Summertime means travel time...
Photograph courtesy of Huffingtonpost.com
Families everywhere are traveling around the country, taking advantage of school being out. When traveling with breastmilk-drinking-infants, it can be really stressful to know how airport security is going to handle your precious, liquid gold breastmilk. Does it count as a liquid? Can it only be 3oz. or less? How many bottles can I bring? Read on for a few tips to remember when traveling with breastmilk...
In the Security Line:
- Let the TSA agent know that you are carrying breastmilk in excess of 3oz.
- There is no limit on how much breastmilk you can bring through security. TSA simply says “reasonable quantities” are allowed.
- Ice packs, freezer packs, frozen gel packs and other accessories required to cool formula, breast milk and juice are allowed in carry-on.
- If your breast milk goes through the X-ray machine, rest assured that the FDA states that there are no known adverse effects from eating food, drinking beverages and using medicine screened by X-ray. If you are still uncomfortable having it X-rayed, you can ask for alternate screening options.
- Ask the TSA agent to change into CLEAN GLOVES before touching any breastfeeding related items.
After Security:
- You DO NOT have to be traveling with your child to bring breastmilk on an airplane
- Your breast pump is considered a MEDICAL DEVICE, and therefore does not count as a carry-on piece of luggage. But do keep in mind that if you use a cooler for your breastmilk, that DOES count as a carry-on.
- If your pump requires an electrical outlet, then consider also carrying a manual breast pump when traveling. These days, available electrical outlets are very difficult to find at airports because so many are in use by people charging electronics. If you can’t find an outlet, and pumping or family restrooms are unavailable, you may be stuck unable to pump.
Photograph courtesy of Huffingtonpost.com
Returning Home:
- Don’t forget the flight home! You may end up with unused frozen breastmilk during your trip. If so, you will need to keep it frozen for the flight home.
- Make sure your icepacks are frozen solid before you leave your hotel.
- After security, see if any restaurants will provide you with ice to fill your cooler.
- Consider dry ice. It is allowed by TSA if being used to cool breastmilk.
Information presented in this post obtained from Healthychildren.org