The Best Temperatures to Store Breast Milk

There is a vast amount of information online about how to store breast milk. Most forums used generic terms like “room temperature”, “refrigerated”, and “frozen” but this was always somewhat unclear for me since room temperature in a cool city (like my hometown of Vancouver) would be very different than room temperature in a humid city like Hong Kong (where I currently live). So for all the daddys and mommys out there, here are a few quick guidelines on from the HK Family Health Service:

• Freshly expressed/pumped milk can be kept at room temperature (below 24 C^o) for 8 hours

• For summertime weather in humid cities, freshly expressed/pumped milk can be kept at room temperature (25 - 37 C^o) for a maximum of 4 hours
• If you are pumping milk and storing in a cooler bag with ice packs (below 15 C^o), then this can increase the storage time up to 24 hours

• Breast milk can be stored in the refrigerator (2-4°C) for 5 days. Do note that it’s best not to store breast milk near the door of the refrigerator since temperature there is unstable. If you do not anticipate using it within 48 hours, then it may be best to just transfer it from the fridge compartment to the freezer within 10 hours after pumping

• Breast milk can last up to 3 months in the refrigerator freezer compartment (≤-18°C) and for up to 6 months in a deep freezer (-20°C). Do note that if you are using a single door refrigerator (i.e. no separate door for the freezer compartment), then milk can only be kept for 2 weeks.

For moms, our muslin swaddles are the perfect multi-purpose item that you can't live without. Not only can you swaddle your baby to keep them comfortable, but our organic muslin swaddles also act as a nursing cover, a stroller cover for baby nap times, and a light blanket or versatile playmat when your baby gets a little older. The best thing is, they get softer with every wash!!