The Best (and Worst) Breastmilk Storage Bags
We’re prepared to ruffle some feathers here today. After working with over 15,000 breastmilk storage bags from our customers over the past six years, we’ve come up with the pros and cons of all of the most popular breastmilk storage bags on the market. We’re lucky to have an unusual advantage of having dealt with literally hundreds (or more!) of each of the brands, and are prepared to share our honest (and probably very surprising!) opinion. You might be shocked at our results, but it’s our intention to share the best brands to store that liquid gold!
A few weeks back, I solicited some opinions on an Instagram story about our follower’s favorite storage bags and WHOA(!), some of you all are fiercely loyal to your storage bag brand! And if you’ve got something that works for you and you love it, well then stick with it! Everyone’s needs are different.
The characteristics that we considered most important when ranking bags were: durability, chances of leakage, affordability and accessibility, and ease of freezer (brick) storage.
A special thanks to our team member, Alaina, who has personally handled more bags of other people’s breastmilk than any person should ever be expected to do. She shared most of the information for this blog, as she is now a professional Breastmilk Storage Bag Brand Analyst.
Sharing our least favorite bags first…
THE LEAKERS – The most likely offenders for leakage, and brands we wouldn’t recommend.
We know these are not popular opinions, but we’re putting it out there anyway. We’ve trusted these “big name” brands that have been the leading makers of pumps and products FOREVER, but the truth is that there are better breastmilk storage bags out there. All of the following brands have their pros (and we list them, for each brand!), but they all are prone to leakage. And when it comes to breastmilk, it is much too precious to risk even the slightest chance of a leak.
We actually request 15ml (about a tablespoon) of milk for each breastmilk jewelry order, even though we need less to actually preserve your milk. The reason is that all of the brands below are chronic leakers, and by the time the milk gets to us, we don’t have 15ml in there anymore.
Lansinoh
I see your surprised face. Yes, we’re ranking it among the worst bags out there. It is the #1 type of bag we receive at Milk + Honey, so we know there are some loyal users out there!
Pros:
You can pump directly into the bag
They stack in a nice little rectangle brick and fits into the cool rectangle containers to keep your freezer organized
Easy to zip closed, has a double zip
You can find Lansinoh products and bags literally anywhere and everywhere–very accessible.
Cons:
They leak constantly–they are the number 1 leaking culprit in our milk received. In one day’s shipment of milk last week, 4 out of 7 bags showed signs of leaking. See photo below–the milk leaks through the first and oftentimes, second zip–right out the top.
Bags are thin- mine frequently split after freezing. There is NOTHING worse than starting to thaw out milk and realizing you had a hole in your bag that went unnoticed (and that’s also the reason why we recommend thawing your bags before mailing to us!)
Although it’s a double zipper, they are very small. It’s just not a secure zip closure. Milk *frequently* will leak through the first zip, so you’re putting a lot of faith into that second one.
Extra large flap above the zipper, which seems like no big deal until you’re dumping milk and it flops everywhere because you’re not holding it with exact precision.
Lansinoh bags—you can see that the milk has leaked through both zips, and is inside the top flap. This happens to over half of the Lansinoh bags we receive.
Medela
Pros:
One of the thickest bags-it will withstand freezing and thawing well.
Thick zipper closure
Freezes flat in a nice little rectangle
Cons:
Second leading leaker in our milk received. Milk always gathers near the zipper. Medela. 2 out of 3 in one day shipment showing signs of leakage. Milk gathered at zip as mentioned (see photo)
Although zip closure is thick, it is difficult to close tightly. You really have to pinch and run your fingers along it multiple times to get a good seal. It reminds of the big bags of frozen vegetables with the zipper. You open the bag properly, cutting carefully along the dotted line to ensure you don’t screw up the zipper portion, then try over and over to get the zipper lined up just right to close the darn bag the way it is intended. So you just end up wrapping it in a ball and shoving it back in the freezer. But that’s not an option with milk.
You can see where the milk is gathering at the zip, and it has leaked through the zip during shipping to us (see the milk in the top flap above the zip line).
Dr. Brown’s
Pros:
Thick bag, similar to Medela, will freeze well
Same size/shape as Lansinoh so they can be used and frozen together in same size brick
Easily found (Dr Browns has become more popular and more readily available)
Leaks less than others, but we still regularly find leakage…
Cons:
Similar zip closure design as Medela- milk seems to gather near zip
Prone to leaking
Avent
Pros:
Thick bag- similar to Medela
Same shape/size as Medela so can be used and stacked/bricked together
Leaks less than other offenders
Cons:
Similar zip closure design as Medela-milk gathers at zip worse than others (see photos)
Prone to leaking
Milk regularly gathers at the zip line of Avent bags.
Parent’s Choice (WalMart brand)
Pros:
Inexpensive and easy to find, as many people have access to a Walmart or the website/app
Similar zip style to Medela, but actually easier to zip.
Thicker bag than Lansinoh
Cons:
Although it’s a thicker bag than the leading Lansinoh, it’s not nearly as thick as some of our favorites (keep reading to see those)
Wider bag than others, and won’t stack the same for freezing
Up & Up (Target Brand)
Pros:
Similar size/shape/design as Lansinoh- can be used together and stack together
Easily found/convenient…because Target
Cost effective option, especially if you are pumping/storing a lot
Cons:
Similar design as Lansinoh- zip closure is small and not always effective/reliable and leaks frequently
Bag is on the thinner side, a little thicker than Lansinoh but not as thick as others.
3/4 in one day’s shipment at Milk + Honey show signs of leaks (see photos)
Milk has leaked through zip, and top flaps are stuck together from leaked, dried milk
THE BEST BREAST MILK STORAGE BAGS - we know this is what you’re here for.
#3 Motif
Pros:
One of the only other bags we’ve received that never leaks
Lays perfectly flat, like weirdly flatter than other bags, so it’s easy to stack to make brick
Double zipper so it locks more securely
Has a “pour spout” on the side to be able to pour more accurately (I can’t possibly be the only one that has tried to pour milk out of a bag and missed the bottle)
Cons:
The double zip can be tricky, you really have to press to hear the snap
Odd shape, so it won’t fit into standard rectangle containers to freeze
Motif has worked SO well for us! Despite the awkward size, and the extra “oomph” it requires to zip, this bag is SOLID.
#2 Kiinde Twist
Pros:
Screw top threads on easily and the bags literally NEVER leak
Thick bag, so it won’t be prone to tearing when milk freezes if it’s stacked weird
Milk pours out easily, so the top doesn’t flap open weird and spill milk in 5 different directions
Can be attached directly to the Kiinde bottle/nipple, which means NO sterilizing bottles!!!
Cons:
Technically made for the Kiinde pumping/bottle feeding “system,” so if you’re not using the other parts it may be inconvenient
Because they’re part of the “system,” they are more expensive
Although they will lay flat, they will not make the “brick” as easily to freeze because of the lid. There are lots of suggestions online for ways to freeze these bags, that seem great, but we don’t have experience with it.
If you can get over the price, and they are convenient for you, these bags are great. They do NOT leak.
And our #1 breastmilk storage bag recommendation…
#1 NUK
Alaina says: I don’t know why, but the quality of this bag shocks me. Maybe because I’ve been disappointed by some of their other products?? If I could travel back in time I would 100% use these bags solely. I was so impressed that one day I thought “this can’t possibly be this good,” so I shook it all around and shook it upside down, squeezed milk up by the zipper to see if there were any signs of possible leakage. And guess what? Not a drop. It’s that good.
Pros:
Thick bag- won’t be prone to rips/tears after freezing
EASY zip closure- no fighting to thread that zip perfectly
Easily found at most frequently visited stores (Target/Walmart)
One of the more budget friendly options
And because we’re unbiased, we’ll share the cons, too.
Cons:
Not as thick as others (but thicker than Lansinoh and thick enough to withstand freezing)
Not the cheapest option (but certainly more budget friendly than others)
The overall winner! Cost and durability make Nuk #1 in our book!
So, are you shocked?? Did we ruffle your feathers?
*Something to note: NO bag is going to be accurate in measuring milk!!! Rely on the bottle for the most accurate measurement, then transfer to a storage bag. So, that means if you’re pumping directly into the bag, you may not have the most accurate measurement.
Are you mad at us? (HAHA!) Are you a loyal Lansinoh consumer? Let us know! You can see all of our favorite breast milk storage bags at our new Amazon influencer account.
Have a question about a particular bag? Ask us in the comments! Chances are we’ve seen it come through and we may just remember all the good, bad, and ugly about it. Or, if you want to put your bags to the ultimate test, mail us some milk in one to make you some beautiful jewelry 😊 No better leaking test than to pack it up in a box and ship it!!!!