In order to remove an injustice often faced by parents with young children, the Assembly Women and Children Committee advanced two resolutions on Monday that would urge the federal government and airline companies to permit breast pumps and breast milk on aircrafts without counting against carry-on limits. Upon the passage of the resolutions (AR-244 and AR-245), sponsors Eliana Pintor Marin (D-Essex), Shanique Speight (D-Essex) and Raj Mukherji (D-Hudson) released the following joint statement:
“When parents need to travel with their babies, they shouldn’t have to worry about whether they will be allowed to bring on board the supplies they need to properly care for their newborn. They also shouldn’t have to decide between those vital supplies and a standard carry-on with important items that every other passenger is afforded.
“Young babies need to breastfeed anywhere from 7 to 12 times per day, and newborns generally should not go more than 4 hours without eating. If parents are unable to bring breast milk or breast pumps on the plane with them, their travel capabilities will be severely limited.
“Even without the stigma and restrictions society places on breastfeeding women, raising a child is already a challenging experience. As such, we are urging the federal government and airline companies to take this issue into consideration and act to remove the barriers to successful air travel faced by parents of young children.”