How to Travel with Frozen Milk for Your Baby

Breastfeeding is beneficial for your newborn. As Medline Plus reports, breast milk contains the carbohydrates, fat and protein, among other benefits, needed during the child's first six months and beyond. It can also lower an infant's risk of having allergies, gas, stomach infections and respiratory diseases. At the same time, it is not always possible to provide fresh breast milk, especially when traveling, making it important that mothers learn the basics of traveling with frozen breast milk.

  1. Storage

    • Before traveling with breast milk, make sure that you have stored it properly. Place the milk in any container that can be cleaned thoroughly with soap and hot water and can be sealed tightly, as this can help you to avoid spills. Using infant feeding bottles with high quality lids is the choice of many mothers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), because they are easy to use and will store the milk securely. Place the milk in the freezer until it is completely solid before traveling.

    Keeping it Cold

    • You must keep the milk cold while traveling, which brings about an entirely new set of challenges. Fresh milk can be stored for up to 24 hours in an insulated cooler bag with ice packs. If you freeze the milk, however, it should be kept cool to delay the thaw until the baby is ready to consume it. Once the milk thaws completely, the baby must drink it within one hour, reports the CDC.

    At Your Destination

    • Your options at your destination depend on the travel time and the state of the milk. If the milk is still frozen, you can put it back in the freezer. The frozen milk can then last up to one year in a deep freezer, according to the CDC. You should never re-freeze thawed breast milk, however. To safely thaw the milk, place it in the refrigerator or in a bowl of warm water, depending on when your baby will consume it. Do not use the microwave, as it does not heat the milk evenly, destroys some of the milk's nutrients and could cause the bottle to explode.

    Air Travel

    • When traveling on an airplane, mothers can carry frozen or unfrozen breast milk in quantities greater than 3 ounces. They are also permitted to carry ice packs to keep the milk cold or frozen, as long as they are in a frozen state, reports the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). If you plan on bringing these items onto the airplane, present them to the TSA agent before you attempt to go through the security checkpoint. You do not have to be traveling with your child to carry breast milk onto the plane.

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