Sending your child for their first sleepover at Grandmas can be an exciting time. As a Mom you get much need break from the responsibilities of parenting, and gasp you might even get to sleep in! However when you are a breastfeeding mom, you may have questions about how a night away from your baby will work in terms of pumping and handling & transporting breast milk. Not to worry, you can still enjoy a night of “freedom” while baby bonds with Grandma easily and safely with a little preparation. Here are some helpful tips for the safe handling & transporting of breast milk
Pumping Breast Milk
- Make sure your hands and all equipment used to collect breast milk are washed and clean
- If you have not pumped before start as early as possible to build up a freeze stash of milk so you are not stressed while trying to pump – because yes stress can make a difference in how easy it is for you to express milk
- Especially when starting out try feeding your baby from only 1 side and pumping the other, or pump directly after your first morning feed when your milk supply is the highest
Storing and Transporting Breast Milk
- Store milk in containers or bags in small portions, approximately 1 bottle per container, for my boys that was usually 4-5 oz.
- Always use containers/bags designed for breast milk storage and label the container with the date
- Store milk in the fridge or freezer as soon as possible after pumping
- When transporting frozen breast milk make sure it stays that way until you reach your destination using a cooler bag and freezer packs. I use the Playtex Smart On-The-Go Bottle Tote, as it is the perfect size for transporting milk for a weekend at Grandma’s
Thawing Breast Milk
- Place frozen milk in the fridge approximately 12-24 hours before it is needed, to allow for slow thawing, microwaving is not recommended as it can change the composition of the milk
- Another option for thawing and warming breast milk is to place it in a cup of warm water to allow to thaw and warm to body temperature
- Stored milk will separate into layers, that is totally normal. Once thawed, swirl the milk to combine the layers again
- Do not re-freeze milk that has been thawed
My mom lives about an hour away from our house, and the Playtex Smart On-The-Go Bottle Tote was perfect size to hold the right amount of breast milk for a sleep over at Grandma’s. With 2 full size removable freezer packs it keeps everything frozen for safe handling and transport of breast milk while on road trips. Want to learn more, check out my video Playtex Smart On-The-Go Bottle Tote Review here:
Breastfed babies can have successful sleepovers away from Mommy with a little planning ahead. Monkey started having occasional sleepovers at Grandma’s house when he was 6 months old, which not only helped keep my sanity, but also helped develop the wonderful relationship they still have today. Using these simple tips for safe handling & transporting of breast milk Mom and Baby can enjoy a little time apart.
Disclosure: This post was brought to yo by the Mom Trust Program by Playtex. All opinions are strictly my own.
I really needed this when I was Bfing. My family used to live 12 hours away and I traveled to neighbouring towns often, we were always on the road and traveling with milk stressed me out. I’ll be looking into this for the future. Thanks Kate!
Thanks for sharing all these wonderful tips for handling and transporting breas milk. I love the Playtex Smart On-The-Go Bottle Tote as it looks really practical! Wish it existed when I had babies.
I needed this with my little guy! I was always so worried when I traveled with breastmilk!
How didn’t I know you could freeze breast milk? Your simple health and care steps really make me feel more confident in the process!
I could have totally used this when I was breastfeeding. We had to buy a chest freezer so we had the space to store all of my breast milk.
I would have loved to have had this bag when I was breastfeeding my kids. It makes travel so much easier!
Great post! You are a breast feeding guru!! I wish I had been able to do that! I barely produced enough milk to feed my DD never mind produced extra! Nothing I did would produce more! I’m going to pass this info onto my pregnant sister!
I always froze my milk and stored it in that exact bag with my oldest! My youngest is 9 months now (!) and started refusing bottles a few months ago when we introduced food so its not even an option anymore.
This is great! My neighbour pumped and froze a lot of milk when she was breastfeeding. This would have been great for her! 🙂 Thanks for sharing all the tips.
Great tips! We have the Playtex Smart On-the-Go Bottle Tote and use it all the time. It’s a great product.
If only that tote was available with my two oldest ones. I’m so glad it is now with the newest addition here. We don’t travel far too much, only a couple of times a year, but when we do this will definitely be handy.
I just found out on Friday that I am expecting! Thanks for this post… I’m new to it all and this is definitely good information to know!!! 😀
Thanks for these great tips. I plan to breastfeed when my little one arrives and know I’ll be asking the grandparents to babysit.
Great tips and thank you so much for sharing.
Love that you can freeze especially in the beginning I had an over abundance