Hi mommies,
We are moving in two weeks to a new house about 30 minutes away. I have 30 bags of stored breastmilk in the freezer for my 3 month old son. I really don't want to just throw them away but I also do not want then to spoil during the move. What is the best way to move them with the less likely hood of them defrosting? Is there a way to keep them or should I just donate it?
Thank you in advance for the advice.
E. K.
I agree with others. Either do a cooler or dry ice. Something! It may sound mean but I would move them before donating! Like someone else said, it is liquid gold!! Good luck.
It's a killer to dump out hard-earned liquid gold! How about transporting in an ice-packed cooler?
I agree with the rest of the Mama's... i flew across the country (From NY to CA) with frozen milk in an icepack filled cooler. Some bags defrosted a bit, but was still very cold so I just stuck it back in the freezer and was fine. 30 minutes is nothing ;)
I think they should be fine going from freezer to freezer in 30 minutes as long as they are packed in a good, tight cooler. If you are really concerned call your local grocery store and see if they have and sell blocks of dry ice. I think it costs about $3 and that will last you all day in the cooler. Just be careful as it is a chemical substance. You don't want anyone getting into it.
Good luck on your move!
dry ice- not sure where you get it but it will keep them completely frozen for the whole time you move them- or buy a brand new small cooler- new because they work better and you know they are sure not to let any air in or out- fill the bottom with lots of ice- do this right before you walk out the door- put in the bags of frozen milk and more ice on top- then cover the top ice with towels (like dish towels) close it up and go straight to the car- drive straight to the new house and unload straight into the waiting freezer- Good Luck!
Cooler , keep items frozen for a long time
How awesome that you have so much stored for him! I think you would be able to move the breastmilk without a problem. Use a cooler with either ice packs or bags of ice. Just remember to pack it as close to last as you can and unpack it first!
Hope your move goes smoothly and you love your new neighborhood.
I agree w/ several responses...if you're going from freezer to freezer, you should be good to pack them in a cooler for the trip. If you know you'll be delayed in getting them transported, dry ice should work. I've heard newspaper's a great insulator so you could wrap it in newspaper then ice, but you should be good w/ lots of ice. Good luck!
Try a cooler that is only about big enough to carry the milk and nothing else but put dry ice in there. That should keep it all frozen long enough. If you can, maybe you can put the milk in a neighbor or family member's fridge while you are packing up and then take it only when you are ready to get in the car and drive. Or maybe get it the next day once the fridge is back in the new house and plugged in?
Good luck.
I moved a couple of gallons from St. Louis to California with no issues. Have a freezer ready on one end to receive the milk. Chill a cooler down with a bag of ice. When the cooler is cold and the freezer is ready, pop the milk in the cooler and just take it over. No big deal.
When I shipped cross country, I needed to keep mine chilled for 48+ hours, so in that case, I bought dry ice. I could have kept it on dry ice for another day at least! But for 30 minutes, regular ice in a cooler is fine. Remember, if it thaws a little bit it's ok. As long as there are ice crystals you can always re-freeze. But for the distance you're travelling, it won't even thaw at all probably.
Just keep them in a cooler with ice. A 30-minute move shouldn't be a problem. I successfully brought frozen breast milk with me on a 3-day road trip. =)
I would definately go with the cooler idea, unless you wont have a freezer for a couple of days or something with the move, you could see if a friend would store them.
Hi from my experience cooler is definately not as cold as freezer, but 30 minutes in it is probably fine (with lots of ice). Would you be able to get the new fridge up and running in the new place before you move the milk, so the milk will just be in the cooler for 30 minutes? If not, I would ask friends or neighbors near your old place to store the milk during the move (maybe a few hours or so), then once the fridge is up and running in the new place, move it over in a cooler, with tons of ice.
cooler and ice
dry ice (local stores carry now) if you really want to make sure.
