6 Must-Know Tips For Breastfeeding Or Pumping On A Flight
Bookmark this for the next time you're flying and need to nurse or pump
By Gwyneth Goh -
Travelling with little ones can already be tough, but throw breast milk into the mix and it’s a whole new level of stress. How should I pack the milk? How do I keep it from turning bad on such a long flight? Is it ok to breastfeed on board? Am I allowed to take breast milk in my carry-on? Will customs stop me and make me toss it out? Relax, mum — take a deep breath, and carry on reading.
For starters, formula, breast milk, juice, baby food and water (for baby) are usually permitted in your carry-on baggage when you’re travelling with a baby. Few airlines expect you to conform to the 100ml rule when travelling with young ones, but you might still like to err on the side of caution by using small containers. Even when you’re travelling without baby, breast milk is still usually allowed, since most airlines understand the need for a nursing mother to express milk during a flight.
The prudent thing to do might be to call ahead of time and check in with your airline about their policies regarding the following: breastfeeding on board, taking breast milk in your carry-on, checking in breast milk, as well as advice on what to expect at your destination country. You may even wish to obtain these policies in writing and carry a printed copy when travelling. Meanwhile, here are some useful tips and stories from mums who have braved the journey and lived to tell the story.
In most countries, women have a right to breastfeed their child in public, and this usually extends on board a plane, but some airlines request that their guests “cover up” while they’re doing this “so as to ensure that all other passengers feel comfortable on board” (true KLM story). Fair enough, but some mummies can get quite riled up about this. To avoid any unpleasantness, we recommend you call ahead to find out what your airline’s policy on breastfeeding is.
Otherwise, a nursing cover is a simple and elegant solution for giving yourself and baby some privacy while nursing. In fact, many mums testify that the nursing cover helps baby calm down enough to latch by minimising the distractions of an unfamiliar or noisy environment.
Denise T., a seasoned traveller and mother of two, adds: “Latching on during take-off and landing helps baby deal with air pressure discomfort when ascending or descending. The act of sucking neutralises the pressure in their eardrums since they’re too young to know how to swallow or yawn like an adult — they sometimes get very upset because it can be quite painful.”
Similar in principle to breastfeeding on board, having a nursing cover will help you pump discreetly. Using handsfree pumps with a good pumping bra would mean you could continue doing whatever you were doing before you started pumping... reading a book, having lunch or just relaxing to inflight entertainment. For extra privacy you could also consider requesting a back-row seat, an upgrade to business class, or the use of an empty business class seat just while you’re pumping.
With regard to equipment, you should have no issues bringing your breast pump(s) on board since they are considered “medical devices” in most cases, but do observe your airline’s policies on hand-carry quantity or weight limits. Some less progressive airlines might require a doctor’s note explaining why you need to carry a breast pump with you, or a copy of your baby’s birth certificate, or pictures of your baby — do find out beforehand.
Mummy pro-tip from Alice L.: “I use Dapple breast pump cleaning wipes for sanitising my pump parts on the go. You can properly sanitise at the hotel later with microwave disinfecting bags or good ol’ boiling water.”
After all that productive pumping on board, how should you be storing your liquid gold? Firstly, ice packs, gel packs and freezer packs are all allowed when transporting breast milk. You should pack these in solid frozen form in a cooler bag or box, or one of those nifty breast milk cooler bags designed especially for storing milk bottles. In the unfortunate event that you have trouble taking your ice blocks or packs through security (perhaps because you don’t have your baby or breast milk with you to “account for” them yet), you can dump the ice and later ask the air stewardesses on board for ice.
An alternative to using bulky milk bottles is to store your expressed milk in pre-sterilised milk storage bags (note that whatever container you use must be transparent, not opaque). It is advisable to store them in 100ml portions — both to observe the 100ml carry-on liquid rule as well as to have single servings ready for baby’s feed.
Important note: your milk will stay fresh in the cooler with frozen ice packs for 24 hours at most, and should be consumed that day or stuck in the fridge or freezer within 24 hours. The general rule of thumb for breast milk lifespan is: four hours at room temperature below 25 degrees Celcius, up to four days at the back of a refrigerator, or six (optimum) to twelve (maximum) months in the freezer. Be sure to pack a permanent marker for labelling your “pumped on…” dates!
If you’re travelling with frozen breast milk, you’d also want to pack it in a cooler bag or box, surrounding every milk bottle or milk bag with as many ice or gel or freezer packs as you can fit in. You could also use dry ice or make DIY ice packs by freezing water in plastic zip-lock bags such as your milk storage bags. When freezing water — as with milk — be sure to leave a space of about 2-3cm at the top to make room for expansion. Pack your cooler as fully as possible to avoid air gaps, because warm air pockets will cause everything to melt faster, and pack it as late as possible, right before you leave for the airport. Avoid opening it once it’s packed unless absolutely necessary at customs, because warm air is introduced each time you open your cooler.
There is no need to declare breast milk in checked-in luggage, but make sure everything is well-sealed or waterproofed in case of leakage. If you’re packing breas tmilk in your carry-on, declare this at customs before they start to screen your baggage. Take your cooler out and separate it from your other belongings so the customs agent can easily inspect it at the side without holding up the line. If everything is frozen solid, they’re usually quite quick to whizz you through, although some agents may want to x-ray your breast milk (which does no harm to it). Sometimes they will swab for explosives too. Depending on how cooperative you are and how pedantic the agent is, they may also run a longer or more comprehensive screening of your package, especially if the ice packs and your milk packs have thawed or become slushy. You may request that the officer puts on clean gloves before handling your breast milk.
Important note: Fully thawed breast milk, if left at room temperature, must be fed to your baby within two hours or discarded. If the frozen milk is partially thawed but still contains ice crystals, it may be refrozen (but it’s really up to your discretion to judge if it’s more frozen or more thawed — you might choose to discard slushy milk rather than risk making baby ill).
Mumfluencer, emcee and lady boss of Little Bears House @c0rde shares how she once brought a big load of breast milk home from a work trip: “Tons of ice bags, a big Styrofoam box, and lots of tape was what I used… checked that in, came back from Dubai and they were still rock solid ice packs. I was travelling alone, just said that it’s breast milk at customs and there were no issues.”
In truth, many mums have done what @c0rde did and breezed through many an Immigration counter without any hassle, but there is always the occasional shocking story about some mum getting stopped and embarrassed at customs — be it because they wouldn’t allow ice packs or because they felt it was necessary to rip open her carefully packaged milk parcel to examine its contents.
To avoid an experience like that, we recommend calling ahead to inform the airline or airport about your breast milk plans and enquire about necessary protocols or restrictions. When packing, following our tips in the previous section (using purpose-built cooler bags and separate packs) will ensure that your precious cargo can be examined by customs and repacked without being damaged.
Pro-tip for Australia, as Immigration there is notoriously trickier to get through but here’s the breakdown:
Flying out of Australia with baby: While there’s no limit to the amount of powdered formula milk you can take on board when travelling with your baby, expressed breast milk is limited to “a reasonable amount” (which completely depends on the airport security screening officer you encounter).
Flying out of Australia without baby: When travelling without your baby, the amount you can take on board the plane is capped at 1 litre, in clear containers of no more than 100ml each. Note: Australia does not impose any liquid/gel limits on domestic flights.
Entering Australia with baby: At customs upon arrival, you should always declare that you are carrying breast milk. When travelling with baby, you are allowed to bring up to 10 kilograms or 10 litres into the country—no issues.
Entering Australia without baby: You are entitled to the same import limit of 10 kilograms or 10 litres, but will be required to submit an “Importer Declaration”— stating that the milk has not been sourced from donors and/or a commercial enterprise, and that the milk is only for personal use, specifically by infants under your care.
If you’re thinking that all of this sounds like a huge hassle you’d much rather avoid for peace of mind and ease of travel, consider shipping your expressed breast milk more creatively. Unfortunately, we don’t have a dedicated breast milk shipping company like Milk Stork to provide specialised breast milk shipping services around or from Asia, but you can always DIY with these other options:
FedEx: FedEx has cold-shipping package options that are very conducive for transporting frozen breast milk. Depending on your shipping destination and distance, prices can of course differ greatly. For long distances, FedEx offers small insulated packing solutions using special coolants that can keep your shipment between two to eight degrees celcius for 24, 72 or 96 hours. For shorter distances, you might even choose to pack your own cooler package and use their regular shipping service for a better rate. Get quotes here.
BabyFeeds: A more creative solution for transporting your breast milk is to freeze dry it first, which BabyFeeds can do for you locally. Drop it off at their Bukit Merah facility or have them pick up your frozen breast milk from your doorstep, and voila — have your liquid gold turned into breast milk powder that is TSA-safe and a breeze to travel with. Aside from the obvious convenience, another major benefit of freeze-drying breast milk is that it extends shelf-life to over 2 years by reducing lipase activity while retaining nutritional value. Use Welcome10 for $10 off your first order! Visit their website for more information.