Although your baby will benefit greatly from breast milk, there are situations in which you may need to store it for later use. The health and safety of your child can be greatly improved by knowing how to store breast milk, whether you’re resuming work, running errands, or just building up a supply.
Knowing how long breast milk can be safely refrigerated and how to best maintain its nutrients is crucial if you intend to store it there. When milk is stored properly, it stays bacteria-free, fresh, and ready to be fed to your child when needed.
This post will discuss the best practices for handling and storing breast milk in the refrigerator as well as provide advice on how to do so. When breastfeeding isn’t immediately feasible, you can maintain the safety and health of your baby’s milk by following these easy steps.
Storage Time | Tips for Storing |
Up to 4 days | Store breast milk in the main compartment of the fridge, not the door, to keep it at a consistent temperature. |
Always use clean, BPA-free containers | Label the containers with the date so you know when the milk was expressed. |
Keep the refrigerator at or below 40°F (4°C) | Avoid overfilling the fridge to ensure proper air circulation. |
- Reasons
- Containers
- Conditions
- Storage time
- Appearance
- When it should not be put in the refrigerator?
- How long it cools?
- Is it possible to collect from several sinks?
- Is it possible to express?
- How to understand that milk has gone bad?
- Video on the topic
- HOW LONG CAN YOU STORE BREAST MILK
- How long can you store breast milk in the refrigerator and how to do it?
- Storing breast milk: where and how?
Reasons
For the following reasons, mothers typically express milk and set aside a reserve:
- If the mother needs to leave for a while, for example, go to the hospital or leave the city.
- If the baby refuses to drink milk from the breast for some reason.
- When the mother goes to work, and during her absence another adult will feed the baby with expressed milk.
Refrigerating this product is the most convenient and hygienic way to store it.
Containers
When selecting the storage containers for breast milk, you must exercise caution. It’s crucial that the storage containers are kept clean. The container’s lid needs to close securely as well.
Glass or plastic can be used as the container for this. Glass is the better option for containers. Pharmacies sell specialized sterile containers that can be used to store milk. Convenient plastic cups that work with a breast pump are also available. The material used to make these containers is fairly durable.
It is not advised to pour milk into bottle liners made of polyethylene. The bag’s seams might separate as the liquid cools. The outcome will disperse throughout the refrigerator. Pour the milk into two of these bags at once if you are unable to locate any other containers.
Conditions
- Both the breast pump and the container in which the breast milk will be stored must be clean and treated with boiling water.
- Milk should not be boiled so as not to destroy its important ingredients, but you can pasteurize it for 30 minutes.
Storage time
The best place for the expressed milk is on a shelf in the refrigerator’s back, where it can be kept for up to 48 hours, rather than on the refrigerator door. The shelf life of the product will be greatly shortened if the container is left on the door because it will be exposed to frequent temperature changes when the refrigerator is opened.
Appearance
Refrigerated breast milk will separate from room temperature milk. At the top of the container, its fat component will separate and form a separate layer. Such milk is carefully mixed to restore homogeneity before being given to a baby. It might not separate and the liquid will stay homogeneous if it freezes quickly.
When it should not be put in the refrigerator?
Milk cannot be refrigerated or frozen after it has been left out at room temperature for two hours. Similar to how a product kept in the refrigerator for a day or two shouldn’t be placed in the freezer. It can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours after it has been defrosted, but it cannot be put back in the freezer.
How long it cools?
When receiving fresh agent women’s milk from the chest, it should be refrigerated for twenty minutes before being stored. It needs to be frozen right away after expression if freezing is the plan.
Is it possible to collect from several sinks?
Women’s milk can be combined into one portion if such a product is obtained during accumulations within one day. When it’s time for the next combination, the calcined milk in this instance should be placed in the refrigerator right away. A fresh portion is then added, and the liquid is then once more placed inside the refrigerator chamber.
Is it possible to express?
There is a serious chance that the product’s purity will be compromised if accumulation is done by hand. Manual milk expression introduces additional microbes into the milk, increasing the potential for harmful bacterial flora to grow and multiply in the final product, potentially causing digestive disorders in the baby. For this reason, a breast pump should be used by those who wish to store it.
How to understand that milk has gone bad?
Milk’s color and consistency can vary significantly over time. At different times of the day, in different months of the child’s life, and even during a single pumping, they vary in both individual women and in a single nursing mother. You cannot, therefore, tell if a product has gone bad by looking at its color or consistency.
The smell and taste of the food will let you know when breast milk is no longer suitable for nursing the infant. Be aware that it typically has a somewhat sweet smell or starts to smell like the mother’s food (garlic, herring, onions, hot spices, and so on).
Also, it may start to smell soapy after being refrigerated. It’s not spoiled, but babies frequently reject it.
Spoiled milk can take on a sour or bitter taste. A child should not be given such a product.
It’s crucial to store breast milk correctly to keep it healthy and safe for your child. Breast milk can be kept in the fridge for up to four days, but to preserve its highest quality, it is best to use it within the first two. To keep the milk fresh, always make sure your refrigerator is set to 4°C (40°F) or lower.
Use specialized breast milk storage bags or clean, BPA-free containers to store breast milk. To keep track of the milk’s freshness, write the date of expression on the label of each container. Instead of putting the milk in the door, where the temperature is more likely to change, store it in the back of the refrigerator, where it remains more steady.
Use caution when reheating breast milk that has been stored. A microwave can heat milk unevenly and destroy some of its nutrients, so avoid using one. Alternatively, use a bottle warmer or submerge the container in a bowl of warm water. To prevent burns, check the temperature every time before feeding your infant.
You can ensure that your child receives the health benefits of breast milk even when you’re not there by adhering to these easy guidelines. Breast milk keeps safe and healthy with proper storage, providing the best nutrition for your child.
Breast milk can be kept in the fridge for up to four days without risk, but to keep it fresh and safe for your baby, you must abide by a few simple rules. Use sterile containers at all times, mark the milk with the date, and store it in the refrigerator’s coldest section toward the back. When you’re ready to use it, swirl it briefly to combine any separated fat and warm it gently without boiling it. Maintaining proper storage keeps your baby healthy and helps preserve nutrients!