Best Cooler For Frozen Breast Milk When Traveling By Car or Flying

One thing that worries exclusively breastfeeding moms is how to carry breast milk when on the go. Whether you are transporting it from work, taking it to daycare, or traveling by car or flight, you need to ensure that the milk remains as fresh as possible. Fortunately, with the best cooler for frozen breast milk, you do not have to worry.

Breast milk is a precious commodity that provides your baby with all the necessary nutrients in their early life. However, just like any other milk, breast milk spoils very fast. A good cooler will help to ensure that the milk remains fresh as you travel no matter the weather.

In this article, we shall look at different coolers that can help you to transport breast milk that is freshly pumped or already frozen.

Comparison Table for the Best Cooler for Frozen Breast Milk when Traveling by Car or flying

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Reviews of the Best Cooler for Frozen Breast Milk When traveling

1. MOJECTO Large cooler bag

When you have no access to a freezer or refrigerator when traveling, the Mojecto Large Cooler Bag is the best option.

This cooler bag is insulation using high-density thick foam and has two heat-sealed thick peva liners, which ensures that the baby’s milk is kept cold.

All the compartments are highly insulated with the thick foam. This includes the top and the bottom compartments.

The manufacturers recommend that you strictly use ice packs and ice gels that are specifically made for cooler bags and lunch boxes. You do not need to use homemade plastic ice packs, open ice, or open liquid since their sharp edges can damage the liners. However, this cooler bag comes with an extra liner for replacement in case one of the liners is damaged accidentally.

MOJECTO cooler bag has a large capacity. It can hold several bottles of milk or milk storage bags, food and drinks thanks to the many compartments, netting pockets and normal pockets. For instance, it has a large front pocket with a zipper with two mesh pockets on the inside.

In case you order to this bag and get a defective or damaged one, there is a lifetime warranty so you can have the bag replaced immediately.

Pros

• Large capacity (multiple compartments and pockets)
• Long lasting cooling
• High-quality heavy-duty material
• Thickly insulated
• Lifetime warranty

Cons

• You must use ice packs or ice gels made for cooler bags and lunch boxes (no homemade ice)
• A little bulky for light travel

2. Sarah Wells Lizzy Breast Pump Bag

The Sarah Wells Lizzy Breast pump bag was designed by Sarah herself with pumping mamas in mind. She was inspired by her experience and that of other pumping moms to produce this pump bag. So you can rest assured that it meets all your requirements.

To start with, it has several compartments that can fit different portable breast pumps. Actually, it is the most preferred bag for moms with Spectra S1 and S2 breast pumps. It is also compatible with brands like  Medela Pump In Style, Freemie, Philips Avent and Sonata among others.

It has two thermally insulated side pockets. The bigger side pocket is meant for the breast pump while the smaller one is meant for bottles and pumping accessories.

If you want to carry frozen milk or keep freshly pumped milk cold, you can add ice packs in the thermally insulated pockets and then put your bottles. This can help to keep breast milk chilled for up to 6 hours.

A unique feature that we love about this pump bag is that it is very discrete. You do not have to remove the whole pump from the bag when pumping. Simply unzip one end of the pump bag and connect the pump to a socket.

The inside of the bag is quite huge. You can put your personal items including a laptop when going to work so that you don’t have to carry another bag.

This cooler bag is not only attractive but also trendy and fashionable. It comes in a variety of prints and does not look like your ‘normal’ cooler. Actually, once you are through with breastfeeding, you can use it as a diaper bag and carry your baby’s food and drinks in the thermally insulated pockets.

Pros

• Lightweight
• Durable
• Variety of prints
• Easy to wipe clean
• Lifetime warranty
• Thermally lined pockets
• Large capacity

Cons

• A little pricey
• Zipper not of high quality

3. Igloo Iceless Thermoelectric Cooler

If you are looking for a cooler that does not require ice packs or gel packs, then you need the Igloo Thermoelectric cooler. This makes it very portable and convenient for traveling.

This portable cooler is made of plastic and requires a power source in order to keep breast milk, food or drinks cool all day. It comes with an 8-foot long power cord that you can plug even in your car’s cigarette lighter when traveling.

Once connected to a power source, it can keep the temperature inside as low as 36 degrees F below the temperature outside. This means that your frozen breast milk can remain frozen throughout your journey.

It produces a little sound when it is working but not too loud to wake a sleeping baby. In addition, it produces very little heat hence no overheating.

This cooler is best suited for road trips and picnics where it can stay connected to the car’s cigarette ignition all day for maximum cooling.

Pros

• No ice packs or gels required
• Long lasting cooling
• Comes with a power cord

Cons

• It has to be plugged in so as to keep the milk frozen. However, it can keep the milk cold overnight as long as the lid is not opened
• Bulky for everyday use
• A bit pricey
• Limited capacity
• May not be suitable for air travel

4. PackIt Freezable Lunch Bag

A unique feature in the PackIt Freezable Lunch Bag is the freezable cooling technology, which makes it possible to freeze the entire bag.

You do not need to put ice packs in the bag to freeze breast milk because the bag has built-in gel packs.

Unlike other PackIt lunch bags, this particular one has a shoulder strap and it can hold 30% more. The shoulder strap can be adjusted according to the needs of the user.

Moreover, it has a zip closure that ensures that the frozen bottles inside the bag are completely locked in so as not to start thawing.

The bag is constructed from non-toxic material; thus, it is free of BPA, lead, phthalates, PVC and formaldehyde.

In addition, it folds completely flat, which helps in storage in the freezer.

If you are planning to travel, you should freeze the bag for at least 12 hours overnight so that the walls can be completely frozen by the time you put the breast milk bottles. Also, you can always have the bag in the freezer all through so that it can be ready whenever you want to use it. It can sit in the freezer for days without getting damaged.

Pros

• The material is non-toxic
• Larger than most of its competitors
• Inbuilt freezable gel
• Folds to ease storage
• Zip closure
• Durable material
• Shoulder strap

Cons

• Does not maintain the coldness for too long. Most users found that it could last for about 6 hours in very hot weather.

5. Medela Breast milk Cooler set

This cooler set is rated quite high by customers. This is due to its ability to keep milk cool for long periods and the fact that it comes with an ice pack and 5oz baby bottles with lids.

In addition, it can hold up to 4 Medela bottles since the ice pack is molded to fit 4 bottles.

In case you need to carry more breast milk, you can squeeze storage bags around the sides of the bottles. Thus, this cooler bag is perfect for transporting milk from work to home or leaving at day care.

Moreover, it easily fits into Medela Freestyle and Pump in style breast pump bags.

Moms who have used this cooler bag explain that it can keep milk freezing cold for 8-9 hours. Others have managed to keep the milk cold in this bag for over 15+ hours. This shows that as long as the ice pack remains frozen, the milk can stay freezing cold in the bag for long periods.

Overall, Medela breast milk cooler set is a great storage container for carrying frozen breast milk on shorter trips.

Pros

• Keeps milk freezing cold for long
• Compact
• Easy to carry
• Fits most diaper bags
• Durable BPA free material

Cons

• Countered cooling element is designed to specifically fit Medela breast milk bottles but reviews show other brands of bottles fit as well such as 4oz Philips avent anti colic bottles.
• Does not fit bottles with nipple and cap so you have to use a flat cap to seal the bottles.

Lynn

Lynn is a freelance writer, a wife, and a mother of two beautiful kids. Lynn started Infant Empire with the aim of making parenting easier for fellow mums and dads. She believes the parenting tips provided here will be of great help to all parents.