when it can be challenging to transport breast milk when traveling, you can keep it frozen until you get to your destination if you prepare ahead of time and have the correct gear. Let’s talk about How to keep breast milk frozen while traveling. Let’s talk about How to keep breast milk frozen while traveling.
How to Take Breast Milk on a Trip
Whether refrigerated or frozen, taking breast milk on a trip can be very difficult, particularly if you haven’t planned and don’t know what to anticipate. However, as with most things in life, a little preparation goes a long way towards lowering anxiety, overcoming obstacles or delays in your travels, maintaining your composure, and maintaining the coolness of your breast milk (hello, travel-friendly Stasher ice packs). So continue reading to make sure your trip with breast milk is as easy and waste-free as possible.
How to Carry On With Breast Milk
Breast milk is exempt from the TSA’s 3.4-ounce liquid limit because it is considered a medically required liquid. Breast pumps are also accepted into the cabin without deducting from your carry-on luggage allowance since they are considered medical devices. Traveling with a breast pump and breast milk is also possible without your child being with you.
Although it is permissible to pass through airport security checks with fresh breast milk, there are other considerations besides the TSA’s safety protocols. Within 24 hours after being refrigerated, fresh breast milk must be frozen or consumed (either from pumping breast milk at the airport or on the journey). Furthermore, even though doctors advise that breast milk can stay at room temperature for up to four hours, it’s advisable to plan and keep it frozen during your trip in case of an extended flight or other delays.
How to Take Frozen Breast Milk on a Trip
It is essential to retain frozen breast milk or keep it as frozen as feasible when transporting it. The good news is that when appropriately packaged, breast milk may typically remain frozen until it reaches its final destination and can be stored in a freezer. Naturally, you should not refreeze breast milk that has begun to thaw; instead, ensure it is used up or thrown away within a day.
Use freezer-safe, leakproof pouches or reusable containers (such as the Stasher Go BagorStasher 1-Cup Bowl) wherever possible. Stasher bags containing pre-frozen water create homemade ice packs that can plug any gaps left by the frozen breast milk pouches inside an insulated cooler bag. The greater the capacity of the cooler, the higher the likelihood of everything remaining frozen. This is crucial to keeping your breast milk from spoiling. It also aids in delaying the melting of the ice packs, which usually are not permitted (or, at the absolute least, require further screening) at the airport security checkpoint when they are melted or mushy. You can also get a travel-friendly thermometer to assist you in keeping an eye on your cooler’s temperature and ensure that it stays between the “freezer” and “refrigerator” ranges for added safety.
Driving While Carrying Breast Milk
Traveling by automobile with breast milk is slightly more convenient than traveling by airline since you have more room to keep it and more opportunities to obtain it. However, the fundamental guidelines for driving while carrying breast milk are the same as for flying:
Maintain the frozen state of your breast milk.
You should not leave fresh breast milk at room temperature for more than four hours.
Consume frozen or refrigerated breast milk within 24 hours.
Use a thermometer to check the temperature of your breast milk cooler if you’re going on a long drive.
How to Feed Your Infant When Travelling
When you’re pumping breast milk while traveling or flying and cannot don’t reheat cold breast milk from the cooler, fresh breast milk can be stored at room temperature for around four hours. However, some infants prefer warm milk over room temperature, so if that’s the case for your child, you’ll need to boil some milk quickly.
How to Warm Milk While Travelling
You definitely can’t get that thermos of hot water through security due to TSA regulations on liquids. But if you need to warm milk at the airport or while flying, utilize a battery-operated portable bottle warmer. Even You can also request that the flight attendant reheat the bottle for you, and they can give you a cup of hot water to warm a chilled or room-temperature bottle.
You can also use a portable bottle warmer (battery-powered or plug-in via the car adapter) to warm milk while driving. Alternatively, carry a thermos filled with hot water and use it to reheat a chilled bottle from the cooler. If the thermos is big enough, you can quickly transfer the hot water into a bowl and submerge the chilled bottle in the hot water. Alternatively, you can stop at the closest restaurant or coffee shop en route to your destination and request hot water to warm your breast milk.
ADVICE FOR PACKAGES OF BREAST MILK :
- It’s the bag that is flat; use a pan or plate. Milk bags that are thin and flat are substantially smaller. You can obtain much more milk when it lies flat in a cooler.
- To guarantee that milk stays cold, get a cooler with a closed-cell rubber foam liner and a leakproof zipper. Milk stayed cold for a full day when I used a YETI cooler! Here’s where you can find it on Amazon! Since our journey, YETI has released an even better cooler, a backpack version. More convenient to wear on your back.
- Place one reusable ice block on the top and one on the bottom of the cooler.
- Fill the cooler with food the night before your flight and store it in the freezer to keep it cold.
- Wait to open the cooDon’tler again, but do so once at the airport security checkpoint if necessary. It’s temptingIt’scontinually check your milk and open the cooler. Avoid doing it. You are allowing warm air to enter the cooler each time.
- At the airport, security will check your breast milk. They are going to open the cooler and remove every milk bag. Packed in quart-sized plastic bags, the handling of individual packets can be reduced. They will all look at the bags to see if the milk is frozen solid. Each bag will be tested to determine whether the breast milk is liquid. For this reason, I suggest bringing frozen breast milk on your trip.
- Keep a close eye on the security personnel and request that they change their gloves. You want them to know that you are keeping an eye on everything they do. Which will force them to hurry and get the milk back in the cooler as soon as possible.
- When you reach your destination, immediately place your breastmilk in the freezer.
Conclusion:
How to keep breast milk frozen while traveling – the vital thing to remember is that preparation . Can significantly influence how your trip goes. Even though some circumstances—such as inclement weather, canceled flights. And lengthy security lines—will always be beyond our control, if you’ve planned with purpose. You’ll be more prepared to handle them. Happy travels!