As if breastfeeding, pumping, and waking up every three hours or so isn’t exhausting enough, sometimes we have to tack on the hassle of keeping up with the dates and times that our milk was pumped, fed, warmed, refrigerated and/or frozen. There’s many different guidelines for breast milk storage, but most are pretty consistent with little variations.
Sometimes people get overly paranoid about what’s best when it comes to storing breast milk and keeping up with dates and times, but quite honestly breast milk is pretty good at holding up to its end of the bargain.
Guidelines for breast milk storage all seem to be about the same no matter where you look up the information. Often times mamas are also told to the do “sniff or taste test” to see if the milk is bad or not. If you don’t trust your senses though, keeping up with the dates and times are pretty easy if you mark the item that you are storing your milk in.
Common Guidelines for Breast Milk Storage
Marking bags is super easy as bags are not reusable and are thrown away once the pumped milk has been used. However, when it comes to labeling bottles and pump bottles, this can be trickier. One way to go about that is to place a piece of tape on the bottle with the date that the milk was pumped written on it. This way the tape can be removed prior to washing and the bottle will be blank for next time.
Another option for storing milk and labeling bottles in the fridge is to use Milk Charms. These colorful and adorable charms are the perfect touch to help you keep track of the time and date your milk was pumped. These are great for daycares, grandmas, and any sitters who may lose track of the pumped milk that you send with your baby. You can purchase Milk Charms here for three per pack.
If you’re looking for some guidelines for breast milk storage, please refer to our chart below. It’s key to remember that thawed milk is only good in the fridge for up to 24 hours and should never be refrozen. Fresh milk should be placed into the fridge after 5-8 hours and frozen milk should be transferred to a deep freeze if planning to store past six months. Also, it is key to remember that frozen milk should never be stored in the shelf compartment of the freezer door, as this section is typically not as cold.
Don’t let the guidelines for breast milk storage overwhelm you. They don’t call it liquid gold for nothing!
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