How to Pack Your Breast Milk in Dry Ice and
Ship to Milk by Mom
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What You'll Need Before You Begin
Styrofoam cooler
Brown packing paper
Protective gloves
Sharpie marker
Dry ice
FedEx shipping box
Packing tape
Milk by Mom’s “keep frozen” and “contains human milk” labels -
Step 1
Freeze your breast milk as flat as possible in durable breast milk storage bags.
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Step 2
Place your frozen breast milk securely in the Styrofoam cooler to reduce air circulation.
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Step 3
Place brown packing paper on top of your bags of frozen breast milk to create a barrier.
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Step 4
Layer a plenty of dry ice on top of the brown packing paper while wearing gloves.
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Step 5
Fill the remainder of the top of the box with crumpled packing paper. Tape the lid shut loose enough to allow air to escape, but tightly enough to remain shut.
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Step 6
Put your cooler into a shipping box. Stick the “keep frozen” and “contains human milk” labels to the outside of the FedEx box.
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Get excited!
Your freeze-dried breast milk is on the way!
Detailed Instructions for Self-Packing
Follow these instructions to ensure the safety and protection of your liquid gold during shipping.
1. Identify how much you frozen breast milk you plan to ship and identify the right size shipping supplies for your amount. We listed the Polar Tech ThermoChill box size suggestions below. These boxes fit the amount of your frozen breast milk plus 10lbs of dry ice. If you can’t find the PolarTech brand, use the inside dimensions for comparable products.
Up to 100 oz
Polar Tech ThermoChill 214 or 225
Inside dimensions: 9.25” x 9.25” x 7”
Inside dimensions: 12” x 10” x 7”
Up to 200 oz
Up to 300 oz
Inside dimensions: 17” x 10” x 8.25”
Up to 500 oz
Inside dimensions: 17” x 10” x 12.75”
Up to 900 oz
Inside dimensions: 19” x 12” x 16”
Inside dimensions: 30.25” x 14.5” x 16”
Up to 1400 oz+
We recommend Polar Tech ThermoChill shippers. Other brands may be flimsy and shifts, drops, and turbulence can happen during transport. Thin Styrofoam coolers may crack and expose your frozen breast milk to the elements with just a cardboard wall between.
2. Email Milk by Mom your estimated package size and weight in ounces you’re planning to send. We’ll send you a prepaid shipping label to use to send us your frozen breast milk.
3. Get your all-in-one insulated shipper. You can find insulated shippers on Amazon. They are thick-walled and come in various sizes. Select the size that’s as compact as possible for your stash.
4. Find dry ice. It’s gold standard for shipping. Google “Dry Ice + (your location)” to find local sellers.
5. Package your liquid gold. We included a how-to guide below.
Avoid flimsy Styrofoam coolers. Shifts, drops, and turbulence can happen during transport. Thin Styrofoam coolers may crack and expose your frozen breast milk to the elements with just a cardboard wall between. If you don’t have our suggested cooler, be sure to reinforce yours by taping around the middle of the cooler. The tape will mitigate damage in transit.
Don’t tape your parcel air-tight. It needs some air to escape for the dry ice or the Styrofoam box can explode inside the cardboard box, reduce insulation, and expose your frozen breast milk to outside temperatures. Try puncturing the box a few times with a pen to help protect your stash.
Pack compactly! Shipping fees don’t vary much up to 50 pounds, but the size of the box will, even by a few inches. If you are using a larger box, pad the sides to protect your Styrofoam cooler from being jostled around.
Whenever possible, use at least 11 pounds of dry ice when shipping your stash. It’s best for temperature protection (-112º for 48+ hours).
6. Label and ship your frozen breast milk.
If you’re NOT using Milk by Mom to make your shipping label, make sure your shipping container states “frozen breast milk – perishable” on all sides of your shipping container. FedEx has specialized cold chamber shippers for temperature controlled items in most regions. Clearly labelling your shipments as “frozen breast milk” and to “keep frozen” helps handlers know immediately that your package requires special treatment.
Call your local FedEx for a home pick-up or drop off your packaged frozen breast milk as close as possible to the cut-off time for the day.
Ship your frozen breast milk Mondays through Wednesdays. Avoid shipping on Thursdays and Fridays. If there is a delay, Saturday service is extremely limited and couriers are closed on Sundays, so there is a higher risk of your frozen breast milk thawing!
Double check and confirm your drop-off location accepts dry ice. A few FedEx locations will not take parcels with dry ice, so avoid the hassle by calling ahead.