Babies: 0 - 3 Months
XP from BFing board - freezing BM in ice cube trays?
I searched the BFing boards but didn't find anything and decided to XP here since there is more traffic. Does
anyone pump and freeze the BM in ice cube trays (and then transfer the
cubes to regular freezer bags)? I'll be working FT and this seems much
more economical and environmentally friendly than using plastic bags
from Lansinoh, etc. If you do this, what is your technique and what
type of ice cube trays do you use?
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Re: XP from BFing board - freezing BM in ice cube trays?
The only time I've heard of this is through my cousin--but she only does it for when her babies are teething.
She makes milk cubes and puts them in the pacifier strainer (the type for fruit) and her LO loves them.
I don't see why this wouldn't work--my only concern would be that you are unable to date the large bag of cubes, so that you couldn't be sure to use the oldest ones first.
My concern with it (and what I have read on other boards) is that you aren't using a sterile environment to freeze the BM or store the BM. I would maybe do it for an older baby who has started to build up an immume system but not a newborn.
JMO.
Since you will be working full time and obviously won't be the one feeding your child the breast milk it may sound easier/better to you, but this does NOT sound convenient for the person who will be feeding your baby. ?First of all it is impossible to measure how much each cube is since it won't always be the same amount all the time, i.e. the amount each cube yields is too varied. ?When using the storage bags, you can accurately write down how much each bag contains (3 oz., 4 oz. etc.) ?Second, it's imperative that when you pump and store your milk that your oldest milk gets used up first. ?It seems like it would be difficult to accurately keep track using an ice cube tray. ?Lastly, the storage bags make it super easy to defrost the breast milk. ?You place the bag in a glass of hot water (from the tap, not boiling) and keep replacing the water until the breast milk is about room temp, maybe slightly warmer. ?I suppose you could use a bottle warmer, but unless the cubes are small, I'm not sure if they will fit through the neck of the bottle. ?
I don't want to sound discouraging, but you might consider re-thinking the idea. ?It may make everyone's life a little easier.
?
I have done this from the beginning. I freeze the milk in silicone ice cube trays (because it is easier to extract the cubes that way) and cover them with foil until the milk is frozen. Each cube is 1 ounce of milk and I can fit 4 cubes side by side in a regular plastic zip top sandwich bag or a snack size zip top bag. I write the date that the milk was pumped on the outside of the bag and store the bags in the freezer.
I use the large playtex drop ins bottles and when it is time to thaw the milk I take out the oldest baggie and put as many cubes in the liner as I need. I stand the assembled bottle(s) in a container of cold water until the milk thaws. The liners hold 4 frozen cubes, but you can add another cube once the milk starts to thaw if you need more. This has worked really well for me and it has not been a problem getting the bottles ready for daycare. I just fill 4 bottles and thaw them the night before to send to daycare for the next day.
Now that I have started feeding cereal, I can thaw one or two cubes to mix with the cereal and I don't have to waste milk by thawing too much.
I ordered the ice cube trays off of Amazon. The link is here
https://www.amazon.com/Tovolo-Perfect-Cube-Silicone-Trays/dp/B000QIU7X6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1254012088&sr=8-1?
Just want to mention that the poster wanted to use the ice cube trays because she didn't want to use the breast milk storage bags, in order to reduce waste and cost. ?I don't think this solves that problem exactly. ?
First of all, I don't understand how using regular freezer bags is any more environmentally friendly than using BM freezer bags. This idea just sounds like a huge PIA...
1. difficult to figure out how many oz for the person feeding baby
2. difficult for you to date the frozen milk
3. will the cubes fit into bottles easily?
4. will the ice cube trays be sanitary enough?
I'm all for being enviro friendly but I would rather devote my efforts in other ways...BM is too precious to mess around with IMO.