Traveling with Babe

Currently Craving: Breakfast, not sure what

Since we have visitors coming from far away this week (hooray!) i started thinking about what it's all about to travel, well to FLY with a baby. i am planning to nurse Babe myself and in general i think that's a pretty convenient way to keep a baby well fed. it's always around and always the right temperature and the perfect nutrition. plus you can pump if you're not going to be around babe for a while but she's going to need to eat.

so now i've started thinking.... we'll probably have at least one florida trip (hopefully more) in our lives while Babe is nursing and that's a long trip without eating, even for Max. i wouldn't expect a baby to make that trip on an empty stomach. and if she's not happy on a plane, eating sometimes helps calm the nerves or at least brings on sleep. i don't advocate eating for comfort, but i'm sure other passengers would thank me in this case.

All seems fine, you'd just pump ahead of time, take your bottles and head on out.... except for the TSA and their restrictions on traveling with liquids. remember a few years ago this woman was outraged because she was made to drink her own milk to prove that it wasn't a bomb or something? that doesn't seem right. formula parents kind of have it made on this point, they can bring the powdered formula with them, then buy a bottle of water once past airport security and mix it on the spot, baby's happy. but what are mommy's milk babies supposed to do? i'm wondering if in the first few months of the new liquid restrictions by the TSA they had a lot of moms trying to feed or pump while already on the plane. probably clogging the bathrooms for a long time or exposing themselves to fellow passengers who didn't appreciate it. or they might have had lots of really cranky babies who might have been fine if they'd had something to eat. so i'm betting they had a lot of ticked off passengers and very cranky flight attendants. (must be hard to keep a smile for hours on end with screaming baby to listen to)

i decided i should find out what the rules are now in case Babe and i have a flight in our future (incidentally, we do have a flight in our future, but it's at the end of this month and i don't have to worry about bringing anything for her to eat as long as i keep myself fed, sigh, that's easy) So now, according to the TSA website you are allowed to pack your own breastmilk, formula, or liquid medications at any size (not just limited to 3 oz) as long as it is clearly labeled and separate from everything else. it says in BOLD on the website: neither mothers nor babies will be forced to taste test the milk so that's a good thing. and essentially, you're just supposed to let the security screeners know as soon as you get to them that you have this milk with you. they'll take it away and do extra screening on it (no bombs please) and then return it. and while the amount is allowed to be more than 3oz, they do request that you only bring enough to make it to your destination. (you'd probably have to do that anyway because doesn't milk spoil?)

so all in all it doesn't sound so bad. a little bit of planning to get going, but at least you're not stuck trying to pump or feed on the plane where it just doesn't seem like there'd be enough room for that. so Florida next winter, here we come.