Medela has a new Breastmilk Labeling & Storage System on the market. It’s an all-in-one system to help moms identify the freshest breastmilk in order to avoid waste. Essentially it is an organizer tray that allows you to store and quickly locate breastmilk bottles or bags in the fridge or freezer according to date.

The box I reviewed contained the following:

• 1 Tray
• 2 Labeling Lids
• 2 – 5oz Breastmilk Bottles

There is another kit that comes with 8oz bottles. All bottles are compatible with Medela breast pumps and are BPA free.

Organizer Tray

The organizer tray holds up to 6 Medela breastmilk bottles and from what I can tell it would probably store up to 12 bags of frozen breastmilk. I didn’t have 12 to try but that’s my best estimate. I’m sure it would store even more fresh breastmilk in bags.

You simply place the newest bottles or bags of breastmilk in the tray behind the “In” arrow and rotate the bottles or bags already in the tray toward the “Out” arrow.

As a breastfeeding mom who uses mostly bags these days I don’t think that I would need this reminder as I always date my bags immediately, BUT it would come in extremely handy for others that may be taking care of the baby or those that use mainly bottles for storage. This way you could just point to the arrow and say “use this bottle/bag” first. Simple and straightforward.

In the picture above that I took you can see the actual tray with both bottles and a 5 oz bag of frozen milk so you can estimate for yourself how much it would be able to hold. I know sometimes it can be unclear how big something really is without the right picture so hopefully this helps.

Labeling Lids

This kit comes with 2 special labeling lids. The lids are very simple to use. You simply screw it onto the bottle of breastmilk until it’s secure and then pull up on the outer part of the lid to “unlock” it. You then turn the outer section of the lid to line up with whatever day of the week it is. These lids fit on any Medela bottles.

It also has an a.m./p.m. marking on the bottle which you can see in the picture to the right. I found  this very thoughtful as I just recently read about a study that suggested if you pump in the evening you should make sure that milk is fed to baby in the evening because it may contain hormones that help baby to sleep. So I really believe this am/pm marking on the bottle is very forward thinking on the part of Medela.

If you want to suggest the milk be used at midday you simply point the arrow towards the mid mark between a.m. and p.m.

Once the bottle is in the “locked” position it can be bumped or accidently dropped and the settings will remain unchanged.  The lids are also available separately.

Overall Opinion

I wish I had this when I came home with both of my sons. I started pumping immediately and storing fresh milk in bottles. Quite a few times milk was wasted because I simply couldn’t remember when I put the milk in the fridge. I also had bottles stuffed here and there and it’s nice to be able to put them all in one tray. When I moved onto storing bags in the freezer I literally had them shoved in the very back and when I’d go to retrieve them I had to dig through everything. I’d usually end up dragging out the wrong bag. This makes it much more convenient.

I do think the price is a little bit steep considering most items for breastfeeding are overly priced as it is. It would be nice to have more than 2 lids. I have 4 bottles (I believe) that came with my pump and these 2 in the kit would make an even 6. If they included 4 more lids then I’d be all set, instead I need to buy 4 more lids. 

Overall I love the idea, the ease of use, the day of the week feature and the fact that I can now be a bit more organized.  I’d definitely recommend this product for new and nursing moms. In fact it would make a perfect baby shower gift to encourage mom to breastfeed. It retails for $16.99 and you can find them in Toys R’ Us stores and online at drugstore.com

(Now Closed)

Congrats to Rebecca N.

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Connect with Medela Online

Results from a recent study of 10-year-olds on the Isle of Wight by Brtish and US scientists found much better lung function in babies that were breastfed for at least four months.

A total of 1,456 babies were followed all the way through to their 10th year to test this.

A third of them had been breastfed for at least four months, and on average, these children could blow out more air after taking a deep breath, and could blow it out faster.

The different mechanics and duration of sucking may be partly responsible according to a recent article in the Journal, Thorax.

You can read the BBC article HERE