Flying with a baby: milk, baby bottles and baby food jars

When flying with a baby, baby formula, breast milk, prepared baby bottles, baby food jars, and fruit purées are exempt from the 100 ml cabin bag rule: the DGAC allows them in the quantity necessary for the duration of the trip, provided you can justify their necessity by the presence of the baby with you. These foods are presented separately at the security checkpoint, outside the one-liter transparent bag reserved for the parents' liquids.

As for powdered milk, it does not even fall under the definition of liquids: it is the simplest solution for an infant, with water for the bottle and a few meals in advance in the cabin, the rest of the stock traveling in the checked suitcase.

Which baby foods are exempt from the 100 ml rule?

All liquid foods intended for the baby are exempt from the 100 ml limit per container, as long as the child is traveling with you. This exception stems from Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/1998, which expressly lists baby foods among the liquids allowed for specific inspection, and the Directorate General for Civil Aviation (DGAC) specifies its application for departures from France. The framework is common to flights departing from the European Union, Switzerland, Norway, and Iceland, but each state may specify the terms: when departing from another country, check the airport's instructions.

What exactly the French regulations say

On its page dedicated to regulated items on airplanes, the DGAC answers unambiguously: liquid baby foods are allowed in the cabin "in the quantity necessary for the duration of the trip", i.e., the outbound journey, the stay on site, and the return journey. The passenger must be able to justify the necessity of keeping them in the cabin due to the presence of a baby with them. The DGAC does not detail this category; in practice, the following fall under liquid baby foods:

• Baby formula in a carton or already prepared in the baby bottle
• Breast milk, in a baby bottle or in a storage pouch
• Savory baby food jars, fruit purées, and purée pouches
• Drinks intended for the child

This baby exception is one of the few exceptions to the general rule, detailed category by category in our guide on liquids on airplanes.

Baby food jars and fruit purées: liquids within the meaning of the rule

A baby food jar is not a drink at all, and yet it is treated as a liquid. European Regulation 2015/1998 classifies pastes, lotions, liquid and solid mixtures, soups, and syrups as liquids, aerosols, and gels. A vegetable purée or an apple compote is part of it: without the baby exception, a 200 g jar would be refused at the security checkpoint.

Powdered milk, outside the liquids rule

Powdered milk does not appear in this European definition. A whole box, ready-to-use dispensers, or a compartmented dispensing box can therefore travel in a carry-on bag without going through the liquids quota. The agent can always ask to examine the powder, which is why it is better to keep it in its original packaging or in a transparent container.

What quantity of milk and water to take in the cabin?

The regulations do not set any numerical volume: they allow what is necessary for the duration of the trip. Concretely, the cabin bag is best limited to the meals for the journey, the wait at the airport, and a margin for a delay, a layover, or a missed connection, the rest of the stock being able to go in the checked suitcase.

Calculating the meals for the journey, including delays

The right reflex is to count the infant's usual meals over the door-to-door duration, then add a margin. A two-hour flight often represents four to five hours between leaving home and arriving at the hotel. Air France also recommends, in its advice to families, taking baby bottles and usual food in sufficient quantity for the trip.

• The meals planned between leaving home and arrival
• At least one extra meal in case of a departure delay
• One baby bottle in advance on a flight with a layover
• A reasonable quantity: the DGAC also covers the stay, but everything that is not used during the journey travels more simply in the checked suitcase

The baby bottle water, the point to anticipate

The DGAC text speaks of liquid baby foods without mentioning the water intended for the baby bottle. Present the bottle with the child's meals, explaining its use: it is the security agent who appreciates it, and in case of persistent doubt, they can refuse it. A bottle of water purchased in the boarding area, after security, avoids any discussion, provided you choose water that is suitable for your child's baby bottles.

How to present the milk and baby food jars at the security checkpoint

The child's food is removed from the carry-on bag and presented separately, like other liquids. European Regulation 2015/1998 expressly lists baby foods among the liquids subject to specific inspection, and the DGAC requires liquids to be presented separately, outside the cabin bag. Follow the instruction displayed at the checkpoint.

Prepare the tray before arriving at the conveyor belt

Group baby bottles, baby formula cartons, baby food jars, and fruit purées in a single pouch, easy to remove from the diaper bag. The one-liter transparent bag remains reserved for the parents' cosmetics and liquids, with its limit of one bag per passenger. The rules of this bag are recalled by the public service, and our article on the toiletry bag on airplanes details what fits in it.

• A pouch dedicated to the child's meals, placed alone in a tray
• The parents' transparent bag in another tray
• Closed baby bottles, full or partially used, with the cap screwed on
• The diaper bag goes through the X-ray like any cabin bag

Justify the presence of the baby and answer questions

It is the presence of the child that justifies the exception. The agent may nevertheless ask to open a container or perform an additional check: the DGAC specifies that the allowed liquids remain subject to checks and that a product whose authorized nature leaves a persistent doubt is refused. In this case, it advises asking the airport about alternatives, such as checking in the checked bag.

Prepared baby bottle or powdered milk and water: what to choose for the flight?

Both options are allowed in the cabin: the choice depends on the child's habits, the duration of the flight, and the time you want to spend at security. Powdered milk remains the lightest formula and the least exposed to questions, the prepared baby bottle the fastest on board.

On a long-haul flight, a combination works well: a prepared baby bottle for takeoff, powdered milk dispensers for the rest, and a bottle of water purchased after security, chosen to suit the child's baby bottles. If you need to have a baby bottle or baby food jar warmed up, ask the crew, who will tell you what the aircraft allows.

The baby menu offered by Air France

Air France offers, on its long-haul network, a baby menu for children from 0 to 23 months, to be reserved up to 48 hours before departure. It includes savory and sweet baby food jars, biscuits, and a dairy dessert, according to the airline's families and children page. On these same flights, the airline also indicates that it makes diaper changing tables available. These services are specific to Air France: each airline publishes its own offer, to be checked before the flight.

Breast milk on the plane: with or without the baby on board

With the baby on board, breast milk benefits from the same exception as baby formula. Without the child, the DGAC does not provide for an exemption: it links the exception to the presence of a baby with the passenger. Pumped milk therefore follows in principle the general rule of 100 ml per container in the cabin, or travels in the checked suitcase.

Transporting pumped milk without the child

The DGAC explicitly links the exception to the presence of a baby with the passenger. A parent who leaves alone on a trip and brings back pumped milk must therefore distribute their containers: 100 ml maximum each in the transparent bag, the rest in the checked suitcase in a cooler or an insulated bag. In case of doubt, ask the departure airport before the flight.

Departing from the United States, a more flexible rule

On a return from an American airport, it is the TSA that controls. It allows in the cabin baby formula, breast milk, drinks for toddlers, and baby foods, including purée pouches, over 3.4 ounces, i.e., 100 ml, without placing them in the transparent bag.

• The child does not need to be present to carry breast milk
• Ice packs and frozen gel packs are accepted in the cabin, even without milk
• You must inform the agent at the beginning of the check and take these products out of the bag
• The passenger can ask that the milk not go through the X-ray, an additional check then applies

Cabin or checked bag: how to distribute the baby's meals

The cabin holds the meals for the journey, the checked bag holds the stock for the stay. The stock for the stay leaves at check-in, in the checked suitcase. This distribution lightens the diaper bag, speeds up the check, and avoids carrying in the carry-on what will only be useful at the destination.

What remains in the diaper bag or cabin suitcase

• The baby bottles or powdered milk dispensers for the journey, with the planned margin
• Two or three baby food jars or fruit purées, a spoon, and a bib
• Wipes, diapers, and a change of clothes
• The stuffed animal, the pacifier, or the rattle, to keep within reach

For the parents' snack, the rules differ: our article can you take food in a carry-on bag summarizes the solid and pasty foods subject to the 100 ml limit.

The baby's baggage allowance, specific to each airline

The available space for the milk stock depends on the child's allowance, which varies from one airline to another. At Air France, a baby under 2 years old traveling on an adult's lap is entitled in the cabin to a carry-on bag of 12 kg maximum, with dimensions of 55 x 35 x 25 cm, and in the checked bag to a 10 kg bag, unless the ticket does not include checked baggage. This 10 kg bag is an Air France rule, not to be transposed to other carriers: check your airline's family page before closing the suitcase.

Air France adds for free in the checked bag a stroller or a rigid baby carrier and a car seat. The details of the rules, dimensions, and delivery at the boarding gate are in our article on strollers on airplanes.

Protecting the milk stock in the checked suitcase

Powdered milk boxes handle the checked bag well, provided they are closed in a zip bag to prevent a loose lid from scattering the powder in the clothes. The cartons and baby food jars are centered in the suitcase, surrounded by clothes, away from the surfaces exposed to impacts.

Conclusion

Flying with a baby does not cause any issues with feeding at security: baby formula, breast milk, baby bottles, baby food and fruit purées can be taken into the cabin in quantities exceeding 100 ml, provided they are sufficient for the journey and the child is travelling with you. Powdered milk is not subject to the liquid rules at all. The most worry-free approach is to keep the meals needed for the journey in the cabin, with a little extra, presented separately in a dedicated pouch, and to pack the supply needed for the stay in checked luggage, while checking the baby's baggage allowance with your airline.

Frequently asked questions about feeding your baby on a plane

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