Whether you’ve been breastfeeding and are now heading back to work, want to have more flexibility, or have your partner help you with feedings - pumping and storing your breastmilk appropriately is important to keep your baby safe!

Expressed breast milk keeps most of its healthy benefits!

Freshly expressed breast milk is preferable to refrigerated, and refrigerated is better than frozen breastmilk. Remember to wash your hands with soap and water before expressing or handling breast milk. 

Depending on how soon you want to use it, you can store breast milk at room temperature, in the fridge, or in the freezer:

• Keep milk at room temperature. Breastmilk can stay at room temperature (up to 77 F/25 C) for up to 4 hours.

• Refrigerate it. Breastmilk is good in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

• Place it in the freezer. If you can’t use refrigerated breastmilk within 4 days, you can freeze it right after pumping. Ideally, it can stay in the freezer for about 6 months, but up to 12 months is acceptable.

• Use cooler packs. You’re going on a trip with your baby and don’t have access to a fridge or freezer? You can use a cooler or an insulated cooler rack with frozen ice packs for up to 24 hours after pumping. After 24 hours in a cooler, the breastmilk should be refrigerated or frozen. 

When storing breastmilk, use breast milk storage bags or clean, food-grade containers that are made of glass or BPA-free plastic and have tight fitting lids.

Never store breastmilk in disposable bottle liners or plastic bags!

To remember when the breastmilk was expressed, use waterproof labels or ink and clearly label each container with the date.

Do not store the breastmilk in the door of the refrigerator or freezer. Instead, place the containers in the back where the temperature is coolest. When you have to use your milk stash, thaw the oldest milk first by either placing it in the fridge the night before or in a bowl of warm water.

Don’t heat a frozen bottle in the microwave or too quickly on the stove! This can affect the milk’s antibodies and also heat it inconsistently. 

Check out the list below by the American Academy of Pediatrics for an in-depth list on to properly store breast milk:

For more advice, head over to HealthyChildren.org for more comprehensive tips on how to safely store breastmilk for your little one’s safety!

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