Many nursing moms find it annoying when they get back to work after maternity leave. The reason is that they have to keep on breastfeeding their infant when they resume work.
Although you need a friendly environment, you will equally need a pump and a cooler bag to store the breastmilk after expressing. The best cooler for traveling with breastmilk is always available but, where and how can you find it?
The reason why this can be a significant issue is that many times, new milk expresses at home spoil unexpectedly. This can be annoying for most nursing moms who have spent their time expressing the milk.
In addition to this, new moms usually require the help of coolers to support them in storing more bottles for the whole day at work.
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Traveling with breastmilk by car
The truth is this: whether it’s a decision between a checked cooler bag ora cooler, every mother will always have to cope with carrying breast milk cold. Every infant will always be breastfed, and this cannot be avoided whether you are working or not.
Even though some parents employ the help of babysitters, the mother will still be responsible for breastfeeding his/her child. It doesn’t have to be a tough decision when on road trips.
Breastfeeding and pumping from your house is quite hard, but they get more demanding when you hit the highway for road trips.
More effort will be required from you if you are carrying your kid, breast pumping, and pumped milk on the road. However, there are some things to keep in mind about traveling by car with breast milk so it won’t get so stressful.
Some of these rules are what you now understand. However, it’s a little harder to learn the best ways to maintain your expression in the car than putting it into a purse and putting it in the fridge as you do at home.
When taking a road trip, one thing you must never forget is that it is better to prepare ahead, and as a nursing mother and want your milk cold, then milk storage is what you should prepare for.
Make sure it is not frozen but placed together with dry ice packs. No matter how easy it seems to carry your milk cold when you are traveling, remember that keeping it warm may consume more time than expected.
It is okay if you don’t plan on feeding your baby while in the car, but it is an essential factor to consider if the reverse is the case.
Yes, there are bottle warmers that make defrosting easier, but it is best to make sure you store your thawed expressed milk in a cooler bag with dry ice packs around it. This way, the temperature is maintained.
Naturally, expressed milk can last up to six hours without spoiling. So, why place ice packs when it is a short journey or when you are going to use it in the car. Through the six hours, frozen milk can maintain its temperature without additional heat or ice packs.
Get more bottles than required. It gets messy when you did not remember to bring more storage bottles along because when it comes to infants, it is difficult to predict what might happen. Therefore, it is advisable to get more than necessary.
The Ultimate buyer’s Guide: Cooler Bag for Breastmilk
Whenever you are ready to get the best cooler bag, you must first and foremost find what materials they are made of. Afterwards, you consider the necessary characteristics.
These are necessary because the infant’s milk must stay fresh, regardless of the time of your journey. Therefore, what makes a perfect frozen milk cooler?
Storage Space
How many bottles can the cooler take? And what bottle sizes can perfectly fit in the cooler? Any cooler should be flexible enough to fit in all sizes and shapes of bottles because there are so many varieties of bottles.
Although many working moms don’t need a huge breast milk cooler, it is, however, best to make sure that a good cooler can accommodate three or more bottles. This is okay even for longer journeys, but if you are traveling by air, you might need a cooler with so many compartments to put other things for proper milk storage.
A large cooler with different compartments can help you store different things and hence are flexible to use. Nevertheless, the capacity depends on how much milk your baby needs while you are on the go.
Mode of Cooling
Different breast milk bags come with different models, and you can pick the one that suits your needs best. While some bags will need dry ice packs, some are built with gel wall linings. Others come with a standard refrigeration system but which one will you need?
You can easily change ice packs depending on when you need it. This makes them very flexible and great for a small journey. Bags with gel linings will need all-night refrigeration before you can use them.
They are also suitable for small travel, but if you have occasional impromptu activities, this might become a real problem. For longer trips, standard refrigerator cooler bags are what you need. But you also need a power outlet from your car as they need a power source to maintain the temperature of the expressed milk.
Easy to use
The best cooler bag should support you and not stress you. Without this, your journey will be a mess. Pick a travel-friendly pump bag, and it is usually the type with so many small compartments yet small with a right shoulder strap.
Design
Women are known to appreciate beautiful designs. The best coolers to keep milk cold when traveling with cars are built with good aesthetics in mind. The shapes and varying colours should be integrated with its functionality which will not only make it fun to carry but easy to use.
The fact that you are a nursing mother does not mean you have to carry big bags that are boring and old-fashioned. There are great fashionable bags that work well for your expressed milk.
6 Best Coolers For Traveling With Breastmilk
1. Lekebaby Breast Pump Bag with Contoured Ice Pack
This cooler has an excellent Cooling Effect. This is because it is Insulated with a lining that keeps bottles warm or cold. It comes with a contoured ice pack as it can fit up to six breastmilk bottles.
It can keep the breast milk cold for eight hours straight. The ice pack is initially void, and you have to put inside yourself which you will place inside the refrigerator all through the night. However, the water absorber polymer does not to be filled since water expands during freezing. This is a great launch bag gift for your kid.
The Lekebaby can comfortably fit six bug bottles without wear or tear. Being portable, it can be used as a side bag for a small journey and hence, it is ideal for any mom. The shoulder strap can be adjusted, as well.
The bag is spacious with two zippers that are styled to make opening and closing easy. The zipper in front makes it easy to directly place breast milk bottles inside while the zipper on top, helps you to take out items from the launch bag without stress. It is made with water-resistant fabrics that will make it last longer.
The top-quality aluminium foil serves as good insulation.You can be rest assured that all these materials are approved by the FDA and are free from harmful toxins. Lekebaby breastmilk pump bag is ideal for every mom, and there is no problem with trying it out as it comes with 30-days money-back guarantee.
2. Medela Breast Milk Cooler and Transport Set
Medela is a company centred on creating only innovative breastfeeding products. It is known for creating breast milk coolers and pumps, so even though this cooler is small, it remains the ideal solution for all. Although large coolers exist from this brand.
The medela pump comes with extra containers made explicitly for storing expressed milk, caps and an ice pack. In addition to this, other essential tools you need for storing and moving your expressed milk are included in the bag.
Medela pump is designed to fit each of the 5 ounces bottles. This will maintain the temperature of your breast milk as you travel, go to work or keep your baby in a daycare.
The bag is your ideal option in hot temperature where it is not advisable to keep expressed breast milk on the table. Placing your baby’s milk inside the bag alone regulates the temperature.⠀
You can freeze the ice park all through the night (12 hours). After this, the stored milk remains fresh for the rest of the day. This breast pump bag is the ideal option if you are looking to save breast milk for just a short-term basis. The containers are of the highest quality as the ice packs preserve the milk’s temperature.
Features
- Contains one cooler container, a dry ice pack, and four bottles.
- Essential spare components of Medela.
- Contains ice pack cooler and contoured.
- Contains 4 containers of breastmilk collection compatible with all breast pumps of Medela.
- Manufactured without BPA
Pros
- It is portable and easy to use
- Specifically designed for nursing moms
- Allows nursing mothers to pump from anywhere
Cons
- No color variety, just the black color
- Nothing else can fit in except the Medela bottle and ice packs that came with it. All rights reserved by Medela
3. Teamoy Breast Pump Bag Backpack with Cooler Compartment
This breast milk cooler can be used for two purposes. Firstly, it can be used for keeping most breast pumps like Spectra S1, Spectra S2 and Medela. Secondly, as a cooler bag for keeping breast milk bottles, lunch, snacks, etc. It can also be a cooler bag by itself.
It is very spacious as it has two side mesh pouches, a front zipper pocket, an inside zipper pocket that could keep your all accessories when working. This Breast Pump bag has a unique style: A rear anti-theft zipper pocket which is ideal for storing keys, phone, wallet, etc.. Back thicken cushion, and padded shoulder straps are comfortable to carry.
It is made of water-resistant nylon material. It can easily be wiped as it is also leak proof. The hot-pressing lining keeps milk, lunch, snacks cold or warm. Portable design is suitable for many occasions like going out, working, shopping, traveling, etc. You can use the bag for different purposes, i.e. lunch bag, a diaper bag or a travel bag.
You can present it to any nursing mom as a gift. The two compartments are insulated so you can fit stuff in anyhow that best suits you. It is designed in such a way that no one can even guess what it holds inside.
4. Zohzo Lauren Breast Pump Bag
This is an ideal bag for the stylish executive working mother. Being a practical bag, it perfectly fits your breast pump and other bottles you want to travel with and also take your milk home. The lightweight ZOHZO Lauren Breast Pump Laptop Bag is every mother’s choice. It can be worn as a shoulder bag or as a hands-free crossbody.
It is simple to use. Just take your breast pump, your work materials, together with necessary travel equipment while still maintaining that confident and stylish look at the same time. Inside the well-designed bag is a Mesh Drawstring Wash & Store Bag for breast shields and part and there is also a detachable shoulder strap.
Features
- Spacious zip-down bag with picture holder
- Double storage pockets to hold creams, breast pads, etc.
- Dual Extra large side compartments
- Padded laptop/tablet sleeve with 5 interior pockets
- Stylish gold hardware
- Sleek black nylon and gold lining
- Lightweight design
- Wipes clean and easy
- Full back pocket with magnetic button closure
- Fits file folders or diaper changing pad
As you can see, ZOHZO is suitable as a work bag, breast pump bag, laptop carrier, weekend bag, and diaper bag. It is also compatible with most portable electric or manual breast pumps
This bag is great! The gigantic side pocket fits any Spectra S2 pump plus tubes and a charger with room to spare. Other packs can hardly match the popular Spectra S2 as it becomes difficult to remove it when placed inside these bags. With this bag, you can be assured of less trouble.
Put your cooler in the smaller side pocket and all your pump parts in the main compartment. Interestingly, you can add a 15-inch laptop inside the laptop sleeve, and it fits perfectly. The front pocket that opens down and can easily be used to keep other sanitary sets. In all, this bag is lovely, very light, and it is affordable
5. MOJECTO Large Cooler Bag with Leakproof Hard Liner Bucket
This is a heavy-duty soft cooler bag, and it comes with a Leak-Proof Hard-Liner Buckle. The frozen milk Cooler bag has ten-inch wide trolley pass-through for luggage handles. It is suitable for working moms in office, schools, and it can also be used for sporting activities like camping or hiking. It is ideal for long trips and beach picnics and can serve as a perfect launch bag.
MOJECTO Large Cooler Bag is durable due to its cooling mechanism from the thick insulation & heat sealing. The construction with heavy-duty materials makes the pump bag durable. It is also easy to clean in case of accidental spillage, and you will find the different spaces suitable for your food and accessories.
The breast pump bag can hold whole day food supply without spoiling, and you will find a pocket at the back to keep an ID card.
Other Key Features
- Heavy-duty polyester fabric
- Sturdy, durable hard liner bucket
- High-density thick insulation for long-lasting cooling
- Top insulated compartment with zippered mesh pocket inside
- Bottom compartment insulated from all sides with high-density foam and Peva liner
- Two large cooler zippered pockets on sides for storage
- Large front zippered pocket with a mini front pocket for quick access
- Large, strong double zippers
- Padded, removable and adjustable shoulder straps
- Two long handles for convenient carrying
This bag can serve two primary purposes: soft liner cooler bag or hardliner cooler. The Complete soft liner cooler has a hardliner bucket in it. When using as soft liner cooler (without hard bucket), it is advisable to refrain from placing ice packs or liquid in the bag.
Apart from being useful for carrying expressed milk, it can also be used as sports, travel, beach, picnic, hiking, carry-on, camping, and duffel bag. If you are travelling with by air, the Cooler bag is designed with multiple pockets including two broadside zippered pockets for your journey.
6. TOURIT Insulated Cooler Bag
The company is known for making great products that make life exciting, style for people. They also pursue flexible and pluralistic attitude and continually integrate the trend of innovation. Our design team is committed to creating a refined quality from the original material to the final products. We always strive to ensure whatever you need travels quickly, comfortable, and stylishly with you.
Insulated Cooler Bag for all your excursions is suitable for park, beach, picnics, BBQ, camping or work. Wherever you go, TOURIT cooler bags insulated is your best match!
The thick insulation which is highly dense has a heat-sealed lining that functions in harmony to stop leaking. This, in turn, makes the bag durable and suitable for maintaining the temperature of the contents within the pack — this soft cooler bag designed with rip-resistant polyester for extra durability.
It has enough compartments as well as being easy to clean, in case of accidental spillage. The design is portable for working moms as it comes with detachable shoulder strap, top handles or back trolley sleeve make you more convenient to get access with this insulated lunch box.
The breast milk bag has a large capacity with the lightweight, perfect size to use for a long journey. Make your adventures more conveniently with a beer opener.
The bottom insulated compartment is large enough to provide significant capacity for your food, snacks, juice or coke. The zipper space at the top is ample; having a mesh pocket that is perfect for napkins and other small dry items.
The space in front can be used to store small chops, travel wallet or other small accessories which can be easily accessed. Two bottle holders on the side that worked excellent for water bottle or umbrella. This is ideal for lunches, picnics, work or travel.
Note that you don’t have to put the ice packs or other items with sharp corners into the cooler bag directly to avoid cutting off the waterproof material inside the soft cooler. Use the available ice packs for cooling.
Features
- Great cooling performance
- More pockets, more space
- Durable and leak-proof
How to pack and transport fresh breast milk
For short trips, your stored pumped milk is usually enough, but it is not always so when the journey is long because you might pump more while on the trip. For a small journey, you can use any of the breast milk coolers above to store the milk. However, it is advisable to bring empty bottles along just in case.
For longer journeys, it is always best to bring as many empty bottles along while you pump just enough to last a particular time. Apart from using the breast milk cooler listed above, you can get other random bags to store the empty bottles and other necessities like pumps.
In addition to this, you should get a simple thermometer to help you monitor the temperature of the expressed milk.
Final Thoughts
Of course, no mother wants to put her precious expressed milk on a driver seat while she travels with her baby. It is not only unhygienic, but it is also inappropriate. This is the reason why the demand for breast pump bags has been on the rise.
The above best coolers for traveling with breast milk are all great for use anytime but based on your unique need, and you can only get one.
Generally, Medela products are durable due to their stability in the child-care business. However, based on high ratings, Teamony is an ideal choice for any journey.
All things being equal, the idea is to get a good breastmilk cooler that can keep milk expressed safe, free from toxins and most importantly, fresh for your child.