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Virginia K
03-08-2002, 02:58 PM
We will be traveling for vacation with our 6 month old, formula fed baby. We are assuming that disposable bottles/ liners will be the best way to go. Can anyone give us tips- how do you mix powdered formula in a disposable bag? What about washing the nipples and rings while on the road? Any brands better than others? Any help would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks

ma2be
03-08-2002, 07:06 PM
I would invest in a case of individual pre-made formula cans. Honestly, its the easiest way to travel. They are great just in case the formula doesn't mix well or your just unable to mix it properly.

emmiem
03-09-2002, 09:52 AM
I went to Jamaica with my 9 month old. We brought with us several boxes of the powdered formula in the 4oz tubes. We also used the munchkin powder plastic carrying case because my DD takes 6oz at a time so I had to use 1 1/2 tubes for each feeding. Put the formula in the disposable liner and put together the cap, ring, and nibble and shake. I used the carrying case so I could distribute the whole days worth at once and just carry that in the diaper bag. I put some Palmolive in a small plastic bottle and hand washed everything in the bathroom sink. Take a nipple brush with you. I also had to take several bags of diapers, wipes, and baby food. It's not impossible just pack an extra suitcase if you can. We used it for souvenirs on the way home.

suzska
03-10-2002, 12:39 AM
We flew to Florida in January and here's what I did...

What I Packed: nipple brush, 2 munchkin formula canisters, 3 disposable Playtex bottles (I kept one in the room for 1st and last feeding and carried the other two with me), 6 regular Gerber nipples (my son was taking 6 bottles a day), 3 Evenflo nipple adapters--one for each bottle (my son wouldn't accept any of the disposable nipples we tried before we left, and I tracked this product down at babysupermall.com, I believe--seems to be discontinued, but some may still be available if you need something like that), 2 small rubbermaid containers (one for clean nipples, one for dirty--I can be a little "anal"), a box of Playtex "Drop-In" liners (I just liked those better), a travel size bottle of dishwashing liquid (an empty bottle bought at PharMor that I filled up), my Avent Steam sterilizer--the hotel room had a microwave. Oh, and a 4oz. Avent bottle for measuring out the water--it was small and had ounce markings.

I may be forgetting something. I took along enough formula, water, and diapers for the first day. I packed all this stuff in a carry-on bag just in case something happened to our luggage. I could kick myself for not trying my Gerber collars/caps on the adapters (I tried when I got home, and they fit), because then I would have taken those and it would have made bottle assembly a little easier--you have to invert the nipples, otherwise, and it made it tough when he didn't quite finish the bottle all at once, but you knew he'd want the rest 10 minutes later.


What I bought when I got there: 3 cans of formula (we were gone for 8 days/7 nights), 12 24oz. bottles of water (I would carry one with me, which would be enough for the 4 6oz. bottles while we were out for the day), a jumbo pack of diapers, and a tub of wipes.

I didn't want to load up another suitcase with all that stuff. I ended up paying about $15 more than if I had bought the stuff at home and carted it with me, but we were already loaded down with enough luggage, a car seat, and a stroller. I knew how much I would use for the week, and used up most of what I bought (and brought back the rest, which wasn't much).

I think the formula packets or the individual cans of formula are just way too expensive--they were for us because we were gone for 8 days.


Anyway, I would wash the nipples/etc. each night in the hotel sink, and throw the nipples in the sterilizer (maybe overkill, but it made me feel better since I didn't have a dishwasher). Then I would measure out the formula for the day into the canisters and put the 4 clean nipples I needed (2 feedings were done in the room) in one plastic container, and put liners in the bottles and extras in a plastic zip-close bag or two with everything else. The system wasn't perfect, because after a few days, the plastic bag with the nippled container started to smell (from the moisture left behind after sterilizing or rinsing or something), so I had to switch to a clean one I had. Oh, that's another tip--pack a bunch of "ziploc" baggies, in several sizes--never know what you might need them for. One morning a few family members got fruit plates for breakfast and couldn't finish the grapes, and didn't want to throw them away--I whipped out 2 sandwich baggies, and we had snacks for the afternoon.

I just mixed the bottle in the liner/bottle. It wasn't perfect, but my son seemed to be okay with it. I would pour 3 oz. into the liner, add about half of the formula, shake a little, pour the other 3 oz. in and the rest of the formula, cap, and shake. No matter how much I tried, I often ended up with a few soggy clumps of formula left hugging the side of the liner. A few times we tried using a plastic straw from the restaurant we were eating at as a stirring rod, which helped a little. My son was also 10.5 months at the time, and eating some solid foods (and whole milk once in a while), so I wasn't too concerned that the mixture was "perfect."


Here's another travel tip I picked up, concerning clothes: I laid out all of my son's outfits, matching up socks, shirts, etc. Once I had the outfits planned, I would wrap the socks inside the shirt(s), wrap that inside the pants/overalls, and place a rubberband around the whole outfit. Then I just packed these little bundles in the suitcase. I didn't have to think about what went with what each morning. I liked the idea so much, I did it with my own clothes, although I only did the socks/underwear/shirt for each day and rolled the pants up separately--otherwise the bundles would have been too big for the rubberbands I had.


I would also recommend trying out a few brands of the disposable bottle systems a few weeks before you plan to leave. My son refused to take any of the disposable nipples, and I tried about three different brands. He was use to the Gerber silicone NUK nipples, and wouldn't take anything else. He would use the Playtex rubber ortho nipples (but I'm not crazy about the rubber ones), and I was going to use that as a backup until I found those adapters--they let you use a standard nipple with a disposable bottle. I don't know why more companies don't make something like that! Try to find something similar to what your baby is use to.


Good luck!

--Sue B.
SAHM to Evan Jeffrey 03-11-01