How To Successfully Travel with Breastmilk
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I’ve got 25 months of breastfeeding in over 10 countries under my belt! Let me help you on your next adventure! This is me nursing my 6 month old on the streets of Pompeii, Italy!
If you’re looking for the best ways to travel with breastmilk, you’re in the right place. This guide will walk you through the different options for traveling with breast milk including how to fly with breast milk, traveling with breast milk in the car, and even how to ship breastmilk.
I have had to travel while transporting breast milk either in a checked bag or carry-on so many times. Both of our kids were/are breastfed. There were times that we knew we would need a stash of milk upon arrival (for a babysitter), but there wouldn't be time to store up enough before we needed it. I have put together several resources and travel tips for breastfeeding mothers who need or want to travel without worrying about their baby receiving breastmilk or having a drop in their milk supply. Traveling with breast milk does not have to be complicated! This article will highlight how to travel with frozen breast milk by car, how to bring frozen breast milk on a plane, packing breast milk in checked luggage, & how to ship breastmilk.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Click any of the subjects to jump down to it.
How to Ship Breastmilk:
Breastfeeding moms have been shipping breast milk for a long time. It isn't new, but there also isn't a ton of information out there. Here are some convenient ways to ship breastmilk if you are going to be separated from your baby due to travel or if you want a stockpile waiting for you upon arrival.
FedEx: They have an actual Mommy program. They offer refrigerated containers that can be pre-ordered and delivered to you to fill up with your milk bags, then drop them off at a FedEx location for overnight delivery. Get all the details HERE.
Milk Stork: This company is dedicated to shipping breast milk. They send you containers to fill up and ship. They do all the hard work, you just pre-arrange delivery of empty boxes and drop them off full to be overnight shipped. Get all the details HERE.
For Military Moms or Long-Term separations check out this AMAZING post by the Military Working Mom. It explains how to properly package your milk and discusses international regulations. See it HERE.
How to Fly with Breastmilk
When you are trying to figure out how to fly with breastmilk, you may get overwhelmed with information and regulations.. However, I am going to try to break down the basics of flying with breastmilk to make it easy and straightforward. I want to note that the bulk of the information below pertains to how to travel with breastmilk by plane within the United States.
Flying with Breastmilk in a Carry On Bag
Latham was only 5 months when we went to Eastern Europe for 15 days. We brought thawed milk on the plane in a bottle as well as nursed. (Devin Castle, Slovakia)
Can I bring breastmilk on a plane? Yes.
The TSA breastmilk policy (within the United States) allows "a reasonable amount" of breast milk to be carried through whether a mother is with her child or not. I personally took about 60 ounces of frozen expressed milk in my carry-on WITHOUT my baby from Nashville to Florida and the security agent never questioned it. You can see the exact rules outlined HERE.
It is important to remember that individual TSA officers may not all be well-read on the rules surrounding breastmilk, so you need to be the expert.
TSA’s breast pump policy consideres a breast pumps and pump parts a medical device, therefore you are allowed to carry it onto the plane.
When you fly with breast milk, the TSA officer may ask to screen your milk. If you decline for them to open it, it may be cause for additional screening procedures. It is your choice. I once declined for the agent to open all of my baby food pouches for the screening procedure and instead opted for the full pat-down. TSA’s exact verbiage is this “Inform the TSA officer if you do not want the formula, breast milk and/or juice to be X-rayed or opened. Additional steps will be taken to clear the liquid and you or the traveling guardian will undergo additional screening procedures, to include a pat-down and screening of other carry-on property.”
Flying with Breastmilk in a Checked Bag
I have packed frozen milk into a small cooler with ice packs then packed the milk storage cooler in my luggage and checked it. The flights were domestic and the milk was still fully frozen upon arrival. I was able to then put them in the freezer and have them for babysitters. This is much less risky than carrying large amounts of milk as a carry-on. If you package your milk appropriately, it will last the duration of your travel and be ready for the baby upon arrival.
If you will be traveling for longer than 24-36 hours, you’ll definitely need a way to keep your breast milk cool the entire time. I recommend using dry ice or gel packs in a milk storage cooler to keep everything at a cold temperature.
Please note: “When [dry ice is] in checked baggage, the package must be marked "Dry ice" or "Carbon dioxide, solid" and marked with the net quantity of dry ice, or an indication that it is 2.5 kg (5.5 lbs) or less. Tip: Additional non-hazardous ice packs (blue ice, gel packs, etc.) can be used to supplement the dry ice.” - The FAA
For shorter travel days (8-10 hours), I have had no problem packing my milk with regular ice packs in a small cooler bag.
How much breastmilk can you fly with? There is no limit to the amount of frozen breast milk you can check in your bag.
I recommend double bagging your milk. I put mine in the typical milk storage bags and then stack them and put them into a gallon-sized zip. This is to prevent any leaks from the milk storage bags from leaking out all over the cooler and my bag.
my 5-month-old son on a 2 week trip through Europe. i brought a hand pump on this trip so i could take turns with my husband getting up at night and so i could feed him bottles in the car on our drives between cities. I also brought pumped milk on our flight in case he would be too distracted to nurse.
my 6-month-old daughter on a 2 week Europe trip. She was a very distracted nurser and i needed to bring bottles of milk onto the plane because she wouldn’t stay latched. I traveled with an electric pump this trip!
How to Fly with Breastmilk Internationally:
Other countries are not as lenient with bringing breast milk on a plane. We saw in 2016 when a woman was made to dump 500 ounces of breastmilk at the Heathrow airport because her baby was not with her. She had over 100ml (3 ounces) of milk in her carry-on. The regulations in the European Union are strict about not having more than 3 ounces of breastmilk in a CLEAR breast milk storage container if you do not have your baby with you. Knowing the international rules is imperative. Had she known, this breastfeeding mom could have frozen, prepacked in ice, and checked all of her hard-earned milk.
If you are an American citizen and you are traveling from the USA to overseas, you will follow the American TSA regulations on Breast milk. If you are starting your travel in another country, please take the time to look up that countries rules on flying with breast milk.
How to Travel with Breastmilk in the Car
Pumping on a long drive from Prague to Krakow, so the baby could eat on the ride.
In my opinion: this is the easiest way to travel with large amounts of breast milk. I recommend one of two ways to transport frozen breast milk in a car:
Buy a small travel fridge that you can plug into your car. Store milk in this controlled environment.
Bring a large cooler and pack it down with ice or dry ice. You can continually refresh the ice as needed, which will keep the milk frozen solid.
If you're spending the night in a hotel on your road trip, bring the milk inside with you and if you can, put it in the freezer of the hotel. If your room does not have a fridge, you can ask the hotel staff to store your breast milk cooler in their freezer for you.
Additional Resources for Traveling with Breastmilk
You can find a list of travel essentials for breastfeeding mothers HERE.
You can find more information about traveling with breast milk and recommendations to mothers on the CDC's webpage HERE.
You can find the proper temperatures and suggested guidelines about freezing and storing breast milk HERE.
Find breastfeeding support while your traveling or at home at these locations:
Nursing Charletta on a train in Germany
With all things travel, don't be afraid of traveling while breastfeeding!! We have traveled to 10 different countries while nursing. I found breastfeeding to be convenient on travels since we didn't have to carry formula or bottles. There is no exact science to flying with breast milk or traveling with breast milk in the car; it will depend on what you’re comfortable with. If you travel for work a lot and will be away from your breastfed baby, shipping breast milk may be the best option for you! Whatever you decide, I am here for you!
**I would like to add that THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH FORMULA!!! A fed baby is the best baby! We fully support either way!**
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