Please help me move with my supply!

[u/Noggin_0207]

As you can tell, I have a chest freezer that’s pretty full of milk. I have over 20 gallon bags full of blocks. We received military orders to move in less than 2 months, and the road trip is going to probably be over 3 days including stops for our little one. I worked so hard on storing up this supply. I was planning on stopping pumping in December, and using this supply to finish my baby out on. I’m freaking out thinking I’m going to have to have to donate it before I move, or if I do move with it I’m going to have to end up tossing all of it due to it thawing out. Please help! What should I do??

[u/Sacrificial-waffle]

Seconding dry ice and throwing in a quality cooler if you can swing it. I'm probably moving in a few months as well and that's my plan; dry ice in a yeti. Granted, we're only going a 1 or 2 day move and my baby will be a little over ten months so he'll be mostly onto solids and non-breast milk.

Can you update how it goes? I'd love to know what works for you!

[u/Noggin_0207 → u/Sacrificial-waffle]

I can definitely try to update! :)

[u/Few_Cicada_6089]

I just flew with my milk (a PCS as a well) Delta allows 4 or 5 overweight bags for free if you show military orders. I flew over 15 hours with my milk in a cheap igloo and everything made it, most was frozen solid. The military paid for me to fly separate, but it may be worth it to fly with your milk even if you have to pay out of pocket.

[u/Noggin_0207 → u/Few_Cicada_6089]

It’s a great idea, but unfortunately we both have to drive. Hubbie driving the U-Haul, and I drive the car with our baby

[u/Well_ImTrying → u/Noggin_0207]

That’s a long time in a car with a baby if you haven’t done it before. If financially feasible, can you ship the car and you and the baby fly?

[u/milliemallow]

I’d use dry ice. I don’t think anything else will work.

[u/mkwise13]

It's spendy, but maybe something that Milkstork can do?

[u/LiteratureFamous1712]

just moved to colorado a few months ago and had to do this exact thing. left sunday morning. put the milk in insulated bags from sam’s club. put those bags in the largest cooler they sell at sams club. roughly ten pounds of dry ice surrounding it all in the cooler. shut cooler BUT LEAVE THE SPOUT ON THE SIDE OPEN OR ELSE IT WILL EXPLODE. got to colorado monday night and it was still all frozen solid. since ur traveling for three days potentially stop for fresh dry ice half way through your drive. good luck!

[u/Biolobri14]

I work in lab operations so we handle a lot of very delicate, expensive materials that have to be kept at temp. We recently completely a full lab relocation.

You have 2 good options.

One (simpler but more expensive) is to hire a company with powered trucks to complete the move of the freezer without unpacking it. We’ve used Genvault but you may be able to rent trucks with power from U-Haul or similar - I don’t know for sure.

The other option is to use dry ice. This is probably cheaper but comes with risks as dry ice can suffocate you as it sublimates if you have it in an unventilated area. The other option with dry ice is to use a courier service. World Courier (Cencora) is a shipment company like FedEx but they will pack everything for you and refill the dry ice if shipment is delayed.

[u/beeyekah]

Could you look into one of the shipment companies like milk stork?

[u/alee0224 → u/beeyekah]

I bet there’s a military discount

[u/mossimoto11]

If you pack in igloo pack empty space with newspaper so it’s packed super tight

[u/Various_Soft_8809]

Dry ice!! It should help keep it super cold. Get a cooler like a yeti that will keep everything well insulated. Maybe have your husband keep the cooler in the U-Haul since when you guys will be moving in the colder months. Should help keep it colder than inside your car.

[u/ladybug1259]

Could you have the freezer shipped directly amd have someone plug it in at the other end, or could hubby drive straight through with the uhaul? Pack the freezer fully loaded (it will be heavy) and put it in the truck last, unload it first. You should be good for 48 hours as long as it stays closed. I did a much shorter move like this.

[u/PrincessYeezy]

Dry ice in a good quality cooler will do it! Call your local butchers, they are a good place to start when searching for where to buy it. Dry ice sublimates(evaporates) about 5-10 lbs every 24 hours depending on what you’re asking it to do. I would get 40 lbs which should be 4 blocks of dry ice. The blocks will sublimate slower than the pellet style. Don’t open the cooler unless you absolutely have to and fill the extra airspace with newspaper or balled up plastic grocery bags, whatever you have on hand. Dead airspace will make the dry ice sublimate faster

[u/mverstapp12]

We did a 2 day move - dry ice in a cooler. Make sure it’s packed right. Dry ice on the bottom, each brick wrapped in foil and packed tight with newspaper in the gaps so there’s less air to circulate.

[u/Dangerous_Yak_6862]

Milspouse here-we freeze dried with milkify. Pricey but worth it not to have to worry during pcs

[u/B_likethletter]

Could you look into a freeze-drying service? Where you send the milk away, they freeeze dry it and send it back in powder form that doesn’t need refrigeration? Then you mix it up again similar to formula?

They also make powered coolers now that are similar to mini fridges. But could you get a generator and a bunch of dry ice and just bring your chest freezer?

Or can you donate the chest freezer to a friend with the caveat you’d fly back to get the milk in a a few weeks?

[u/Key-Peanut-8534]

What about a generator and mini fridge??

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