fruit/veg but we were ok with the ellas kitchen veg/fruit pouches and pasturised sma baby milk.
This is from the homeland security web site -
http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/vacation/kbyg/prohibited_restricted.xml#FoodProductsPrepared I've heard of people e-mailing them and getting responses but we didn't do that.
Meats, Livestock, and Poultry
The regulations governing meat and meat products are very strict. You may not import fresh, dried, or canned meats or meat products from most foreign countries into the United States. Also, you may not import food products that have been prepared with meat.
Fruits and Vegetables
Bringing fruits and vegetables can be complicated. For instance, consider the apple you bought in the foreign airport just before boarding and then did not eat? Whether or not CBP will allow the apple into the United States depends on where you got it and where you are going after you arrive in the United States. The same would be true for those magnificent Mediterranean tomatoes. Fresh fruits and vegetables can carry plant pests or diseases into the United States.
These are my responses:
I took lots of pouches of ellas kitchen with me (possibly 30?!? packed inside a small washing up basin) and bought some baby food there (via garden grocer) but wasn't very impressed with it. I also took 24 cartons of ready made SMA progress (usa milk different to UK) and then used the space on the way home for souveniers - depends who your flying with for weight allowances - virgin were great. What needed for flight in hand luggage and no probs with customs as didn't bring in any meat products and declared it verbally and on the form at customs as in MCO they ask everyone before sending you on through or for extra checks - we got sent on through with food and milk.
She was 7.5 months and handled flight no probs. When she got a bit unsettled DH took her for a walk around the cabin and this worked wonders. Milk/juice on take off and decent for her ears.
Best piece of advice I can give you is to buy a buggy fan from mothercare and bring spare batteries - it was a life saver and we were stopped by multiple people each day to see where we got it from. Its bright green and looks life a bird but you can also pull the fan out of its holder and use it in your hand. Took it on the flight too for ammusement factor!
Spray on sun cream and plastic steriliser bags and tablets from mothercare too whih we hung fron the taps in the bath - if you do this DO NOT put the blue writing against the bath as it comes off onto the bath and took days to scrub off again! Oops! Took a small washing up basin and bottle brush and packed all her food in it in the suitcase so didn't take up any room.
we took our milk and food through security for the same reasons. The food I had to stick my finger in then taste and the milk I was prepared and left it in the carton until asked to open and taste it (knew this would happen) and I poured it into a sterialised 250 ml bottle with a sealing disc on.
Took disposable bottles from boots (pks of 4) for way out and back so no washing on first and last day and then when needed milk I poured it out from my sealed bottle - if that makes sense!??
On aircraft (virgin) I asked them to put milk into fridge to keep cool and they couldn't as it was open but gave me an ice bucket for under my seat. Worked out really well and could heat in hot water in the galley.
Def recommend the disposable bottles. Bit expensive but worth every penny. Only thing to remember if you take them is that once they are sealed they can't be reopened to eg add another ounce and also when sealing turn REALLY hard or they don't seal properly and your little one ends up covered in milk!
The boots in Gatwick is quite big though so you might get what you need there. Have heard of people phoning and ordering what they need.
Hope this helps a little as we found it hard to find info before we went,
Christie
however I am now trying to get my mind round the logisitics of travelling with a 9month old baby!
So that just leaves the food. I am thinking it might be easier just to buy some jars out there but I would really like to take her cereal with me as we then don't have to worry about a supermarket stop the first evening.
