What bags to use to store frozen breast milk?

[vs011]

I am starting to freeze some breast milk each day to stock up when I return to work. When I pump my milk, before each pump I sterilize all my milk pieces bottles, caps, each and every single time, sometimes even the pump tubing.

For freezing, I am using Hefty freezer ziploc bags to store my frozen milk sticks. They're not sterile and I havent sterilized them myself. Do you need to sterilize the bags which you store your frozen milk in? What freezer bags do you use?

 

[misspriss]

I use breastmilk storage bags to store the milk (which are sterile until opened) and then put the sealed BM storage bags inside a non sterile freezer bag.

 

[vs011]

Thanks.I'll order some sterile breastmilk freezer bags. Do you think I can feed my baby the warmed sticks in the ziploc bags? Or should I dump them?

 

[Amalee]

I think you should be fine using what you have, and I'd just make the change going forward. If you were transporting a pacifier, would you feel comfortable putting it in one of those Hefty bags to toss in your purse, then taking it out and giving it to the baby? I sure would!

In the future if you are looking to store smaller quantities and you don't want to use those bags, I'd recommend sterilizing an ice cube tray, freezing milk in the tray, then storing the milk cubes in the milk storage bags.

 

[vs011]

Well I called Hefty. They said their bags are BPA free and safe for frozen bm storage. There's nothing in the bags that have chemicals that can leech into foods, cleared by the FDA. So I'll continue to use them for now. I place my own food in them, snacks, spoons, etc. So I think it should be ok. I don't have to discard them. But I do want sterile bags, so I'll have to buy those.

Amalee, I freeze the bm as 1oz sticks and transfer the sticks into the bags. I use the Milkies trays for this. The trays are very nice