Ok so I have a question for any morther who has recently had the experience of flying with a breast pump. I am wondering if the pump counts as a medical devise as the tsa website states nothing regarding this particular equipment. I would like to have my luggage carry-on, my purse and then the breast pump. Does anyone know if I am able to do this? I don't want to have to shove my purse in the pump case as it holds all of the supplies I need. Thanks!
Btw I am not putting it in my larger carry-on suit-case because it will take up too much room and I would like it at my feet during the flight.
Yes! I flew many times with my breast pump, it counts as medical equipment and not as a second bag/personal item. You may also fly back with bags of pumped milk, even without the baby, and ice/ice packs to keep it cold.
I would pack it in my carry on and also have whatever the TSA currently says about breastmilk printed and on hand. You should read what happened to Alyssa Milano when she wanted to take pumped milk on a plane without her child. It's stupid. Make sure your airport and airline consider milk and pumps to be medical equipment. It is often open to interpretation.
Hmm, I don't know but why don't you just put your pump in your carry on bag? That's what I would've done (back when I was a milkin' mama lol!)
Yes, it does count as a medical device, not as a carry-on. You will be fine.
I flew many times with my pump. I never had TSA give me any problem about flying with it. Once (out of many times) I had an agent ask me what it was. Even then it wasn't a problem. I told him, and he said fine and sent me on my way.
In general, the TSA doesn't care how many bags you have with you. It's the airline that limits this. However, as long as you can fit your pump at your feet along with your purse, so you are only taking 1 overhead bin space, you will be just fine.
Where some people do run into problems sometimes is bringing the pumped milk home with them. It's not the pump that is the problem, it is the milk because is it liquid and it is more than 3 ounces. They will require extra screening. And they may ask you to pour a tiny amount into a separate container that they can test. I personally chose to check my breastmilk as a checked bag on the way home. I put it in a box with ice in ziplocks to keep it cold, so that I didn't have to bring it through carry on security. I did not want to risk wasting a single drop of it!
