A Pumping Mom’s Guide to Pumping While Traveling

–Tips and Tricks for Pumping While Traveling –

Pumping while traveling requires a little planning and a whole lotta packing.

I had to travel for business while breastfeeding a few times, and since I couldn’t bring my baby along to nurse on demand, I had to settle for bringing my old faithful, Medela Pump. After a few times of this routine, I finally got it down to a science and want to share some tips and tricks for any other mamas who may need to pump while traveling.

Pumping at the Airport:

Apparently there was some bill signed in 2018 about making all medium and large size airports provide a locking, non-restroom pumping area in each terminal, I so far have never encountered one. I’m not saying they don’t exist, but in Dallas where I fly to often, the one nursing room is in terminal A. There are 5 terminals connected by a skyway, which does not make this room very convenient if you are flying out of any other terminal but A. Your airport may have a room, if not look for a family restroom they usually have an outlet, or, if you aren’t too shy, whip your milk makers out in the public restroom and get to pumping. (yes, that is me below pumping in the public restroom for all to see. A few fellow mamas stopped to give their Hunger Games 3 finger solidarity salute)

Traveling With Breastmilk:

It shouldn’t surprise you that not all TSA employees know about the rules and regulations of traveling with breastmilk. So don’t be shocked if they are confused or try to tell you something that is incorrect.

There is no limit to the amount of breastmilk, baby food or water bottles for formula you can bring with you on the plane. You can also use Ice Packs (just not ice cubes since those will melt and make a mess). If the milk is frozen, it is completely fine and they will not need to do any examination of it. If the milk is liquid, they may need to open it and do testing, what that is they don’t specifically state, but in my experience the TSA agents wanted nothing to do with opening, smelling or any sort of testing of my breastmilk. They opened my cooler bag, asked if it was breastmilk and sent me on my way.

So make it easier on yourself and travel with frozen milk.

If all of this seems like too much to deal with, there’s a company called Milk Stork that will send a box in advance to your hotel, for you to fill with either 6 or 12 milk bags, and then FedEx overnight to your house. It’s pretty pricey, $139 or $159, so I’d only use it if my employer would reimburse me. (They also have the option of providing the cooler and then you carry back yourself, but really for $79 there are much cheaper options – check out my must have products below. Alternatively, you can get a similar cold box from FedEx ($46 for the small) and just order the replacement cooling pack each time ($59 for 2) if you are a frequent traveler, and then use your company FedEx account. The only thing they aren’t providing is milk bags, which if you’re a pumping mom, you probably have plenty of anyway.

Pumping at Hotels

Most hotels can provide you with a mini-fridge to store your breastmilk in, free of charge, since it is medically necessary. Call ahead and ask about it or ask when you are checking in. I’ve only ever had one hotel say that they didn’t have mini-fridges since they were already in the room but stocked with stuff I couldn’t remove. But they didn’t leave me high and dry, they kindly offered to keep it in their walk in freezer. My only complaint was they didn’t lay them nice and flat like I like, I got several balled up bags back, but hey, better than letting my liquid gold go to waste.

The Gear You Need For Pumping While Traveling

These are the products that I packed for pumping while traveling:

• Handsfree pumping bra Funny story, this was totally one of those products I didn’t immediately realize I needed, but ended up being one of my most used. I got my pump from insurance and thought I was good to go, I’d probably never even use that thing. That is until my lazy nurser required the 3 step feeding method (you know the one where you nurse for 20 minutes, pump for 10, then feed the bottle of pumped milk and basically have 10 minutes to yourself before you start over again). I found my self pumping quite frequently and was irritated about not having a hand to scroll through Facebook/Instagram with because it was busy holding my pumping pieces in place. I would try to hold them one handed, and would end up spilling milk everywhere, so needless to say, it was the first of many Amazon purchases I made that first week home from the hospital. And it was worth every penny!
• Wet Bags. This is another product I didn’t really know I needed, but now I recommend to every mama, and usually throw in their shower gift. Wet bags are amazing for storing dirty pump parts, wet bathing suits, soiled clothing from blowout diapers, or if you cloth diaper – soiled diapers. I am a huge fan of the cute designs Itzy Ritzy has, but Skip Hop, PlanetWise and several other brands make them too. You can always find a wet bag in my diaper bag, and when I’m pumping on the go I use it for my dirty pump parts.
• Bamboobies Reusable Nursing Pads. No-one wants wet, breastmilk stained clothes. I try to choose eco conscious products when possible and to reduce my waste, so when I came across this product I was all in. Made from bamboo which an awesome renewable resource, and machine washable, I love how soft and absorbent these breast pads are. I never left home without them.
• Boon Travel Drying Rack. After one too many times of using hotel washcloths to try and wash all my parts and bottles I broke down and bought this compact, travel size washing set. It fits perfectly in any carryon bag and includes a bottle brush. Only thing you need to grab is a ziplock of dish soap from home.
• Breastmilk Storage Bags. This is the most compact way to bring the milk back home with you. I’ve tried all the brands and while they all work equally good, Lansinoh bags were my favorite. They lay the flattest out of all the bags I’ve tried (which is important when you are stockpiling) and I’ve never had leaking issues. Plus the price point is great. The major downfall is that you can’t pump directly into the bag, but my solution for that was these Evenflo adapters that clipped onto the bag so I could pump direct. Evenflo bags are nice as well, they have inspirational quotes on them and while they don’t lay completely flat, I never had leaking issues. Medela bags for me leaked constantly.
• PackIt Freezable Bag. These bags are great! They come in a variety of sizes and shapes, from one specifically designed to fit pumping bottles (like the medela ones, bottles like Tommee Tippee are too tall to fit upright) to lunch bags that fit bento style boxes, and cooler cases for 18 beers. I have them in a wide variety of sizes and we use them daily. I love them for traveling with breastmilk because the whole bag acts as a cooler keeping the milk fresh and frozen while flying home. No other ice packs to worry about and when you are traveling, the less you have to pack and mess with the better. (So my advice – skip the fedex box above and purchase one of these for 2/3 the price and carry your milk back)
• Babyganics Individually Wrapped Hand Sanitizing Wipes. While pumping on the go I loved to pack these sanitizing wipes with my pumping supplies so that I could give my parts a quick wipe down before throwing them into my wetbag. Since giving everything a full wash wasn’t always an option, like when I’d pump real quick before jumping on the plane, these helped me quickly clean everything to prevent bacteria. And also with kids I always have a few in my diaper bag and use them often.
• Hand Pump. So while I always packed and used my double electric Medela Pump In Style, I always also packed my Medela Harmony Hand Pump. Mastitis is real, and is honestly the worst pain I’ve ever felt, one of those things where you get it once and then never again because you do everything in your power to prevent it. I never wanted to be in a postion where I couldn’t pump because I didn’t have an outlet, so I always brought this along. Pumping mid air, no problem, in the back of an Uber, cool, real quick in a restaurant bathroom, you’ve got it.

Pumping while traveling isn’t terribly difficult, it’s just making sure you are packing everything you need to get the job done, including your plug to your pump (yep I forgot that one time). Worst case scenario you forget something, run to a local target they have everything you’d need to pump on the go, when you are away from home.