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I am going out of town and leaving my 6 month old with my parents, who live a plane ride away (we are flying there, then dropping our child off and leaving for two days).  My question is this, what is the best way to transport milk for my child?  Can I take frozen milk, then assume that it will thaw on the flight, and give it to him once I get there? Or can I only take milk that has not been frozen?  And if so, how long will it stay good?

 

Thanks!

Well I'm not sure how best to actually travel with the milk. My friend came to visit us a few months ago with her baby and she wasn't allowed to take formula that was already mixed on the plane. She had to buy the water at the airport and mix the formula on the flight. I guess they were afraid that it was explosive or something. You should call the airline first and make sure that they will let you on the flight with it.

 I was wondering this same thing recently.  Was chatting with my friend who had a baby 4 months ago, and needed to travel out of state for a family emergency.  She left her daugter at home with her husband, but of course brought her pump because she would have been hella engorged by the time she got home the next evening.  Due to not having a fridge unit in her hotel room, she basically had to dump any milk she pumped (broke my heart to hear that), but it caused us to wonder, if she would have been permitted to take it on board the plane since it is a liquid?  So I will be curious if anyone gets an answer to that.

I traveled with my daughter when she was three months old. It was a interesting trip. First off, if you are traveling with a baby you will be allowed to take the breastmilk with you on the flight. I was worried about that so I called the airline and they told me that I would be allowed to take the milk if I was traveling with my daughter and it was in the diaper bag. Since I was traveling with her I did not take more than three bottles since I knew I could always pump or feed her when needed. Anyways, you need to follow the guidelines for breast milk storage. I would travel with a one day supply of frozen milk. Once frozen milk is thawed you need to use it within 24 hours. So take it with you frozen and let it thaw in the diaper bag (but wrap it in plastic bags, ziplocks or a waterproof wet bag). Since you are going to be gone for two days, the rest of the milk needs to be fresh, not frozen. Freshly pumped milk is good for eight hours non-frigerated and it is good in the frig for 5-7 days. So I would take day two milk fresh, not frozen. Make sure you label the bottles of milk (like day one and day two) so your parents know to use the frozen first. I like using grease pencils (also sometimes called China markers). While at the airport, you can pump (or breastfeed). Make sure you bring extra batteries/empty bottles. If you have time, try and find the "family bathroom" instead of the regular bathroom for pumping. There is always a plug in the family bathrooms and they have more room and are more private because they have a door and everything instead of just a stall. Since I traveled with my daughter, I did not need to take more than I thought she would eat on the plane (because I did not want to nurse on the plane). I am also not sure if they will let you take what you pump (while you are away for two days) back on the plane when you go to get her. You will probably have to dump everything you pump while you are away. Since you won't be traveling with your daughter you might not fall under the "traveling with baby exception". To help minimize the amount you will have to dump. Get to the airport early (and be overdue to pump-engorged) and then once you are through security, find a bathroom to pump and then pump. That way you will at least have a bottle or two with you when you go to pick her up. Once pumped, it will stay ok out of the frig for 8 hours so you will have time to use it. Good luck and remember, you can do this...

Hi asetzer,

You can take as much milk as you would like with you on the plane, in any format - fresh or frozen.  I have travelled with and without my daughter and been able to take the pump and fresh milk with me.  When going through security I informed the officer that I had a breast pump and fresh milk with me prior to placing it on the conveyor belt and they didn't even blink.  By law, you are allowed to transport the pump and the milk with you on the plane, as well as the frozen gel containers to keep the milk cold (I even got confirmation of this straight from the TSA - transportation security administration).  The pump does not count against your carry-on bag count as it is considered medical equipment.  I traveled for work and was able to bring back with me about 60 oz. of milk in various lunch coolers and did not have a single problem!   Hope the information helps and good luck!