Breast Milk and Formula Storage Guidelines and Tips
Proper storage practices are crucial for ensuring the safety and nutritional quality of both breast milk and formula. Whether you’re pumping and storing breast milk or preparing formula, knowing the right methods for each can help maintain their effectiveness and reduce waste. In this blog, we’ll explore key guidelines for storing, thawing, and handling breast milk as well as keeping formula fresh and safe.
Sanitation Practices
Maintaining proper hygiene is crucial for breastfeeding and pumping, as it helps ensure the safety and quality of your breast milk. Before handling breast pump parts or expressing milk, always wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water. This step helps eliminate any potential bacteria or germs that could contaminate your milk.
Additionally, clean and sanitize all pump parts, including bottles, flanges, and valves, after each use. Use a dedicated brush and soap designed specifically for washing bottles and pump parts, and avoid using the same brush you use for cleaning food off plates to prevent cross-contamination (commissionable links). Please note: regularly replacing your breast pump parts is also crucial for maintaining optimal performance. Over time, parts can wear out or become less effective, which may impact milk flow and potentially compromise hygiene.
For added safety, consider using a dishwasher if the parts are dishwasher-safe or sterilize them periodically using boiling water or a sterilizing machine. By adhering to these practices, you can help prevent contamination and protect your baby’s health!
How to Store Breast Milk
Proper storage of expressed breast milk requires using dedicated breast milk storage bags or clean, food-grade containers. Choose containers made of glass or plastic with tight-fitting lids to ensure freshness. To maximize storage space and ensure the milk freezes and thaws evenly, store breast milk flat. This method allows you to fit more milk in the freezer and helps the bags or containers stack neatly. Avoid using disposable bottle liners or plastic bags that are not intended for breast milk storage.
It is essential to label each bag clearly with the date and time it was expressed. Accurate labeling helps you keep track of how long the milk has been stored, allowing you to use the oldest milk first and prevent waste. By maintaining a clear system, you can easily monitor freshness and ensure your baby always receives the highest quality milk.
Storing breast milk in smaller amounts can also significantly help avoid waste. By dividing milk into portions that match your baby's typical feeding size, you ensure that you only thaw what you need for each feeding. This approach minimizes the risk of having to discard unused milk and allows you to make the most of each batch you express. It’s a practical way to manage your milk supply efficiently and reduce waste while ensuring your baby always has fresh, nutritious milk.
You can find our favorite products for storing breast milk here (commissionable links).
How to Thaw Breast Milk
Thawing breast milk can be done in several effective ways to ensure safety and preserve nutrients. The most gentle method is to place the frozen milk in the refrigerator overnight, allowing it to thaw gradually and evenly. For a quicker option, you can sit the sealed bag or container of milk in a bowl of warm or lukewarm water, which helps speed up the thawing process without overheating the milk. Alternatively, you can hold the container under running warm or lukewarm water, gently agitating it to help thaw the milk more quickly.
Avoid using hot water or microwaving breast milk, as these methods can destroy valuable nutrients and create uneven heating. Also, never refreeze breast milk once it has thawed.
Breast Milk Storage and Use Guidelines
For guidance on breast milk storage and use, please refer to the CDC’s Breast Milk Storage Guidelines (2024). We have also used their guidelines to create a graphic you can quickly refer to below!
For travel, breast milk can be kept in an insulated cooler with frozen ice packs for up to 24 hours. Once you reach your destination, use the milk immediately, refrigerate it, or freeze it (if not thawed).
How to Prepare and Discard Formula
Here are some essential tips for preparing, handling, and feeding formula to ensure optimal nutrition and safety. From measuring and mixing to proper storage and feeding practices, these guidelines will help you navigate formula use with confidence and ease.
Preparing Formula:
Before preparing formula, always wash your hands thoroughly and ensure that all bottles and parts are clean and sanitized. This helps prevent contamination and ensures your baby receives safe, hygienic feedings. Proper cleanliness is essential for maintaining the quality of the formula and protecting your baby’s health.
When preparing formula, it is important to follow the instructions as shown on the back of the formula container. Each formula is different, and reading formula labels carefully helps ensure you understand both preparation and usage instructions. Please pay careful attention to the formula to water ratio!
We recommend against storing the scooper directly in the formula powder. If there is a designated storage spot in the lid or outside of the container, using it will help prevent contamination.
If you have access to a safe water source, you can use tap water to make baby formula. It's also safe to use bottled water or distilled water. If you have questions or concerns, you can consult your pediatrician and/or contact your local health department.
Formula, as well as breast milk, don’t need to be warmed before feeding, although some parents prefer to do so. If you choose to warm the bottle, avoid using a microwave, as it can heat milk unevenly and create “hot spots” that may burn your baby’s mouth and throat. Instead, warm the bottle by placing it under running warm water, making sure not to let the water get into the bottle or touch the nipple. To check the temperature, place a few drops of the milk on the back of your hand to ensure it’s not too hot. Alternatively, you can use a bottle warmer to heat your baby's bottle quickly and safely (commissionable link).
Discarding Formula:
Prepared formula can be stored in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
Formula should be discarded 1 hour after the bottle has touched the baby's mouth.
Most formula powders should be used within 1 month of opening the container, but please refer to the label for specifics. To help keep track, we recommend writing the opening date on the lid when you first open the container. Always discard formula that is past the “Use By” date listed on the container.
Understanding breast milk and formula guidelines is crucial for ensuring the health and safety of your baby. Proper storage and use helps maintain the nutritional value of milk, preserving important vitamins and antibodies that support your baby’s immune system.
Following these guidelines also helps prevent bacterial contamination, which could lead to illness. By adhering to recommended storage and use practices, you can be confident that your breast milk or formula is safe for your baby to consume. Remember, knowledge of these guidelines empowers you to make informed decisions regarding your baby’s nutrition and well-being.
If you’re local to Nashville and have more questions regarding breastfeeding and/or pumping, you can set up an in-home consultation with our IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant). Learn more about this service here.
For more tips, explore our other blogs or follow us on Instagram at @choosejoynursing.
