When you are breastfeeding, sometimes you need to storebreast milk . But how do you do this? We have a few handy products for storing breast milk, such as breast milk bags and a few tips!
What are the top 3 best selling breast milk storage bags?
We call them storage bags, but the top 3 most sold breast milk storage products are the following three products. Please note, this is about what we sell in our webshop and is often purchased by breastfeeding mothers♡Ultimately, you have to decide for yourself what you like. Every breast milk storage product has its advantages and disadvantages.
Above all, go through what you find important when it comes to storing your liquid gold. Based on that, you can make a choice that best suits your daily family life♡
What materials for storing breast milk?
If you store breast milk, it is good to know a few things. We will now go into this further, so that you can make a fully informed choice about which breast milk storage product you are going to choose. The preference is in the case of well-sealed containers or bottles or bags made of glass or hard plastic. Pay attention and read the information carefully to see that the material used is free of the chemical component Bisphenol A, better known as BPA. This will namely release into the breast milk, which your son or daughter will ingest again, and that is of course what you do not want.
Before you pour the breast milk into a storage container or bottle, clean it in the dishwasher or wash it with warm soapy water. Many breast milk storage containers or bottles are often sterilized, and come straight out of the packaging - then you can use them straight away. Then it is not necessary. Always leave some space in the breast milk container or bottle for the expansion of the breast milk.
When storing your breast milk in plastic bags, it is important that you purchase quality breast milk bags, so that it does not leak or use plastic that you do not want to use. That is also the reason why we sell Lansinoh breast milk bags, then you know that you are in good hands. So only use plastic bags, which are also real breast milk storage bags, which are specially designed for this purpose. When you close the breast milk bag, because there is breast milk in it - press the air out of the bag and also leave some space for the breast milk to expand during freezing.
How should I store breast milk?
Breast milk is liquid gold, we all know that. Mothers put a lot of effort into it and are intensively involved in providing their most precious possession with the best nutrition for the little one. Storing breast milk is therefore a profession in itself. It is not very complicated, but you just have to know everything. Especially if it is the first time that you are allowed to breastfeed your son or daughter♡Storing breast milk in the freezer is therefore a must if you want to build up a supply. But how exactly do you do that? How long can breast milk remain in the freezer without the quality deteriorating? Can this be done indefinitely, or is it better to set a limit? Should the breast milk first be put in the refrigerator and then in the freezer or can it be put in the freezer directly. And what about defrosting? And oh yes, how long can breast milk be kept in the refrigerator? We are going to help you further with this whole process! Let's go!
Before we delve into the subject of storing breast milk in different ways, here is a basic understanding of temperature and storage times. Not unimportant, better yet - this is the basis we will continue to build upon!
What temperatures should I store breast milk?
The times and temperatures below are based on clean, dust-free packaging. Always place a label or sticker on the breast milk bag or breast milk container with the date and time of expression. Room temperature means a temperature between 19 and 22° C. The temperature of the refrigerator is 0 to 4° C. When placing in the refrigerator, preferably not in the door due to temperature fluctuations due to opening and closing the refrigerator door.
- Colostrum - room temperature: up to 12 hours
- Colostrum - refrigerator: up to 8 days
- Colostrum - hospital refrigerator: ask about the hospital guidelines
- Fresh breast milk - room temperature: up to 8 hours
- Fresh breast milk - refrigerator: up to 8 days
- Fresh breast milk - hospital refrigerator: ask about the hospital guidelines
- Breast milk - freezer compartment refrigerator: up to 2 weeks
- Breast milk - (small) freezer that is opened and closed frequently: up to 4 months
- Breast milk - frozen at a constant temperature of max. -18° C: up to 12 months
- Thawed breast milk - refrigerator: up to 24 hours
- Thawed breast milk - room temperature: use as soon as possible
How to store breast milk in a freezer
Storing breast milk in the freezer is often done because it is the ideal solution for building up a supply for your little one. If you have to leave the house for a while, or for when you have to go back to work. You do not put expressed breast milk directly in the freezer, but let it cool down in the refrigerator first. The collection of breast milk over the day can also be put together in a breast milk bag and then put in the freezer as a whole. However, the portions of breast milk must first cool down to the same temperature before they are frozen together.
If you want to store breast milk in the freezer, it is good to know that the cooled breast milk should preferably be placed in the freezer within 48 hours. There is of course a reason for this, namely that frozen breast milk retains most of the nutrients and can be stored longer in the freezer. If you wait longer than the recommended 48 hours, this can cause the breast milk to have a shorter shelf life.
So what you can do is pump during the day, and often pumping is done in the morning because that is when you have the most breast milk, collect this at the end of the day into one bag or two bags. Of course, this depends entirely on how much milk you can pump.
Below you will find an overview of how to store breast milk in the freezer:
- Breast milk - freezer compartment refrigerator:up to 2 weeks
- Breast milk - (small) freezer that is opened and closed frequently:up to 4 months
- Breast milk - frozen at constant temperature max. -18° C:up to 12 months
How should I store breast milk at work?
If you have to go back to work and you are breastfeeding, you will of course express milk. This isalso possible in the Netherlands thanks to the breastfeeding law , and is therefore well regulated. You may breastfeed live, but you will probably express milk - and this is done by many mothers ♡The question is of course what is useful and how you store your breast milk at work. You should have a refrigerator at work, and you can store your expressed breast milk in it according to the standard 'refrigerator guidelines'. This means that you put your breast milk in the refrigerator that has a temperature of 0 to 4 ° C. You cannot put it directly in the freezer, if there is a freezer compartment, because the milk must first cool down before it can go in the freezer. Because you only combine breast milk when it has cooled down, it is useful to use multiple breast milk bags or breast milk containers, and then combine them. This can therefore be earlier than at the end of the day. Of course, you can consider this so that the refrigerator at work is not full of all kinds of breast milk storage bags.
How should I store breast milk in a refrigerator?
If you are pumping to build up a supply, you will be using the refrigerator a lot. Storing breast milk in the refrigerator is not that complicated, but it is a trick and a system that you can quickly master. Below you will find the basics for storing breast milk in the refrigerator:
- Colostrum - refrigerator:up to 8 days
- Fresh breast milk - refrigerator: up to 8 days
- Thawed breast milk - refrigerator: up to 24 hours
If you store breast milk in the refrigerator, it is important to realize that the temperature of the refrigerator determines whether it can be stored for a longer or shorter period of time. Just like other foods, breast milk is attractive to bacteria. However, breast milk is unique in that it contains all kinds of antibodies that prevent the rapid multiplication of unwanted bacteria. Logical, because the immune system is built up thanks to breast milk, it is not called liquid gold for nothing♡If you use the breast milk within ten hours of pumping, you can simply store the milk outside the refrigerator. So imagine that you are going to have lunch with a friend, your husband is going to give this milk to your little one when you are away - then you can simply put it outside the refrigerator. Of course not in the sun.
How long can I store breast milk outside the refrigerator?
Sometimes you don’t want to put breast milk in the fridge, because you don’t want to let the temperature drop all the way down and then have to warm it up again. Sometimes it’s handy to have it ready when your son or daughter arrives. Or because you’re lying on the couch with your little one and you can’t get up, or for some other reason. Either way, don’t panic if you’ve expressed and you can’t put your breast milk in the fridge right away. This is no problem. Here are the basics of storing it at room temperature when it works out:
- Colostrum - room temperature: up to 12 hours
- Fresh breast milk - room temperature: up to 8 hours
- Thawed breast milk - room temperature: use as soon as possible
Depending on the temperature in your home, your breast milk can be stored for a short or long time. This means that it can be stored at room temperature for a shorter period in the summer than in the winter. Milk is attractive to bacteria, just like other foods. Logical. However, the unique thing about breast milk is that it contains all kinds of antibodies that prevent the rapid duplication of unwanted bacteria. Breast milk also helps your little one build up his or her immune system, which is why it is also important that you breastfeed for as long as possible - all the benefits are for your son or daughter♡Is the expressed breast milk given within 10 hours? Then you can store the milk outside the refrigerator. However, if it is high summer and it is 35 degrees in the house, then this period of time is of course shorter.
Can I store breast milk on the go?
If you are on the road a lot, or if you are going on holiday or for another reason that you are going to pump on the road - it is important to take a number of things with you. If you want to store your breast milk on the road, it is important that you have a number of items with you. Of course it is also important that you look at the temperature outside and adjust the storage accordingly. In the summer with 35 degrees you can only store the breast milk outside the refrigerator for a short time, but in the winter this period outside the refrigerator is extended. If you pump on the road it is super handy to take a Breast Milk Cooler Bag with Cooling Elements with you. This way your expressed breast milk stays cooled and you know for sure that you can then transfer it to the freezer at home. Or of course the refrigerator, but that depends entirely on what you are going to do with the expressed milk. Also take enough breast milk bags with you, better too much than too little. You can of course also use the breast milk storage bottles or storage containers, this depends entirely on what you like and what fits into your daily family life. After pumping, put the breast milk in a storage product of your choice and put it in a cooler bag. If you will be home in 20 minutes, and it is winter - then you can store it outside of a cooler bag. So really look at the context in which you are going to pump.
Where can I ask my question about storing breast milk?
Perhaps after reading all the information you still have a question about storing breast milk, or about a specific breast milk storage item from Lansinoh o Haakaa - please contact our lovely team! We will do everything we can to help you further in this special adventure, and if we cannot give you an answer - we will always help you further in the process. For example, we can refer you to a website or knowledge base where you can find even more information. In any case, we are here for you♡Send your question via emailinfo@haarspullen.nlor call our team during office hours. It is important that you provide as much information as possible when you send our team an email. Why? The more information you provide around the question about the subject of storing breast milk, the better we can help you. Also faster, because if we have to continuously ask for more information - you keep emailing back and forth and nobody is happy about that.
For more breastfeeding related products, check out our collection here:Breastfeeding
SOURCE- Breast milk storage guidelines are based on theAcademy of Breastfeeding Medicineprotocol .
