Breast Milk Storage

laceloni81

I am getting a lot of breast milk and want to start freezing it.  What have you ladies found to be the best and easiest way of freezing ~ bags?  bottles?  She will be going to daycare so I want what is easiest for them and I.  Also, do you mix days of milk?  Do I put in multiple days in a bag and then if not used by the earliest date then I dispose of it?  Just trying to get prepared for the next couple weeks. 

 Any opinions or advice would be greatly appreciated! 

PamelaC

-I started storing in bottles, but switched to Lansinoh bags... they take up much less room in the freezer and they thaw a lot quicker

-You can mix days of milk - I think the rule of thumb is that milk pumped within 24 hours of each other can go in the same container... just put the oldest date on there.

Meg&Jesse

I think a lot of people have used bags and had no issues with them.  Personally, I used the plastic tube things from Medela that hold about 2.5-3 oz.  I was nervous the bags would rip and I would lose all that BM I worked so hard to get!  I dated all the tubes with a sticker and am currently rotating it out now that I am back at work (I take one tube out for day care each day, and replace it with the extra I pumped for the day).  The frozen BM will last 6 months in the freezer. 

Erin Mary Ackerman

Frozen BM lasts 6 months in a deep freezer but only 1 month in a regularly used kitchen freezer, FYI

lisaNov3

i use the medela storage bags. good for 3-6 months in a regular freezer.

happytobemrs.m

According to my LC 3-4 months in a reg freezer and 6 months in a deep freezer....

Sarah&Christoph

I have a medela pump and it says in the booklet that you can keep BM in a regular kitchen freezer for 3 to 4 months. I freeze BM in the medela storage bags.

summerbridesara

I use Lansinoh bags and I love them!

summerbridesara

Frozen BM in a regular freezer is good for 3 months.

Linds&Chris777

I like the Lansinoh bags.  Just make sure you get all the air out and then I lay them flat on the bottom of the freezer so I can stack them on top of eachother and they take up hardly any room.  I also like them because you can thaw them out quicker than bottles just by letting warm water run over it for a couple minutes.

Luckystar2

According to every source I've read its 3-6 months in a regular freezer.  Not sure where pp has read 1 month.  Ive been rotating my stash right around 3 months and its perfectly fine.

I store in lansinoh bags.  bottles take up too much space and take longer to thaw.

You can mix days, and it doesnt have to be within 24 hour period.  Just as long as the oldest milk is still good, and you date with the oldest date

for daycare I have to bring prepared bottles so I will take out a bag the night before and put in cold water.  This thaws it in about 10-15 mins but doesnt warm it up.  I pour into bottle and leave in fridge until daycare the next morning.