Venturing through airport security with a child can be stressful. And all too often, there’s the added stress of parents being forced to dump breast milk.
That’s why Wisconsin mother Jenna Plager and her husband have opted to take road trips with their 10-month-old daughter, Evelyn.
“Pump equipment is very inconsistent with the Transportation Security Administration,” she said on WPR’s “Morning Edition.”
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Now, the Mount Horeb family can breathe a sigh of relief after President Donald Trump’s recent signing of the Bottles and Breastfeeding Equipment Screening Enhancement Act, also known as the BABES Act.
The federal law amends a 2016 bill that designated breast milk as a “medically necessary liquid,” but didn’t include standard TSA screening protocols for breast milk, formula and equipment.
Now, the agency has 90 days to work with nationally recognized maternal health organizations to develop hygienic screening protocols for breast milk and related products like ice packs. TSA agents must also receive consistent training on updated procedures.
Plager said she’s “thankful” for the law’s extended protections as it means less stress for parents and a lesser risk for breast milk contamination.
“It brings peace of mind knowing that there is going to be more education and regulations for TSA agents,” she said.
Plager said agents need to understand every piece of breastfeeding equipment and that freshly expressed breast milk needs refrigeration after four hours.
While the law is good news for parents, Plager said she’s still feeling nervous to take her first plane trip without her daughter next February.
It will mean traveling with her breastfeeding equipment so she can pump every few hours for health reasons. But when a parent goes through airport security with breast milk and without a child, the unimaginable can happen.
Wisconsin mother credits mom’s viral story for TSA changes
Plager pointed to a viral experience that led one nursing mother to push for the amended law — Emily Callendrelli, host of Netflix’s Emily’s Wonder Lab and YouTube’s Emily’s Science Lab.
In 2022, Callendrelli was forced to throw away a partially thawed ice pack before boarding a flight, despite needing it to maintain a safe temperature for her breast milk. She didn’t have her son present.
“(TSA) told her, it would be fine if you had the baby,” Plager said. “Callendrelli had to explain that your body still makes milk.”
Plager said that ever since that incident, she’s followed the BABES Act closely. And now, she feels more confident going through airport security as a nursing mom.
“I know the law, I know my rights,” she said. “I feel comfortable explaining that to TSA agents if needed.”
