Traveling with Breastmilk? Here’s How to Keep it Safe!

If the thought of traveling while pumping or with extra milkies feels imitating, you’re not alone. The good news? We have all the tools to help you continue to succeed on your breastfeeding/pumping journey even while on vacation. Together, we’ll make sure you don‘t have to sacrifice your milk stash or sanity along the way.  

Packing Your Cooler:

Before you leave, test your cooler or lunch box (depending on how much milk you need to bring) to make sure it will hold for a few hours. When packing your cooler, try to make it as full as possible. Once all your milk and ice packs have been added, consider adding some folded up newspapers to keep it further insulated. 

Going through TSA:

You ARE allowed to bring breast milk and ice packs through TSA even if they are over 3 oz, even if you do not have your Abby traveling with you. When you get to the belt, let the agent know that you are traveling with breast milk. Now, it is best to keep as much frozen as possible because if it is all frozen they are less likely to pull it for further testing. However, if it is not all frozen no need to fret, they are just going to pull your bag and do a little bit of further screening. 

At your resort:

While we always recommend attempting to stay in a room that has a fridge and freezer, we know that is not always possible! Most on-site Disney hotel rooms have beverage coolers that stay around 40 degrees. These can be considered coolers when it comes to how long it keeps non-frozen milk for, so about 20 hours. For milk that needs to stay frozen, bell services will store it for you. Be sure to let them know it needs to go into the freezer! If you only have a few bags to store, you can also grab the ice container from your room, fill it with ice, and keep a couple bags inside of that in the fridge. Just be sure to refill with fresh ice when it start to melt!

In the parks: 

If you are keeping your milk at bell services, I recommend grabbing what you will need for the next day at the end of the night and bringing it back to the room to partial thaw in the beverage cooler. We LOVE our ceres chill for keeping milk cool in the parks. You can get up to 15% off your next purchase with them by using the discount code: “MAGICALMAMAS”. Check them out here! I like to dump all the milk I’ll need for the park day in the Ceres Chill in the morning, and then you can refill the small ice portion throughout the day to ensure the milk stays at a safe temp! If you are pumping throughout the day, I recommend bringing a small lunch box with ice packs to cool your freshly pumped milk before adding to your Ceres! 

We know traveling with milk can add another level of stress to your travel, but it doesn’t have to! Whether you are exclusively pumping, supplementing, or just bringing a little extra just in case, rest assured your milk will stay perfectly cooled through the airport and at your resort when you follow these steps! 

If you want help figuring out what room types have the best set-up for milk storage, or want advice tailored to your specific situation, send us an email or fill out the form below to get help from The Magical Mamas Travel Company trusted travel advisor who is versed in all things pregnancy, breastfeeding, baby, and toddlers!