Freezer Burn with Gerber bags?

[varsha]

I just switched to the Gerber bags since they seemed easier to use than the Medela bags.

However, the saleslady at my local breastfeeding store told me that customers were having to throw away their milk due to freezer burn after using the Gerber bags. She said that the Gerber bags were cheap and the ziploc type bags allows air in and this causes freezer burn to occur. This is the reason the Medela and Mother's milk reps said they still use twist ties.

So now I have another thing to be paranoid about, and have a few questions:

1. How do you know that the milk is freezer burned?

2. How long does it take for milk to get freezer burned? (I have about 2 weeks worth of milk stockpiled).

3. Have you had problems with freezer burn using the Gerber bags?

4. Any tips to prevent freezer burn?

TIA.

[MartiesMom2B]

I have just started using the Gerber bags and have not had any problems with them so far. I'll be on the look out for this though. Thanks for posting. If there was a problem I would contact Gerber though.

Sonia
Proud Mommy to Martie 4/6/03
http://www.mcdyer.com/MartieSurasky.htm

[Momof3Labs]

I have about 300oz of milk in the freezer in Gerber bags, going back about 3 months, and have had NO problems with freezer burn. I think that proper storage in the freezer is key!

[MinnieMouse]

I used the Gerber bags exclusively from 3mo to 1yr...and had NO FREEZER BURN. I think they are telling you stories to get you to buy their recommended products!

Christine

[cara1]

I have written many posts about how much I love the Gerber bags. However, around 9-10 mos, all my milk started going bad. It wouldn't keep for more than 2 weeks in the freezer. If you looked at the frozen bag, there were funny whitish circles all over. It smelled like turpentine, and DS wanted nothing to do with it. I don't know what happened. Thankfully, he was nursing much less at that point, and I was able to keep up by pumping and just giving him fresh stuff and bypassing the freezer alltogether. I wouldn't have been able to pull that off when he was younger. I ended up throwing out (:( ) months worth...an entire freezer full of milk. I don't know if it was bec of the bags or not. I have no idea. But they worked great for the first 9 mos! Good luck.

[bcblue]

This is so weird!
I just yesterday noticed freezer burn with the Gerber bags. I stored milk 3 months ago so I could use it when I started my DD on rice cereal.
She doesn't use bottles (yet), but can I still use the milk, at least for the cereal? It smells okay. But would I know the difference between good milk and "bad" milk?

[cara1]

She should know the difference. My DS refused to drink from the bottle or eat the cereal from milk gone bad, even if I couldn't tell. Personally, I think my BM always smells funny, so it's hard for me to tell.

[FloridaMomtoBe]

I did experience some freezer burn using the gerber bags...and now believe it was mainly because the milk was getting too much exposure to the air when the freezer door was being opened, especially for bags that were in there for more than a couple of months. More recently I have put all bags inside large freezer bags to further protect...and I also put it in the back of the freezer instead of the front or on the door. That seems to have helped a lot, as I've used bags that are 3 months old with no problem.

Michelle

[Caitlins Mommy]

I used the Gerber bags when Caitlin was a baby and I had no problem.I would always put them into another huge ziplock freezer bag and keep them at the back of the fridge though.Maybe it has to do with how you store the milk with these bags.Good luck on finding the perfect storage bag for you and baby.



Jennifer Mommy to Caitlin Hope 9/28/96
Trying to give Caitlin a brother or sister

[cara1]

Yeah, I always double- or triple-bagged them too, sorting them by date in a big ziplock. Didn't help...

[cinrein]

I've been using Gerber bags for 3 months now with no problems. I store in bags of milk inside a Tupperware freezer container--I forget what it's called. Seems to have helped keep the bags fresh.

Cindy
Mama to Anna 2/11/03