How to Store Breast Milk

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Planning to pump milk for your baby? I’ve got the best tips & tricks – keep reading to learn how to store breast milk!

Whether you’re nursing and just need to pump for a night out, or if you breastfeed when you’re home but need a freezer stash for when you’re at work, or if you’re exclusively pumping, storing breastmilk is super important for any mom of a breastfed baby.

The best way to store breastmilk for your freezer stash | Lovely Lucky Life

How To Store Breast Milk Easily

It’s super convenient to pump into bottles, but if you freeze the milk in bottles it’s not ideal for storing milk for a few reasons…

Why you shouldn’t store breastmilk in bottles:

The bottles take up a ton of space; lots of bottles = lots of space.
They are expensive; the cost of purchasing tons of bottles quickly adds up.
It’s not easy or quick to thaw milk when it’s frozen like a little brick. More dense frozen liquid = longer unthawing time. Not cool at 3am!

The best way to store your breastmilk is to put it bags and freeze them flat! Then you can group a bunch of bags of frozen breastmilk together to create a “brick” of breastmilk. A brick of breastmilk is when you take multiple bags of frozen breastmilk and line them up to store in another larger bag or a box. (I love using old soda boxes.) Keep reading to learn even more about the best ways to store your breastmilk!

Breastmilk Storage Must-Haves

these breastmilk storage bags are the best – no leaking, inexpensive, high-quality // shop them here

this isn’t a MUST but if you want to save some breastmilk for using for other stuff, like skincare needs (it’s great for eczema, baby acne, etc) or minor stuff like a clogged tear duct, this makes it super easy to save a little at a time – I have a few of these // shop them here

again, not a MUST but having an inexpensive food scale makes it really easy and fast to get an accurate read on the amount of milk you’re freezing – I’ve noticed the ounce lines on the bag are not always accurate // shop it here

Step by Step Instructions to Store Breast Milk

Pump (or pump into bottles then dump) into breastmilk storage bags. Lansinoh are my favorite, no leaks and affordable (I stock up when they’re on sale + they’re flex-spending account {FSA} eligible). I like to pump straight into bags to eliminate the need to clean bottles (less dishes, yo). Using a Sharpie, I also label each bag with the date and number of ounces pumped.
Put them in the freezer laying flat; I put mine straight into the freezer when possible. It also helps to place something solid (like the piece of cardboard from the top of the soda pack or a cookie sheet) beneath your bags so they freeze really flat.
Once they’re frozen, transfer them to stand vertically in an empty 12 pack of soda container with the top cut off. I sort them by date but you could also sort by amount.
When you’re ready to transfer to the sitter or daycare, just pop the whole box into a cooler and surround with some ice packs. These are my favorite.

the best way to store breastmilk - use a 12 pack soda box and store breastmilk upright, sorted by date or amount — lay your breastmilk bags flat in the freezer – this way, they freeze flat and are easier to thaw

Benefits of Storing Milk This Way:

takes up less space
requires less expensive supplies
makes thawing the frozen milk quick and easy – just pop the bag in a bowl underneath some running water

I’ve been pumping (and breastfeeding) for a total of 22 months so I have some experience on my side 🙂 Let me know if you have any questions – I know I did when I first started pumping!