Exciting news recently came out of US Congress with the passing of the Bottles & Breastfeeding Equipment Screening (BABES) Enhancement ACT. If you’ve ever traveled with breastmilk or even thought about it, it can be downright scary and confusing. The original BABES ACT was signed into law in 2016 after an upsetting incident impacted Emily Calandrelli, who was asked to check the frozen ice packs she was traveling with to keep her breastmilk cold. While that law has helped, we’ve all seen plenty of stories of mamas having frustrating experiences in TSA and the law needed to be enhanced. Let’s take a look at what this update means for you.

The BABES Act will require TSA to:

1. Develop clear, updated guidelines for screening breast milk, formula, and feeding equipment in consultation with nationally recognized maternal health organizations;

2. Ensure TSA officers receive enhanced and consistent training on these procedures;

3. Improve communication with parents about their rights at security checkpoints;

4. Update its guidance every five years to reflect changing needs and technology.
   

What are some things to consider when traveling through TSA currently?

• Breastmilk, formula, and related feeding equipment are considered medical items. As such, there are special screening measures that must be adhered to and exceptions that are permitted.

• You have the right to ask the TSA agent to change their gloves before touching your feeding items.

• You can bring frozen or fresh breastmilk through TSA.

• You can bring liquid or solid ice packs through TSA.

• Your breast pump bag does not count against your bag allowance.

• A cooler does not count against your bag allowance.

• Your breastmilk is subject to inspection, but nothing can be placed into the liquid for testing.

• Some airports now offer a TSA Family Lane, so if you are traveling with children 12 and under, you can utilize this special lane just for families like yours. In addition, if you have TSA PreCheck, your children 17 and under qualify to go through with you for no additional cost.

Now that we've got the TSA part out of the way, what are some other ways to make air travel a bit easier with baby? Depending on the age of your little one, consider bringing a washable playmat or spare blanket to lay on the floor at your gate and a few new toys to keep their attention in the event of delays. For older children, wrapping things like blocks, diecast cars, small stuffed animals, and other trinkets in wrapping paper can help keep them occupied and interested as well as using window clings if you've scored a window seat! Make sure to download the Mamava app ahead of your travels so you can quickly locate the nearest pod to nurse or pump in or prepare your bottles. Of course a wearable pump or the use of collection cups like Amaris Go-Cups or Amaris Slim-Cups will also make your on-the-go journey much easier, so you can pump without stopping. Once on the plane, if you are traveling solo and aren't comfortable pumping or nursing next to your seat mate, ask the steward or stewardess if they would be willing to give up their jump seat or if there's an open seat elsewhere to allow you to feed your baby. No need to use that nasty airplane bathroom!

Traveling by car? You'll want to build extra time into your drive so that you can stop along the way and feed baby on demand. Never attempt to feed baby in a moving vehicle whether at the breast or with a bottle due to the risk of vehicular accident and/or choking. Always pull over at a secure location (my personal favorite was Cracker Barrel!), stretch your legs, and snuggle up with baby for a good feed. If you're traveling with expressed milk, use that first and pump while bottle feeding. You can easily warm it in a travel warmer such as this one from Kiinde, where you can pre-warm it ahead of time with hot water from your Keurig or ask for a cup of warm water from Starbucks while on the road. Don't forget to keep a wet/dry bag nearby to toss your dirty pump parts in alongside any used bottle parts from babies feeds. When you get to your stopping point, grab the wet/dry bag with your gentle dish soap and give your items a nice wash.

At your hotel or even on a cruise ship, it's important to know that the mini-refrigerators and medical coolers provided to you in your room are not at the appropriate temperature to keep breastmilk and formula safe. This can be worrisome, but many moms have had success with using ice buckets changed frequently if on a cruise ship, using chillers like the Ceres Chill, or if on land you can obtain dry ice from your nearest grocery store and keep expressed breast milk frozen for a lengthy period of time.

The thought of traveling with your little one can be enough to make you want to cancel your plans, but I promise you...you can do this.