Travel with Children - best travel breast pump?

Hi all,
My daughter (6 weeks) has had trouble latching and thus I pump breast milk then feed it to her. I have been using a hospital grade Medela Symphony, but it's heavy and not always practical for travel. Looking for something lighter weight that could be used in a car, on a plane, in an airport, etc. Probably something with batteries and a plug. Any suggestions? Thank you!

Are you against a hand pump vs an electric one? If you'd be willing to give it a whirl, try the avent isis.

If electric is a must, try the battery/electric-operated medela swing. A good mix between portability and getting the job done well. :)

The only option for pumping often/traveling is the Medela Freestyle. It's expensive but well worth it.

1+ for the Avent Isis.

It's been a while, but I took it on a trip to France and it's very small, you don't need a power adapter or any power at all except your hand.

It mainly allows you to keep your supply up, it doesn't pump much milk. It allowed me to keep breastfeeding after I got back home.

Oh, and if you do bring it, be sure to bring some spare parts, like the little star shaped gasket thing, if it still works with one, because it is totally useless without it and your chances are slim to none for finding a replacement part easily.

It isn't tiny, but I pumped for 18 months with a Medela Pump in Style for my son who couldn't nurse. It did the job at least as well as the hospital grade pumps. You can get it with a car charger as well as a battery pack. It comes with some decent carry bag options.

I used an Avent Isis and I don't recommend it. Too time consuming. I was able to pump when I had time but to actually feed a baby, you need something faster. I also had to have a silent pump that didn't need to be plugged in (on the airplane). I would look into a hand electric pump. I know Madela has some. They're not noisy and pack down just as well as the Isis.

But please, please, please, having had latching problems with two of my children, try to solve this problem before leaving. It will make your life much, much easier. Contact a Lactation Consultant or La Leche Leader and get some help getting her to latch correctly.

Thank goodness I knew to NOT give any bottles with nipples. That was key to our success. I cup fed my children but it worked and they went on to breastfeed normally, one eventually never had any bottles or formula. I also used a shield with my first. Don't try anything alone without getting some support and good advice. Pumping isn't fun and having done both, I will assure you that breastfeeding directly is much better, for both travel and life in general.

Good luck!

Are you against a hand pump vs an electric one? If you'd be willing to give it a whirl, try the avent isis.



1+ for the Avent Isis.



+2 for Avent Isis. It works great, is easy to use, takes up very little room and no batteries or plug required.

A hand pump is good for occasional supplementation, not full time exclusive pumping.

The Isis is a good but very temperamental pump. I would not advise trying to rely on it if the baby wasn't nursing. If the valve isn't in 100% right or the petals get bumped it has no suction at all. Re-seating the valve requires taking the pump apart and can be quite messy IME.

The petal thing on the Isis is optional. I agree that it sometimes gets jarred and interferes with the suction, but I just skipped it. It is only a comfort thing.

That being said... were I in the situation the OP posted, I'd buy the medela swing I posted. I just suggested the Isis as a non-power-operated plan B.

Are you against a hand pump vs an electric one? If you'd be willing to give it a whirl, try the avent isis.

If electric is a must, try the battery/electric-operated medela swing. A good mix between portability and getting the job done well. :)

^ +1

These were exactly the two I was thinking of when I read the OP.

I had to remove that pedal thing too.

I used it for 48 hours at a time but I wouldn't use one for more than that. I don't think it can keep the supply up to feed an exclusively pumped milk-fed baby. I noticed a dip in just those 48 hours and my baby was 7 months.

Something with batteries would have more power.

Are there double pumps which run on batteries which are good for travel?

medela swing is a single. medela pump in style is a double, but personally I wouldn't go with the larger size of the unit and all the paraphernalia just for the difference of single vs double. Others might find that a priority, though

medela swing is a single. medela pump in style is a double, but personally I wouldn't go with the larger size of the unit and all the paraphernalia just for the difference of single vs double. Others might find that a priority, though

The PIS is a lot larger, but it has storage for the bottles and a cooler section (or at least the old one did).

Yeah, it does have storage. I am just thinking that from a practical standpoint, depending on how long the flight is, if the pump needs to be carried on, then there goes one entire carry-on bag from one's allotment. The shoulder bag and backpack aren't small at all. (I have the backpack version myself.)

It just feels like a waste of carryon when the swing would tuck nicely into a larger bag and allow room to carry on other things

My first DD has all kinds of problems nursing (she was a bit early and ) and was allergic to dairy, so I exclusively pumped for her. I used 2 Avent Isis simultaneously. I produced enough milk to feed her AND donate 2000 ounces of milk in her first year. Once I got the hang of it I found them to be much superior to my PIS in comfort, portability and in keeping up my supply.

The key to supply issues when exclusively pumping is to keep on your schedule and NOT drop overnight pumps too early. I did every 3 hours round the clock for the first 3-4 months and NEVER missed one. Then I did every 4 hours until she was a year old. It takes some serious dedication, but it can be done.

I had no trouble nursing my second (term, healthy, etc) and never once pumped for her, I was so over it.

The medela freestyle is a full powered double pump that is almost as small as the swing. I used both it and an Avent ISIS IQ duo. The Avent pumped harder, but the medela freestyle was SOOO much smaller. The Avent hand pump also works really well.

I purchased the freestyle after I started back to work and wanted one that I could use handsfree in the company dairy and still get some work done. I did have some supply problems that, I believe came more from not being assertive enough about walking out of meetings to pump when I should have. However, I was able to BF for 14 months and only bought a couple of cans of formula to supplement.

For travel I would definitely recommend the freestyle, using bags rather than bottles, and with medela's nursing bra. It is EXTREMELY compact for a full power pump.

So funny all these different experience.

Just a story a lot of you will appreciate. I went away with my husband and baby to the South of France. I didn't bring the pump because, well, I had the child with me. So stupid scheduling decides to put my emergency training, in London, smack in the middle of this getaway (after I had agreed to another date, changed my plans and there were BIG apologies afterwards).

So I run into a French pharmacy and just bought the pump they had. Oh boy! It was one of those old fashioned ones with a piston. Ouch! Horrible! horrible! horrible! Needed two hands... I bet they're not even sold anymore in N. America. Ugly experience. Take my word for it, if it looks like it belongs in a car engine, stay away!

But anyway, someone mentioned carry-on bags. Now this might depend on your airline but a pump will qualify for "medical equipment" just as oxygen tanks or other paraphernalia would. Don't take my word for it and contact the airline but technically, this should be the case.

You might want, or need, to get a doctor's note. A lap baby usually gets an extra carry-on already on most companies already. Also, if this information is on their site, print it up and bring it with you. Don't risk checking a pump or not being able to feed your baby during the flight!

Remember if you are challenged by airline personal, especially since this is a medical issue, have a supervisor or purser (on board) brought in right away. Don't "get into it" with a subordinate who might be new and unfamiliar with exceptions. It's not reasonable that a parent be forced to choose between the diaper bag and the pump!

Something with batteries would have more power.

Are there double pumps which run on batteries which are good for travel?

I used the Pump In Style for my kids (youngest is 3, so it's been a couple years). If you have a plane blanket and 2 safety pins, you can pump on the plane. The pump had a battery pack that used something like 6 or 12 AA batteries. Not ideal but it worked. If you can get a hands-free bra (like the easy expression) it helps a lot. I would highly advise sitting in the window for this, as well as doing as much prep work under the blanket in case you sit next to people who might be uncomfortable.

If you lay the bags flat in the little ice pack cooler you can fit a ton in. Generally the TSA was very accommodating going through security and the flight attendants were helpful bringing additional ice as needed.

I assume the OP would feed the child whatever she pumps on board but good tip for anyone visiting who needs the information on pumping and storing.

Another good tip I read was to bring some frozen milk with, and let it thaw during the flight. Dips in supply while traveling are common so perhaps bring some back-up's.

Drink! drink! drink! The double combo of dry airplane air and tiring travel with a baby can result in less milk. Keep it in mind... and in check! Don't stay up late the night before. Try to avoid last-minute run arounds and packing (do as I say, not as I do lol!) and keep your supply up as much as you can manage!

Thank you SO much everyone! This is great info. Leaning toward the Medela Swing right now because it's small and light (I can produce 2.5 ounces of milk in about five minutes, and my baby is really young, so doesn't take long to pump one at a time). I like the Medela Pump In Style too, but it appears to weigh an additional five pounds and just be bigger and bulkier.