Traveling Across the Country with Four Ceres Chills
When I say pumping on the go is an extreme sport, I mean it. Traveling as a lactating parent requires planning, strategy, and a little bit of chaos management. And last fall, when I flew across the country to present at a conference four days—without my 11-month old—I knew I had one mission: pump like my life depended on it and bring every ounce of that liquid gold back home.
My secret weapon? Four Ceres Chill coolers.
Why I Needed Four Ceres Chills
I knew I’d be pumping multiple times a day and storing milk for four days, which meant I needed a reliable way to keep everything cold without access to a freezer. I love Ceres Chill because it’s sleek, TSA-compliant, and actually keeps milk cold for over 20 hours—plus, it’s way less bulky than carrying around a giant cooler with ice packs.
But one Ceres Chill wasn’t going to cut it for this trip. I needed multiple coolers to store and transport the 80+ ounces of milk I planned to pump. So I packed four of them, fully prepared to be the most high-maintenance person in every TSA line I went through.
The Travel Strategy
Here’s how I made it work:
1. Packing for the Journey
I packed my Spectra, charger, my adapters, my flages, and the 4 coolers (mint, navy, white, and the pretty red color).
Each Ceres Chill was washed really well, and dried really well.
I carried a mini dish soap, and a travel bottle brush kit for cleaning parts in airport bathrooms (glamorous, I know).
I also carried LOTS of Collagen protein bars (I have a problem).
2. Pumping Like Clockwork
I pumped every 3-4 hours while traveling, including in airports, Ubers, in the middle of the conference, and at my hotel. While traveling I stored milk in the inner chambers, dumped ice before going through security, and asked restaurants for ice as soon as I got to the other side of security. (One restaurant actually said NO…. to which I said- I NEED IT FOR MY BREASTMILK (very sweetly, and a little too loud) and he directed me to the very best place I could get ice.)
I also asked every TSA agent I could find where the best place to pump was. (Some airports have Mamava pods and most airports have a designated lactation room! Get the code for them all!)
And when it felt relevant I made sure to communicate my ‘pumping parent’ status with airline staff so they wouldn’t question the abundance of metal canisters in my bag. (And so they would think I was soooo cool).
3. TSA & Airport Logistics
TSA agents are usually familiar with breast milk rules, but I always come prepared with knowledge of their guidelines (yes, you CAN travel with large amounts of breast milk!).
I separated my milk from my other carry-ons to make security checks smoother.
No one wanted to test my milk— but if they did I was prepared to politely decline and asked them to do a visual inspection instead. (this is a personal choice- y'all do you)
I was pleasantly surprised at how lovely everyone was!
4. Keeping It Cold on the Way Home
By the last day, I had each Ceres Chill packed to the brim with milk, and the inner chambers packed with crushed ice. I thought about using the fridge in my hotel room- but it just wasn't cold! So I just replaced the ice every 8-12 hours while I was there. And man, those things stay REALLY COLD! For the flight home, I made sure everything was properly sealed, and held my breath through security. I also make sure to open and close each ceres chill that I had with me on the plane to depressurize- I am not sure if that was necessary but I did it, so I'm telling you about it.
I only spilled like… maybe a total of 1 ounce in the process of dealing with all the pouring breastmilk too and fro between the Ceres chill sides (iykyk).
Success! Every Drop Made It Home
After a long trip, a lot of planning, and a few awkward pumping sessions in public, I walked through my front door with over 80 ounces of milk, all still perfectly cold. My baby woke at 11pm... about 30 minutes after I arrived home and unloaded all the milk into appropriate containers for freezing. She was SO SMILEY before she latched. And then unlatched to look at me and smile, and then latch again.
I felt like I had just won the Olympics of pumping.
Would I do it again? In a heartbeat. In fact, I present at a conference in Indiana in March... But next time, I might bring a little less gear... maybe. 😆
Do you want one? They are pretty incredible.
