Air travel with fresh breastmilk? I get it mama -- it can be stressful knowing how to navigate long airplane rides or TSA checks as a pumping mom. Fortunately, I've done it several times now, and I'm here to share all of the details. But first, what does the science say?
ABM Protocol #8: Storage for Human Milk
- 50-85 degrees is considered room temperature.
- Milk is safe for up to 4 hours at 85 degrees.
- Milk is safe for 6-8 hours at lower room temperatures.
- Milk is safe in a cooler with an ice pack for up to 24 hours
** No ice pack is going to stay cold for 24 hours. To keep your milk fresh and safe for 24 hours, you will need to swap ice packs or add ice cubes.
Products I Used:
- Cold Gold Coolers by Sarah Wells
- Milk Clutches by Mimi & Pal
- Ziploc bags
How I traveled with fresh breast milk:
1. Put everything in Ziploc bags. This made it easy to pull things out for TSA.
2. Fill bags with ice cubes to keep milk cold in my coolers.
3. Check temperatures when I got home.
** If I could have done anything differently, I would have replenished my ice bags during my flight. My milk was still safe, but it could have been colder if I had.
Results:
After 7 hours of traveling, all of my milk was between 47-50 degrees, which, according to the ABM Protocol #8, is STILL SAFE to feed to my baby. Looking for more travel pumping tips? Check out this blog post!
