Flying with breast milk -How to pack and plan

Flying with breast milk can make any Mama feel on edge about getting their precious liquid to it’s final destination. Planning ahead and knowing what to expect can help ease some of those nerves. Let’s talk about how to pack breast milk for air travel and flying with breast milk! 

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How much breast milk can I fly with?

With the TSA regulations on breast milk, you’re allowed more than 3.4 ounces of breast milk or formula in your carry-on baggage. The breast milk also doesn’t need to fit within a quart-sized bag. This is because breast milk is considered medically necessary.  

They mention no specific amount on the TSA website and there are no specific limits. If you’re carrying on a large amount of breast milk, I would contact the TSA department and ask them directly about traveling with a large amount of breast milk. But the good news is, there is no limit specified.

Can you fly with frozen breast milk?

Yes, you can fly with fresh breast milk and you can fly with frozen breast milk. The main thing you want to consider is how long you’ll be traveling for and how long you need to keep your milk cold.

Remember, once frozen milk is thawed, it’s recommended to be used within 24 hours.  So flying with frozen breast milk adds the extra thought of making sure it stays frozen, or using it within 24 hours if it thaws. 

Tip! -If your breast milk still has ice crystals (or is slushy) it still can be safely refrozen. 

What ice packs can you use for breast milk and flying? 

If you’ll be taking breast milk with you and need to get through airport security, you have a couple of options for keeping your breast milk cold. Let’s go over TSA ice pack policies. According to the TSA guidelines  “Ice packs, freezer packs, frozen gel packs and other accessories required to cool formula, breast milk, toddler drinks, and baby/toddler food (to include puree pouches) – regardless of the presence of breast milk – are also allowed in carry-ons, along with liquid-filled teethers.” 

The TSA rules also state “Frozen liquid items and gel packs are allowed through the checkpoint as long as they are frozen solid when presented for screening. If frozen liquid items are partially melted, slushy, or have any liquid at the bottom of the container, they must meet 3-1-1 liquids requirements. Note that medically necessary gel ice packs in reasonable quantities are allowed regardless of their physical state of matter (e.g., melted or slushy) with or without the presence of breast milk. Please notify the TSA officer at the checkpoint for inspection.”

This means you are allowed ice packs to transport breast milk even if you don’t have breast milk with you at the time. To make sure things go smoothly through security, you can print off these rules and keep handy when going through the TSA checkpoints. 

Finding ice at an airport

If you don’t have milk with you when you’re going through security, but will be pumping after you get to your gate or on the flight, you can get ice from either a restaurant or bar near your gate. I double bag the ice in a clean gallon sized Ziploc bag. 

I’ve also asked flight attendants for ice for my breast milk mid-flight, and they’ve been more than happy to give me as much as I need. That way you don’t have to worry about bringing an ice pack on plane. 

Best cooler for breast milk while flying

I’ve actually used two different cooler bags when traveling with breast milk. One smaller one (to save space) for pumping on the airplane and while traveling and another for bringing breast milk home in my checked luggage.

This cooler was large enough to pack 4-5 days worth of fresh milk and enough ice to keep it cold for over 12 hours while I traveled home from Mexico. 

If you want more breast milk cooler options, I cover coolers in much more detail in this post –Traveling with breast milk

Do I need my baby with me to bring breast milk on an airplane? 

No, you don’t need to have your baby traveling with you to bring breast milk on the plane. 

Can you bring a breast pump on a plane? 

Yes! According to the TSA breast pump policy, a breast pump is a medically necessary device and can be brought on a plane either in your checked luggage or your carry on. Since they are a medical device, breast pumps are supposed to be allowed as an additional carry on, however I would check with your airline specifically prior to leaving to verify.

In order to avoid any hiccups, I always traveled with my breast pump not as an extra carry on. I just didn’t want any surprises or have it be an issue with a flight attendant.

When making your way through security you’ll need to take your electric breast pump and any battery pack you might have out of the bag to be scanned separately. 

Can you check a bag with breast milk? Can you check breast milk?

Yes, you can check a bag with breast milk either fresh or frozen. See below for more details on how I did this exactly!

Can you fly internationally with breast milk?

Flying internationally with breast milk is a little trickier than traveling with breast milk on a plane  within the United States or domestically. You’ll need to do a lot of research on the country you’re planning on traveling to. I personally have flown to and from Mexico with breast milk. I will go over my trip specifically in detail below. 

How to check a bag with breast milk and Flying with breast milk internationally

I checked my carry-on sized suitcase with breast milk on my trip home from Mexico. Here’s how!

• Double bag your breast milk in quality breast milk storage bags. These are the bags I like because they are heavier duty and have a double zip lock closure. 
•  Keep the breast milk amounts to 2-4 ounces. Overfilling the bags could cause leaking.
• Place the filled breast milk bags in a gallon sized Ziploc freezer bag. The freezer bags tend to be more heavy duty ( I usually place the milk in a second Ziploc bag as well). 
• Double bag your ice in gallon sized Ziploc bags. Don’t overfill to avoid water leaking. 
• You can also use gel packs, but ice works the best for keeping your breast milk as cold as possible. 
• Place in a cooler that can fit in your checked bag. This is the cooler bag I used on my trip home from Mexico. 

Tip!– If you’re checking your bag with breast milk, you can use an air tag to track exactly where your bag is. This alleviates the stress of losing your luggage full of breast milk

Tip!– Monitor your cooler’s temp with a Bluetooth thermometer connected to your phone. Especially if you are checking your bag with breast breast milk in a cooler, a Bluetooth thermometer will give you peace of mind. They’re actually more inexpensive than I thought they would be. You can place the sensor in the cooler and monitor it on your phone. Here is more information on breast milk storage guidelines and optimal temperatures.

Why I chose to check my breast milk instead of going through security

After a kid free vacation to Mexico, I wanted to bring my milk home for my baby. Since I don’t speak Spanish and wouldn’t be traveling with my baby, I chose to check my breast milk in a medium sized soft cooler in my carry-on suitcase. For me, this was the path of least resistance. I felt like there would be less variables checking the breast milk. I also was more comfortable with this option, because it was a direct flight without any layover. Without a layover, it reduced my chance of my luggage getting lost.

When doing my research about traveling internationally with breast milk, I didn’t get warm and fuzzy feelings. I poured over forums and websites and found that mostly, you are at the mercy of whoever you get in security. I read horror stories about Moms having to throw away their milk at the security checkpoint because they weren’t traveling with their baby.

For my particular trip, I was traveling without my baby and would be gone for about 5 days. I wanted to bring my milk home that I pumped because I didn’t have a huge supply at home. This all is what brought me to the conclusion of checking my breast milk for the international flight home.

Tips on how to get through security with breast milk

I would recommend printing out the TSA breast milk screening policies directly from the TSA website regarding breast milk, breast pumps and ice packs. I would also recommend printing out policies from your airlines specifically if you plan to have your breast pump be an extra carry on. This way, they are handy for you to reference if you ever get a TSA agent who might not be as educated on breast milk policies as you had hoped. 

When you approach security, let them know you are flying with breastmilk (I usually try to choose a female if given the opportunity).

You can (and should!) request the TSA agent to wash their hands and put on new gloves before handling your milk. 

Your breast milk will be screened separately from your other belongings. I recommend having everything all in one place to make it easier. TSA officers may need to test the liquids for explosives or concealed prohibited items.

Per their website, they prefer breast milk in clear translucent bottles and not plastic bags, but it’s not required! According to the TSA website, this is because “Liquids in plastic bags or pouches may not be able to be screened by Bottle Liquid Scanners, and you may be asked to open them (if feasible) for alternate screening such as Explosive Trace Detection and Vapor Analysis for the presence of liquid explosives. Screening will never include placing anything into the medically necessary liquid.”

I want to reiterate that they should not be placing anything into your breast milk to test it!

Your milk might also be screened via X-ray. You can request additional screening procedures if you don’t want your milk X-rayed. Here is the link to the policy. 

Pumping schedule and flying

Pump on the way to the airport or just prior to leaving the airport. When leaving for my trip from home, I would either pump right before I left for the airport, or on the way. If I pumped before I left, I could then save that milk in the freezer.

If I pumped in the car on the way to the airport, I would usually leave my milk in the trunk of the car in the Winter in a cooler (saved for breast milk soap or breast milk baths). Otherwise, I would dump it if there was no other way to keep it. I always was very mindful of wasting my liquid gold and sometimes I just had to. But only if it was my last resort. 

​When talking about flying home, you can pump on the way to the airport and save your milk in a cooler to take with you through security.

After getting through airport security, I plan for extra time so I can pump at the gate just prior to boarding. 

For a long flight, I would pump once or twice during the flight. I always pumped right before landing though. This way, I had plenty of time to get off the plane, get my luggage and on my way to the destination before needing to pump again. 

​Pumping and traveling

All my best tips and how to plan for Pumping While Traveling. 

Traveling with breast milk

No stone left unturned in this Traveling With Breast Milk Article, written by an experienced Mom of 3. 

Final Tips!

I would recommend taking the additional steps of printing out the policies linked throughout this article. You can then reference it if needed at the airport security checkpoints.

It’s a good idea to give yourself extra time to get through the screening process. It might take longer than normal depending on how thorough they will be with inspecting your breast milk. You also don’t want the added stress of feeling rushed if you didn’t give yourself enough time.

Let me know if you have any other questions about flying with breast milk on a plane. I’m happy to answer all your questions!