Disclaimer: Before pumping and driving, you should evaluate your ability to drive and pump without getting distracted, your range of motion with your pump, and any local laws and statutes. Safety is the most important thing. Do not pump and drive if you are not confident you can do it safely and legally.
Pumping and driving is one way to maximize your limited time as an exclusive pumper. Having the ability to do this comes in handy in a lot of situations – it can save you time when you commute to work, it can be a good way to get a pumping session in when running an errand with your baby, or if you need to go for a drive to get your baby to nap.
Can pumping and driving be done safely? That depends on you. If you hate pumping with a passion and find it distracting, pumping and driving is not a good idea. If your pump limits your range of motion, you should not pump and drive.
But, if you can hook yourself up with a hands-free bra, start the pump, and then forget you’re pumping and completely focus on driving, it can be done safely as long as you do any hooking/unhooking/adjustments to pump parts while you are pulled over and not moving.
(Again: Do NOT hook/unhook/check the bottles/adjust pump parts while you’re driving. Pull over if you need to do anything with your pump. Saving the 30 seconds it will take to do this is not worth the awkwardness of getting in an accident and having to explain to the cops what you were doing with your boobs. Or, you know, actually hurting someone.)
If you’ve decided to give it a try, the first step is to put your pump bag together.
What You Will Need for Pumping and Driving
- A nursing cover (here is the one I used, you can also use a big t-shirt or baby blanket to cover yourself),
- Your pump (this must be an electric pump rather than a manual pump for safety reasons),
- A hands-free bra (this is also essential for safety),
- A set of pump parts,
- Two bottles (with caps), and
- A gallon-sized ziploc bag.
If your pump doesn’t have a battery, you may also need a car adapter (like this one).
As you’re getting your stuff together, assemble the pump parts and screw in the bottles, though you can leave the breast shields off. Then put the pump parts, attached bottles, breast shields, and caps for the bottles in the ziploc bag in your pump bag.
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Pumping and Driving Steps
Here is how to pump and drive in 8 simple steps.
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- Put the pump on the seat next to you, plug it in (if applicable) and, if you have cup holders, make sure they are empty. This is for two reasons – one, so that you can put the pumped-in bottles in them when you’re done, and two, so you don’t knock over any drink that happens to be in there with your pump tubing. I learned this the hard way with an unfortunately placed bottle of Diet Coke.
- If you’re using a nursing cover, put it on. Put your hands-free bra on under your shirt, and get yourself all hooked up to pump.
- Put your seat beat on, with the lap belt under the bottles and the front belt across your chest between the bottles.
- Start the pump and make sure it is set to the correct speed.
- Drive! IGNORE YOUR PUMP. Do not check the bottles, do not change the speed, pretend you are not pumping.
- (Try not to get pulled over.) (If you are feeling brave, go through a drive-thru and get a coffee.)
- When you are done pumping, turn off the pump. Be careful! This should only be done when you can pull over for a minute to turn it off.
- Unhook yourself from the pump. Put the bottles in the cup holders as you detach them from the breast shields. Then put the caps on the bottles, and your used pump parts into the ziploc bag.
That’s it, you’re done! Have you tried pumping and driving? How did it go?
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Britt says
May 20, 2018 at 9:49 amI am currently still on maternity leave and my first pump of the day, which i am interested in doing on my commute, always require me to change collection bottles (I produce somewhere between 13 to 18 oz). Obviously i would pull over to change bottles but would it be bad if i didnt use a cover so i could keep an eye on how full the bottles get? Or maybe use a bigger bottle? Thoughts
Amanda Glenn says
May 20, 2018 at 12:27 pmMedela makes 8oz bottles! I would use those.
Alison says
May 8, 2018 at 9:48 pmI exclusively pumped for 18 months and did most of it in the car. It saved my pumping journey and made my 45 minute commute to and from work more “productive”. Loved ur tips!
Lindsay Warren says
September 1, 2017 at 5:15 pmWhat would you recommend for long car rides? I’m going on a road trip that is 10 hours so I’ll need to pump multiple times. How should I handle cleaning the parts?
Amanda Glenn says
September 2, 2017 at 1:14 pmCan you bring multiple sets of pump parts for the trip? You could put each one in a separate ziploc bag and then wash them all when you get to your destination.
AP says
September 14, 2017 at 12:11 pmI would get the cleaning wipes for adapter and just several bottles. Also a little cooler for milk.
Hannah says
December 5, 2018 at 11:54 pmI know this is old but, I buy wipes for cleaning breast pump parts. Pull over or when you are at a rest area take apart and clean. Then you can pump again when needed.
Emily says
June 4, 2017 at 9:58 amHand expression is so important to my completely emptying. Any tricks for doing this while driving?
Amanda Glenn says
June 4, 2017 at 7:12 pmI think the only way to safely do this is to pull over and put the car in park. I would not recommend doing this while driving a car.
Becca says
April 18, 2017 at 9:06 pmI spill milk all over myself when I’m removing the pump parts/bottles. I think I’m going to bring a towel to set in my lap
Caroline says
October 27, 2016 at 12:16 amSome pumps need to be grounded and stable (car not in motion) for motor to run. Also some cars can run AC adapter just fine while car is off– I do it all the time.
Sally says
October 3, 2016 at 1:16 pmQuestion: do pumps work if your car is not running? Thinking of plugging into the cigarette lighter jack and pumping on a break during a day trip?
Amanda Glenn says
October 3, 2016 at 3:50 pmMy understanding is that the cigarette lighter does not work if the car isn’t running, because it would drain the battery of the car. Maybe just pull over and leave it running?
Lynn says
August 12, 2016 at 3:27 pmI pumped for over a year on my commute to/from work. I would put my hands free bra on before leaving home or work and plugged my pump into either a standard plug (in the backseat) or a standard 2 prong adapter that went into a cigarette lighter. It worked great and the amount was similar to what I collected pumping at home. Good luck!
Ashly says
June 13, 2016 at 4:43 pmhow do you manage to put your bra on?
Amanda Glenn says
June 15, 2016 at 9:21 amHi Ashly – do you mean the hands-free bra? You put it on under your shirt after you put your nursing cover on. Let me know if this doesn’t answer your question!
Vanessa says
May 6, 2016 at 3:44 pmWhen i pumped in the car today, i got substantially less milk than when i pump at home. Is anyone else in the same boat, or am i losing my supply? The suction and speed on the PISA definitely seem decreased when using the car adapter, and i obviously can’t squeeze my boobs while driving, so maybe that explains the smaller output??
Amanda Glenn says
May 6, 2016 at 4:30 pmHi Vanessa! Was it just a one time thing, or have you seen this happen multiple times? It could definitely be an issue with the car adapter. I would see how your total for the day looks – maybe you’ll pump a bit more in your later sessions today?
Kat says
July 2, 2018 at 9:14 pmSame for me I feel like it doesn’t empty me. I’m a nurse on a busy post op floor. some days my first pump isn’t til after 10 so I try to pump on the way since I live 45 mins away. But some times I only get 2 oz on one side.