12 Best Breast Milk Storage Bags in 2021

Buying Guide Questions

We have reviewed the best milk storage bags and have gone in-depth into the various features, pros, and cons. This section is dedicated to the questions you may have. Read and find answers. Also, we have included a couple of tips for you; we hope they are useful to you on your breastfeeding journey.

Does it matter what breast milk storage bags you use?

Various brands make breast milk bags, and they come in different sizes too. They are made from different materials and the way they are designed. They all serve the purpose of the safe storage of breast milk. However, some somethings differentiates them in terms of design and features. These differences impact the performance of the bags and how reliable they are.

Several things must be considered when you are shopping for breast milk bags. You should ensure to store breast milk in the best breast milk bags available because you are saving the source of food for an infant whose body isn’t acclimated to the world around. Store your precious breast milk in a manner that is safe for the baby to consume.

The breast milk bags must be food-grade plastic. It is the most important thing you have to consider as a parent, and you want to be sure that the breast milk is safe for your baby to consume. Breast milk bags are free BPA, and BPE, dyes, additives and are chemical resistant.

Breast milk bags come with a tamper-proof seal to prevent the bags from being exposed, which will lead to them being contaminated and unsafe to hold milk for babies. Also, the bags avoid leakages and spills due to its design.

How many breast milk storage bags do I need? How long do they last?

The number of breast milk bags you need depends on various factors. On average, you may use about six bags every day. However, the volume of the bag also matters, some bags are more significant in size than others, and usually, the bags are between four and six ounces. However, there are larger ones too. Factor in leaks also, so you might want to have about two or three extra.

Ultimately the amount of bags you will need depends on how much your baby consumes, so be sure to note how much your baby consumes every day. You may keep extra bags in case of emergencies. Keep a few in your office, car, and pumping bags because you may need them at any time.

When you go on a trip, you may need as little as five depending on the length of the journey and if you have a robust bag. Keep extra ten bags factoring leaks and breaks.

When storing milk for your baby, you may freeze enough to last your baby for months at a stretch; all these depend on you, how much milk you can produce and how much space is available in your freezer.

Can I use sandwich bags or regular freezer bags to store breast milk?

Use a breast milk storage bag to store your breast milk. Avoid using sandwich bags as they can not hold breast milk. They are more susceptible to leaks and may even split when frozen. Use unique breast milk freezer bags to store your breast milk instead of regular freezer bags.

Using breast milk storage bags are a great way to store breast milk, and they come with a couple of benefits. Sandwich bags don’t offer the same level of protection for your breast milk as the breast milk storage bags do. The bags are very thick and durable and are often pre-sterilized.

Related: if you are looking to jump to the next level you can check out our guide on the best baby food processors

The breast milk bags often come with milliter and ounce markings to make measuring the amount of breast milk in bags very easy for you. You can conveniently measure how much breast milk you are storing and how much you’re feeding your baby.

Breast milk storage bags thaw faster than any other type of bag. It is easy to label breast milk bags. There are different ways you can store your breast milk asides using breast milk bags or freezer bags. You can put it in glass containers or food-grade plastic containers that are BPA free.

There are many reasons why you may want to store your breast milk, whether you are not going to be around to feed your baby, or maybe your breasts feel full, and you feel uncomfortable, or any other reasons. You extract your breast milk though expression and store.

There are three different ways to express: by hand, by using a manual breast pump and using an electric breast pump. After expression, the milk is stored in breast milk storage bags or sterilized containers and then put into a refrigerator or freezer.

You should store breast milk in breast milk storage bags as it will save you time cleaning bottles you might have used instead. Breast milk bags are backups that come in handy if you have a hungry baby, and you forgot their bottles, or maybe you dropped it, or there are not clean bottles available. Whatever the reasons, breast milk bags are convenient backups.

You can’t use Ziploc bags for breast milk storage. An alternative to breast milk storage bags is to express in bottles.

Why can’t you reuse breast milk storage bags?

Breast milk storage bags are for single-use; after that, they are not suitable for use. It is because they are sterilized for single-use, and they may begin to leak after use, or they don’t seal properly. The upside to this is that they are reasonably cheap to buy, and some are recyclable.

To get the most out of your one use storage bags, it is essential you appropriately use them. Follow these steps to accurately and adequately use them:

Wash your hands properly. You’re handling what your baby would eat, and you need to maintain the maximum of hygiene to for the safety of your baby

Express by hand or use a pump. The choice is yours, go for anyone you are comfortable with.

Pour the milk into the bag carefully to avoid spills. Remove air in the bag, then seal it.

Freeze the bags if you want to store the milk for a very long time, or refrigerate if it will be consumed in a few hours to keep the milk fresh and full of nutrients.

Do not wash and reuse breast milk storage bags. Also, it is almost impossible to sterilize the bags again. If you are worried about running out of bags quickly, then buy in excess. You may opt to use bottles to keep your breast milk instead, but they are not as versatile as breast milk storage bags as the entire bottle of milk has to be consumed or disposed of.

Insider Tip: if you are preparing formula, then these top selections will help you expedite the process significantly

Can you store breast milk in bottles with nipples?

Do not store milk in bottles with nipples still attached. Cap the bottles tightly after filling with milk and refrigerate. Before storing breast milk in bottles, ensure you sterilized the bottles properly. Clean them correctly and follow the recommendations of the manufacturer on how to clean them. Ensure the bottles don’t contain BPA and are food-grade. If you are in doubt, go for breast milk storage bags.

Can you combine breast milk from 2 different days?

You can combine breast milk from different days. However, you must never add warm milk to frozen or refrigerated milk. Make sure you refrigerate the warm milk first or cool it down before adding it to the other frozen or chilled milk.

Breast milk can be stored for a varying amount of time and is safe for consumption based on various factors. These factors include room temperature, freezer or refrigeration temperature, the time when you pumped the milk, volume, and so on. There are recommendations, however, on how to store breast milk and how safe it is to consume.

Freshly pumped breast milk at room temperature can sit for up to four hours, after which it should you throw it out. If you refrigerate it, it can stay for up to four days if Frozen breast milk can last up to a year.

Thawed breast milk must be consumed within two hours if it is at room temperature, or you throw it away. Thawed breast milk can be refrigerated, but must be consumed within a day if it has not stayed for up to two hours. Thawed breast milk must never be refrozen. To melt the breast milk, bring it out of the freezer, and let it stay in the refrigerator for about 12 hours. To speed up thawing, run cold water over the container and increase the water’s temperature gradually to keep the breast milk nourishing. If you want to warm the milk, heat water into a small box and place the thawed milk in it.

If you have leftover breast milk in a bottle from feeding your baby, the milk must is to be consumed within two hours, or you dispose of it. You must never feed your baby leftover milk from the same bottle.

You may notice that your breast milk has varying color, and you are wondering if it has gone bad. Breast milk may have the following colors: white, yellow, cream, tan, clear or have a blue ting. All these are normal and no cause for alarm. The color can be influenced by what you eat, and you can have a slight green red or pink coloration, it doesn’t mean the milk is bad.

Conclusion

Breast milk bags help you have a stash and steady supply of breast milk for your infant, even when you are not there. Traveling should not hinder you from storing breast milk in bags, just get an insulated box with ice to keep the milk cold. It can last you for a day after, in which the milk most be disposed of.

Below are some things you need to keep in mind.

Freezing breast milk immediately after the expression is the way to keep the breast milk fresh and of excellent quality. Freeze the milk bags flat so that you can save space in your freezer. Always label the breast milk storage bags with the date and possibly the time you filled them with breast milk. Do not keep the bags near the door of the fridge as the temperature will vary every time it opens. You want to maintain an even and cold temperature. Leave some space in the bags to cater for expansion when the breast milk freezes.

Do not microwave breast milk because microwave doesn’t heat up evenly. It creates pockets of hot liquid that may scald your infant. Also, a microwave is not suitable for heating breast milk because it may damage the nutrients.

Insider Tip / Related Post: if you are unable to express or pump enough breast milk, then you can use formula or even use breast thickeners

Never shake breast milk; it causes the protein structure to break down as it is not strong enough to withstand such force. Instead, gently swirl the breast milk container if you notice layers in the milk when you want to feed your child. If your breast milk smells sour despite you storing it well, throw it away; it has gone bad.

Remember always to check your pumps and take care of them appropriately. If you notice mold in your breast milk pump tubing, replace it immediately.

If you want to know whether your breast milk has gone bad, a sniff can be an excellent indicator, although it is not very accurate. Inspect the stored breast milk, usually, when you save breast milk, it separates, and the fat rises, while the water goes to the bottom. Give the mix a gentle swirl, if you see chunks of milk or fat floating about, or the milk doesn’t mix then it has gone bad.

You can taste the milk; if it tastes rancid or sour, then it has gone bad and should be thrown away. However, high lipase content can cause the milk to smell or taste sour when the milk is frozen. To confirm, freeze fresh milk for a few days, then thaw the milk. If it smells or tastes this way, then it is probably due to high lipase content.

Lastly, if you have concerns, see a doctor.