As a breastfeeding mom, you should know that breast milk is critical for your baby. It aids your newborn’s healthy growth while also strengthening their immune system.
When you want to return to your work or want your husband’s assistance in nursing your newborn, the critical point is to extract and properly store your breast milk.
Most moms use plastic bags to contain their breast milk. However, not all those bags are eco-friendly and safe for your baby, not to mention their high price.
So, what can you use instead of these plastic breast milk bags? Or what to use when running out of storage bags? Luckily, you can replace traditional bags with safer and affordable options like Ziploc bags, glass containers, or even freezer trays.
If you want to discover more storage bag alternatives, it’s time to dive into this article. Let’s get started!
5 Best Breast Milk Storage Bag Alternatives
Keeping breast milk saves you pumping time, preventing your baby from getting too hungry. However, you must store it correctly to stay fresh and retain its nutritional and anti-infective properties.
Wait no longer. Below are the most easy-to-find options to replace traditional storage bags.
1. Ziploc Bags
When it comes to a cheaper alternative to breast milk bags, Ziploc bags always go first place. It is worth noting that you need to make sure the items are dry, sterilized, and clean.
Besides, you should always put storage bags where they are hard to puncture or damage. For instance, you can place them in a glass cup and double the bags to prevent the risk of spillage or leaking. If you intend to freeze them, put them in an organizer for easy storage and management.
2. Clear Plastic Bottles
When you ran out of breast milk storage bags, transparent plastic bottles are a convenient and inexpensive option.
Make sure you don’t try to fill your plastic bottles with milk so that the milk can have enough space to expand when in the freezer.
Most importantly, it’s always best to opt for food-safe and BPA-free plastic bottles to prevent putting your baby’s health in danger. It is best to avoid plastic containers with recycling numbers 3, 6, or 7.
3. Glass Containers
Another plastic-free alternative for storing your breast milk is to utilize glass containers. Like when using plastic bottles, you should never fill milk to the top of the containers so that milk can expand freely while freezing.
Furthermore, it’s important to remember to seal the cover correctly to avoid spilling or leaking. You should also make sure these containers are clean, dry, and sterilized. The purpose is to protect your infant from health problems.
Glass is also safer and cleaner for your newborn. That’s because smells and residue are less likely to adhere to glass. This option seems to be more optimal and beneficial than the alternatives listed above.
If you no longer use them to store milk, you can still use them for many other things, from food to decoration.
4. Freezer Tray with Lid
Is there any accessible alternative? Yes. One of the most easy-to-find milk storage containers is freezer trays with lids.
To prevent bacteria and contamination, remember to clean, sterilize, and dry freezer trays before you pour your milk into them. Whenever you want to take frozen milk out of the freezer trays, you should never forget to wash and dry your hands first.
Once your breastmilk is frozen, it’s best to remove the frozen milk cubes and place them in Ziploc bags. If you let the milk in the freezer for too long, it may absorb unpleasant smells.
5. Silicone Pods
Are you worried about the potential risk that plastic material can pose to your newborn? You can consider products made of silicone, like silicone pods.
Silicone is resistant to odors, bacteria, and stains. So, you can go wrong when using items made from it to replace plastic storage bags.
These pods are very easy to use. All you need is an adaptor to pump straight into the pods. Then you keep them in the freezer for subsequent use.
Compared to a standard bottle, milk heats up quicker in pods. Fill milk bottles halfway with hot water and drop the pods inside. Thanks to this, you can easily heat up breast milk when traveling.
What Is The Proper Way To Store Breast Milk?
No matter how you store your baby food, always remember the following helpful tips:
- Whether you use a pump or manually extract your breastmilk, remember to make your hands clean first.
- Before pouring milk inside, always clean, sterilize, and dry containers (bags, bottles, trays, or pods) to prevent bacteria and contamination.
- Submerge the storage containers for 3 to 5 minutes in boiling water to sanitize them.
- When putting the baby food in the containers, allow enough room at the tops since all liquid will surely expand once it freezes.
- Ensure the storage containers aren’t damaged so that the mike won’t leak or spill out.
- If you use bags, you can double them or put them into a container with a lid.
- If you aren’t going to utilize your breast milk right away, freeze it.
- Write the date when you store your baby food on all containers so that you can use the older ones first.
The Bottom Line
Hopefully, you found your best-suited alternative to breast milk bags. You can substitute regular bags with options like Ziploc bags, clear plastic bottles, glass containers, freezer trays with lids, or silicone pods.
These items are easy to find in any grocery, so if you run out of milk containers, you can easily find replacements.
If you know other products, comment below to enrich our list.
