Are bags the best (i.e., cheapest!) way to store EBM? How do they work?

[dueinmay]

I thought I knew what I was doing and went to the store to buy the "freezer bags." But once I got there, I became confused. On the packages it said the bags were for use with disposable nursers. Hmmm. Can someone enlighten me here? I'm just looking for a way to store the EBM in the freezer, then be able to use it with my Avent bottles.

Thanks!!

Rebecca
It's a girl!
5.14.03

[heidi_timms]

I think that if you have disposable bottles, you can use the storage bags as an insert if you like. Disposable bottles take those bags that are called inserts. I use Playtex Ventaire bottles, which are just regular bottles and don't need inserts. I pump into my Medela bottles and pour into Gerber Storage bags for the freezer. When I am ready to use it (at some other point in time), I defrost it and pour it into my Playtex bottle for DD to drink. Make sense?

In my opinion, the Gerber storage bags are the cheapest and easiest to use because they are ziplock.

~Heidi
Mom to Kailey Ashlin
4/27/03

[hellokitty1]

Heidi pretty much explained it all. The freezer bags allow you to just put it in a disposable bottle when you're ready to serve. But it doesn't mean you have to use a disposable bottle. I use Avent bottles as well and I freeze in the frozen bags and then when I defrost it, I just pour it into the Avent bottle. I've used Gerber and Lansinoh. The Lansinoh seem sturdier (they have double ziplocs) but I have no preference between the two. Lansinoh is not as easy to find and you can find Gerber coupons on occasion but I belive the regualr price is the same for both. I do not feel you need to buy the Medela CSF bags. I think they are more expensive and I'm not sure how much better they are.

HTH

[momma_boo]

I personally use the Lansinoh bags. I tried a box of the Gerber ones (b/c I had a coupon) and thought the lansinoh ones were a little thicker. It also has double ziplocs and the part to write the name and volume is on the top flaps of the bag, not on the bag itself. So then you're not writing on the bag with the milk in it (don't have to worry about puncturing the bag with a pen). I think they are the same price. I get mine at Target, saw them at Buy Buy Baby, but they were $2 more.

I don't have avent bottles, so I'm not sure if you would be able to put a bag into it. I use the Dr. Brown's, so just pour it into the bottle after it's been thawed out.

As for freezing, I usually lay the bag down on the shelf, that way it's easier to store. Then I put them into a container standing up, you can easily see the dates and use the older ones first.

[stillplayswithbarbies]

Ifyou get the Avent disposable bottles, you can use the bags directly in them. If you have the regular Avent bottles, you have to pour the milk from the bag into the bottle.

I pump directly into the bags and feed directly from them. (I use Playtex disposable bottles but the concept is the same). I don't want to be pouring the milk from bottle to bag and back to bottle again.

(especially after I spilled one on my keyboard at work!)

...Karen
Jacob Nathaniel Feb 91
Logan Elizabeth Mar 03

[Momof3Labs]

How much do you plan to freeze at a time? If you only plan to have 10-20oz in the freezer at a time, and rotate it frequently, bottles might be the most cost-efficient storage method. The reason I say the rotation is important is that every time you freeze some EBM in a bag, you need a new bag. With a bottle, you just wash it and reuse it.

Bottles take up more space than bags, and are more expensive up front, but for some people they could be more economical.

I pumped into the Medela bottles, transferred to Gerber freezer bags, and then we fed Colin using Avent reusable bottles. But I also had a huge freezer stash - 350+ oz at its peak!

[dueinmay]

Thanks for all the info, everybody!! I think I'll try out the bags and see how it goes. At this point, I'm not freezing very much at all but I'd like to try getting a bit more of a stash going. Hoping to start getting out of the house a little and leaving DD with DH more frequently. I think that would be nice for all of us . . . :)

Rebecca
It's a girl! 5.14.03

[avitalrodal]

Why do you keep so much milk frozen?

[Momof3Labs]

Why do you ask?

Sorry if that sounds abrupt, but I don't have a one-line answer for you, and if I know why you are asking, I can better answer your question.

[nola]

This may seem off topic, but I got by without using the gerber storage bags and it may work for you. I think I was concerned about the price. I froze the milk in ice cube trays overnight and stuck them in ziplock sandwhich bags the next morning. This allowed me to pick how much I wanted to defrost by ice cube increments. When she was a itty bitty thing this feature seemed nice even though it took a little more freezer space. Now that she is bigger I use the disposable Avent bottles and stick the bottle with liner (much cheaper than the storage bags) in the freezer overnight. I remove the little bottom brace before freezing. In the morning, I remove the liner with the frozen milk inside and stick it into a ziplock sandwhich bag. It slides out the bottom of the bottle. Seems to work for me. Good luck.

[peanut4us]

I like Gerber bags, but make sure the seal is sealed all the way tight. I didn't on one of my work pumping bags last Friday, so I lost 4 ounces. That's liquid gold. I almost cried.

[avitalrodal]

Sorry, I was the abrupt one - I was typing with my left hand while nursing my baby.

I am going back to work soon. I am planning to leave fresh EBM (pumped the previous day at work) in the fridge but I also wanted a freezer stock as back-up, and I am trying to figure out how much I need to build up. 350 oz seems like a mountain of milk to me! I wil be away from home 8-9 hours/day.

[Momof3Labs]

That's okay! What I did was I started pumping when I went to bed (at about 10pm), which was 3-4 hours after Colin's last nursing. At the beginning, it was slow, but after a week or so, I could pump 8-9oz at a time. I also pumped at work, but didn't always produce enough to replace what Colin ate while I was gone, so this stash supplemented the fresh stash. We also use the frozen stash when I am on business trips, because I pump and dump when I'm gone overnight. 350oz was ridiculous, you won't need that much, but maybe try adding one pumping every day and freeze what you don't use. If you end up building up a decent freezer stash, you can always wean off of that pumping. I would suggest starting now, since you are going back to work soon.

What kind of pump do you have? Hopefully a good double electric, like the PIS or PY.

[avitalrodal]

Thanks! I am using a PIS and since my son got fussy with the bottle at 6 weeks (though I started him on the occasional bottle at 4 weeks), I have been giving him one every day. I left him for 6 hours the other day and got 6 oz from 10 minutes of pumping, so hopefully I will only have to pump twice at work and once at home to get enough for while I am gone .

It's a relief to know I won't need to amass 350 oz. I guess I will try to keep 50 oz in the freezer while he is still small. I don't travel for work. I think pumping and dumping mught make me cry!

[Meatball Mommie]

There's a new product out there a lactation consultant told me about. It's a EBM storage system by a company called Pump-Mate. That's all they make. Basically, it comes with adaptors for all pump types (Avent, Medela...) and you use the adaptor to pump directly into their bag. Then they have this freezer stand that you put 4 bags into and put into the freezer. Then when you want to use the bags, they go directly into any bottle that accepts drop in liners (Playtex, Avent...). Now, I have to say that I am just starting to use it and it's very easy to pump into, but as far as using the frozen sutff, I can't say. You might want to check it out. I use Avent bottles and the Avent Isis pump.

[heidi_timms]

I was at a breastfeeding support group and someone asked about using regular ziplock vs. ones especially for EBM. The lactation consultant said that there was a reason why you shouldn't use regular ziplock but I can't remember what it was! It was a health reason, so I would ask a LC before skipping the bags especially for EBM.

~Heidi
Mom to Kailey Ashlin
4/27/03

[stillplayswithbarbies]

I am using the Pumpmate system now. I ordered an extra adapter from their website so I can pump both sides at once.

I had a hard time at first getting the lids to stay on. They pop up in the freezer. I found that you can only put 5 oz in a bag if you want the lid to stay on, and you have to get the air out of it as you put the lid on.

I like the gerber bags better, I think, but I am going to keep trying the Pumpmate liners for awhile and see how it goes. What I don't like is that you have to take that freezer stand with you, or take disposable bottles, since you can't lay the pumpmate bags down on their side until they are frozen. I can use a smaller cooler when I use the gerber bags.

...Karen
Jacob Nathaniel Feb 91
Logan Elizabeth Mar 03

[hellokitty1]

not sure myself, but i noticed that my lansinoh bags say they are sterilized so i would say that is probably the main difference between bm bags and just regular ziploc bags

[heidi_timms]

I still can't remember, but it had to do with the inside lining of the bag.

~Heidi
Mom to Kailey Ashlin
4/27/03