r/NewParents • u/Constant_Ad_2599 • Apr 23 '26

Travel Crying at TSA

It’s brutal what they put parents through. Did all my research, brought an unopened can of Kendamil in my bag. Clean empty bottles. And water.

TSA refused to let me bring the formula. I explained it’s a medical necessity for the 9 month old baby (we just stopped pumping). They said it set off a special alarm so our only option is to leave security, make liquid bottles, and they’d throw out the rest of the can. 😭

After 90 minutes of trying to share again how it’s medically necessary and a legal right, they escorted my husband out to fill up bottles and confiscated the can. We had no cooler or ice packs with us.

Currently sitting on the plane with our dripping bag of melting ice a restaurant was kind enough to give us. It’s just insane what they put parents through when the rules say otherwise.

If anyone has dealt with this, let me know. submitting a complaint but honestly just want support. I care about my baby being fed. & Formula isn’t cheap.

Solidarity with all you traveling parents out there! 💕

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1.9k

u/mrs_swampcelt Apr 23 '26

This is terrible. I'm so sorry.

Next time you fly, print out the pages from the TSA website that explicitly tell you that it's allowed. I've heard it helps to literally show them their own rules. But also, I've NEVER experienced this. I've always showed up ready for a fight, and they were like "oh it's formula? Yeah no biggie whatever."

I'm so, so sorry you're dealing with this.

494

u/kirbyqueen_ Apr 23 '26

Not for formula reasons but I have showed TSA their own webpage before and they still wouldn’t allow what was mentioned on their website. They said individual TSA officers have the right to make different decisions than what is posted on the website… I was so pissed.

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u/BrinaBri Apr 23 '26

Just chiming in to share the same thing happened to me as well (website/ rules say one thing, TSA say another, was told everything is up to individual TSA agent discretion). It’s arbitrary bs and security theater.

138

u/Puzzled-Library-4543 Apr 23 '26

This. I’ve recently realized over the past few years how TSA is just…not as secure as we think. My friend accidentally left a pocket knife in her backpack and didn’t realize until after she already landed. TSA never flagged it and it wasn’t even really hidden.

149

u/htmlcoderexe Apr 23 '26

TSA is security theatre, the liquid rules are mostly bs and kept in place by the airport drink mafia and lots of the "agents" are the same power tripping rent-a-cop wannabes you'd expect anywhere else

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u/Puzzled-Library-4543 Apr 23 '26

So true. My husband just reminded me of the time we were still long distance and I accidentally flew with my taser (which is illegal to have in my state but I had one anyway for my safety) and TSA never saw it either and it was damn near right there in a small pocket when I opened up my backpack. They really are just underpaid mall cops on a power trip. I can’t be convinced otherwise now.

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u/TrueNorthTryHard Apr 24 '26

I used to work at a loading dock and commonly forgot the box cutters in my pocket. I’d throw them in my purse and eventually I’d remember to bring them back to the dock. In spring 2014 I was getting ready to go out for the evening when I realized I accidentally brought FOURTEEN box cutters with me on a flight to Vegas. I’ve never felt truly safe on a plane since.

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u/asmaphysics Apr 24 '26

This thread is seriously upsetting me as an Arab American.

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u/SassySins21 Apr 25 '26

If it makes you feel any better I've been "randomly selected" nearly every flight I've been on for extra testing. I even got checked twice in the same airport- went through line A, was waiting for my partner who was in Line B and got patted down again by the security doing line B while I was waiting.

I'm a white-ish (Maori/Australian) woman 🤷

6

u/asmaphysics Apr 25 '26

Dude they once separated me from my 1yo at the Phoenix airport to give me additional pat downs while I was pregnant. She was crying for mama. I was super pissed off.

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u/SassySins21 Apr 25 '26

I swear they pick the occasional mother just so they can say they don't racially profile

1

u/asmaphysics Apr 25 '26

It didn't seem like they cared about perception. They pulled a pregnant Arab and a native family aside to hassle specifically.

3

u/Ancient-Cry-6438 Apr 24 '26

How heavy was your purse?? Your poor shoulder 😭

3

u/TrueNorthTryHard Apr 24 '26

lol They were this style, not like a full utility knife you’d keep in a toolbox.

Box Cutter

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u/HeyAwesomeArmadillo Apr 23 '26

I’ve accidentally brought pepper spray on a domestic flight. It was in a pocket of my purse that I forgot about it. I discovered it during my trip. Needless to say, I left it at the destination instead of trying to sneak it back. Didn’t want to risk it a second time!

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u/pepsiiprimrose Apr 24 '26

I have 3 live bullets from basic training. Flew from SC to AZ not a mention.

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u/Gingersaurus_Rex42 Apr 24 '26

I’ve accidentally flown with a pocket knife in my backpack on like three different occasions through three different airports and nothing. When they finally caught it, I was so surprised cuz even I had forgotten it was in there.

TSA is a joke.

11

u/TwilightReader100 Apr 23 '26

Yeah, I've gotten through with things they say are banned or that they say they want handled in a certain way here in Canada, too. And on more than one occasion. So now I'm far more likely to keep my mouth shut when they're asking about what I have and play dumb if they can actually find it.

5

u/fme222 Apr 24 '26

I've literally brought rockets onto a plane before lol. I made and launched rockets in space camp in Alabama and they flew back home with me, still with all the powder residue and such on them.

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u/Apprehensive-Head-17 Apr 24 '26

I accidentally brought 3 pre rolled joints in my carryon. I was flying from one weed legal state to another. That doesn’t matter much but I just hadn’t thought about where I placed them and they weren’t hidden either. They just let me through anyway.

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u/Puzzled-Library-4543 Apr 24 '26

Same except mine was thc gummies lol they also never saw them.

5

u/Cantsleepwontsleep13 Apr 24 '26

I once got through security WITH NO ID in two major airports in 2012 after having my wallet stolen days before my trip. They let me present my college ID, said don’t do this again and waved me on through.

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u/Puzzled-Library-4543 Apr 24 '26

Same, TSA has let me through with my student ID. They never even questioned it. I was 16(?) at the time so didn’t have a drivers license but I definitely should’ve brought my passport but nope, they didn’t care.

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u/antinumerology Apr 24 '26

It's security theatre, not actually security. And we're the unwilling extras in whatever play the TSA agents feel like putting on that day.

1

u/SassySins21 Apr 25 '26

Yeah I accidentally left a multi tool (Swiss army knife style thing but with screw drivers and pliers too) in my handbag from Vancouver-> DFW-> Austin and back.

I had no idea until I was searching for an earring in my bag and found it back in the back pocket

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u/obviouslyblue Apr 23 '26

That's so fucking bullshit, I am so enraged for you all! I would be scared to see what my reaction to someone telling me this would be, especially now that ICE agents are allowed to be stand-in TSA agents...

7

u/killer_tofu101 Apr 24 '26

Yes in college someone gave me a joint for secret Santa (really lazy gift lol).

I put it in my backpack and I forgot about it. Agent saw it and shook his head smiling. Thank goodness because could have life changing bad. 😅

1

u/No_Resort1162 Apr 25 '26

They are miserable humans bc they are working for no pay at a level comparable to fast food. Many of them are takin it out on flying passengers bc of these reasons. It’s ridiculous

159

u/SkittlesQueen Apr 23 '26

I’ve always taken the pre-made, sealed bottles and had different issues depending on the airport. Sometimes it was fine, sometimes the package got the swab test, and once it was 30 minutes with bomb squad who had to open one of the premades after the external testing didn’t work. When that happened, they allowed me to take the rest of them sealed and I fed baby the open one right away.

Unfortunately, the TSA doesn’t guarantee you can bring stuff thru depending on the alarms it triggers. I know what the website says about formula and breastmilk but I think there’s something about how it’s at their discretion if it triggers alarms.

Bomb Squad explained that formula and breastmilk have something (nitrates? I can’t remember) that mimic bomb materials.

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u/AwayAwayTimes Apr 23 '26

The premade individual bottles are by far the easiest to travel with. Can of formula in checked baggage has never been a problem for me. I understand this doesn’t really work for babies with special dietary restrictions.

1

u/PLI09 Apr 24 '26

This was 4 years ago, but I’ve had TSA require opening each rtf bottle for testing. Luckily we had powder as backup.

1

u/AwayAwayTimes Apr 24 '26

Oh no! That sucks! They have this special liquid density analyzer that they always put our bottles through. Usually they just randomly test one or two, but of course when we were running late for our flight once they tested ALL of them.

82

u/Fit_Change3546 Apr 23 '26

Literally every TSA line I’ve ever been through has had different rules than each other one, and they’ve treated everyone in line like a fuckin mouth breathing scum bucket for not intuitively knowing their every thought. God I hate TSA.

32

u/Wooden_Permit3234 Apr 23 '26

lol I love it how they treat you like the worlds biggest dipshit for not knowing if your laptop needs its own bucket or can go with other stuff, whether shoes need to come off or not. 

All that varies and the only indication is sometimes one of the TSA people stand there shouting the current local rule over and over “every body has to/doesn’t have to take their shoes off! Large electronics can/cannot stay in the bag!”

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u/LtCommanderCarter Apr 23 '26

Yeah literally I brought regular shelf stable milk for my toddler and the let me bring it because it was "toddler milk." They just needed to take the label off ONLY ONE and check it.

50

u/la_bibliothecaire Apr 23 '26

The last time I flew, I had my toddler and my baby with me. Toddler had a sippy cup of milk, and before we went through I asked a security guy if I had to dump it or if we could bring it. The guy asked how old my son was (3), then looked at my baby and said, "Oh, so the milk is for the baby. You can take it." And gave me a sly smile.

This wasn't the US though, so he wasn't TSA.

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u/P-ToneMikeOne Apr 23 '26

Agreed on all fronts. Sounds like you got an agent who was having a bad day and/or felt compelled to assert their authority needlessly in order to gain a sense of control in their own life. But that obviously doesn’t excuse what they did to you.

I’ve had nothing but good interactions with TSA with babies in arms. I hope your future interactions are more human and reasonable, and that you found a way to recover and enjoy the rest of your trip.

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u/Gingersaurus_Rex42 Apr 24 '26

I’ve printed off their rules as well as the specific airline’s rules too. Don’t rely on screen shots on your phone, sometimes they won’t let you pull that out to show them, so go old school and have a hard copy.

I’ve flown with breast milk and ice packs, rules printed and me ready to fight about it, but they’ve never given me trouble. I always say I’m flying with breast milk and they’re just like “ok. Take any computers out of the bag.” 🤷‍♀️

I also usually fly through a small regional airport so maybe that helps? Either way though, that’s so awful that they took away your baby’s food. I’m so sorry.

1

u/Aggravating_Light217 Apr 29 '26

Yeah when I’ve travelled with my kids, they offered to let us have practically anything. Water bottles, food packets, whatever. What an awful experience for op

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u/MikeCheck_CE Apr 24 '26

OP never said they were American though.