TSA Rules To Consider When Traveling With A Baby

You're traveling for the first time in months and are a little bit nervous. You love traveling, but this is your first trip with your child, and you want to have a stress-free flight with your baby. You have toys to keep them entertained, a blanket to wrap them in when it gets chilly, and diapers upon diapers packed away in both your checked luggage and carry on. Now you have to figure out how you'll bring the breast milk and formula. What do you do? Does the 3.4-ounce rule still apply?

Luckily, TSA recognizes breast milk, baby food, and formula as "medically necessary liquids," according to their website. This means they take their neccessity into account and allow you to bring them through TSA and onto the plane in larger containers — you don't have to stock up on little bottles 3.4 ounces or less. In addition to the breast milk, baby food, and formula, you can bring ice, gel, and freezer packs as well.

The process of going through TSA with a baby and their formula, breast milk, and/or food results is a little bit different than it would be if you didn't have the liquids. You must inform the TSA agent that you're bringing baby food, formula, breast milk, etc. They will take the items from you and screen them individually. Like with your other belongings, they'll put them through an X-ray machine. You have the option to forego this process and ask for an alternative screening method — but this means additional steps for you and your belongings.

To make things easier and faster, have your liquids out and ready to hand over. "It's just easier to show security when you have all of the baby's food and drinks together," family travel expert Corinne McDermott told The Bump. To expedite the process even more, have the liquids in clear bottles and keep them out of bags. This is not required — you can have them in opaque bottles or stored away in pouches, but this will likely result in a longer screening time.