Air travel with allergic DS

[sagarika]

Dear all,
I have been away for a while from MN. Not because I have forgotten how helpful MN has been to me in the past but because I have been so busy with my DS who is 2 now. I wonder whether anyone can advice regarding foods that I can take for my DS during this long haul flight. My DS has multiple food allergies (the list is endless) which means I have to get his food during this flight (9 hours plus the times before boarding and after touchdown with immigration etc as its an international flight). The last time I flew he was exclusively breast fed.so there was no problem. Can anyone tell me what sort of food is allowed in flights and whether he would need a special letter from his consultant regarding foods,epipen, cetrizine etc. Plus he drinks oatly milk,will they allow to carry small bottles of oatly.and fruits like bananas
Please advise. Thanks

[skandi1]

Firstly I would contact your airline for assistance. Normally they say you can buy food etc in departures but your DS won't be able to eat any of that.

I am sure the airline can help. It's my understanding that airlines can buy in special food etc at your cost obviously in advance if you give them enough notice.

[freefrommum]

Check with the airline and the airport as they all have slightly different rules. It is definitely worth getting a letter from consultant/GP about your child's allergies and medication as you might need to show this at security if you are carrying epi-pens and antihistamine medicine (make sure it has the prescription label on it if possible or take copy of repeat prescription with you as it will be over 100ml). Liquids are supposed to be a max of 100ml but with special milk for little ones we've just had to drink some at security. We used to take some of the small fruit pouches as they were under the 100ml limit as well as sandwiches and other snacks. We also take small tins of cured ham (eg Prince's) and tuna plus lots of fruit. Obviously I don't know if these are suitable for your DS's allergies but just thought I'd give you some ideas.

[sagarika]

Freefrommum does it mean that usually airlines allow fresh food like fruits, breads etc( rice breads). My ds is allergic to eggs, nuts, dairy, lentils,wheat,maize/corn,sesame,chickpeas,kiwi and avocado

[sagarika]

He is not great with snacks.only takes his 3 main meals.oat porridge with banana for breakfast, rice with veggies along with either fish or meat for lunch and dinner.hence I'm in a dilemma about what to take during the journey

[freefrommum]

We've never had any problem with taking fresh fruit or sandwiches etc but I guess it could depend on the country you are going to/from so always worth checking.

[Weta]

Definitely contact the airline, and you should take a note from the doctor saying he needs to carry his emergency medication and bring his own food.

We travel back to NZ so I'm used to dealing with the long number of hours... I've not had any trouble taking anything, as long as any liquids are less than 100ml. In the past I've taken things like sandwiches and dehydrated meals where you can just add water (noodles in our case but obviously that's no good for you). Fruit etc was fine on flights but had to be binned on arrival in NZ. I've also taken couscous salad - you could do a salad with wheat-free pasta or rice, if you think he'd eat that. I always take plenty of biscuits and that kind of thing too, plus rice/corn wafers.

Is there anything else at all that he will eat apart from his 3 main meals?

[sagarika]

Weta,not much,just fruits and rice biscuits apart from his main meals
Thanks everyone

[Weta]

actually the other thing I have done before is to take a small food thermos (like this [[http://www.amazon.co.uk/Thermos-Stainless-Steel-Food-290ml/dp/B004DGJLWU/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1353420153&sr=8-4%5D%5D%29&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21 with something hot in it - you could put in his usual rice and veggie meal and give it to him on the plane, plus plenty of fruit and rice biscuits for snacks.

Good luck with working it out, I know it's incredibly stressful!

[alison222]

Ds is older, but we took food with us to OZ. We took sandwiches ( froze them so they were ready to eat later through the flight. We had snacks and fruit, we also had dehydrated food that you could just add boiling water to. We had noodles which I know won't work for you but also some rice meals that came from I think sainsburys - they were Uncle Ben's ones so easy to get hold of - Although the airlines don't have a cooker - they can give you boiling water to put the bag into.
Liquid is always a problem through security although we were not worrying about that.
We always carry a letter for the medication - just in case- and I have only once been asked for it.

[sagarika]

I have some idea now. I like the thermos idea. I have also thought about uncle ben meals. Although I travelled by air so many times before never knew that they let you carry fresh food . Good to know. Thank u all very much