The ins and outs of glass breast milk storage. From pumping with glass bottles, to fridge and freezer storage. For the Mamas wanting to avoid plastic bags and searching for another alternative to only store their breast milk in glass.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.
Even though bisphenol a (BPA) has been banned from being used in baby bottles and pumps, I still wanted to avoid plastics as much as I could. Below is what I’ve learned over 6 years of pumping and using glass.
Pumping into glass bottles
Although pumping with glass bottles comes with additional challenges, it’s still completely doable. There are a number of glass bottles that are compatible with many pumps. Most can be used with an adapter to make any bottle compatible with your pump.
The main issue with pumping with glass breastmilk storage bottles is the weight of the bottles and milk. You will need to support the bottles because a pumping bra won’t offer enough support to hold the pump flanges in place.
As for wearable pumps, I’m not aware of any that have a glass collection option at this time.
If you are worried about the weight and not wanting to support the bottles while pumping, the best option for an alternative is stainless steel bottles. They are a more lightweight option.
These stainless steel bottles are compatible with Medela pumps by themselves and Spectra pumps with an adapter. Some moms also choose to pump into plastic bottles and transfer their milk right after into glass.
Glass baby bottles
The Lifefactory brand of baby bottles are compatible with both Medela (including the Medela Symphony) and Spectra pumps with an adapter. As a first time mom, I used these particular glass breast milk storage bottles.
They lasted through all three of my babies/toddlers. I initially chose these bottles because they have a sippy cup top that can be used once they have grown out of the bottle stage.
I wanted to get as much use out of the investment in these bottles as I could. The Lifefactory bottles come with a silicone sleeve for protection. I have yet to have a Lifefactory baby bottle break, however, I have had the sippy cup top break on a couple of them (after being thrown on the floor) and had to buy replacements.
Another plus is the Lifefactory glass milk storage bottles are compatible with many pumps.
We also used the Dr. Brown narrow neck bottles and wide neck glass bottles. They have both their narrow bottles and wide mouth bottles available in glass. They have different nipple flows to use that grow with the stages of your baby too.
If you’re looking for other glass bottle options to pump into with other pumps I didn’t mention, I found this resource very helpful in finding which bottles are compatible with which brands of breast pumps.
They have an entire compatibility section. Many baby bottle companies now have glass bottles as an option. If you want to compare different brands, this is a great place to start.
Personally, I used the Medela pump for all three of my babies and started using the Spectra S 1 with my third. The Medela fits a few different brands as well as the Spectra. There are also places to buy attachments to adapt different size pumps to bottles. You really can make it work for whatever pump you choose.
Glass breast milk storage
Storing your milk in the fridge
You can transfer the milk into small mason jars and store in the fridge. This works best if your baby will use it up in the next few days, or you can certainly have several glass bottles and keep the milk in the glass bottles you pumped it in.
So now you have you milk pumped, what options do you have to store it without plastic? There are a couple different ways to use glass storage containers for breast milk. Picking the right storage bottle will depend on how much milk you’re needing to store. If you’re a “just enougher” it’s a little easier.
Glass breast milk storage for the freezer
Glass storage for breast milk can be done. But it does take a little thought and planning (and extra freezer space).
If you have more of a milk supply and are needing to freeze larger amounts of milk, my recommendation would be to freeze the milk in small mason jars. I prefer smaller jars because you most likely will only want to thaw out a few ounces at a time. Nobody wants to thaw out too much milk and have it go to waste!
These are the jars I like because they are 8 ounces and they stack really well. Keep the box and dividers it comes with and use them in your freezer to be able to stack your jars more conveniently. If you want to freeze your milk in even smaller amounts, they make 4 ounce jars too.
If you know your baby is going to be using a larger volume of milk in 24 hours (like if they attend a daycare for a full day) you can freeze larger amounts in bigger jars. Or even do a combination of the smaller and larger jars.
We still use these jars as cups for our kids too. They’re perfect for freezing smoothies or shakes. We use them for milk and water at meal times too. I bought these silicone lids to make drinking from them easier for the kids.
Remember to label your jars with the date. You can use small stickers that will peel off easily before washing. Place the sticker on the top of the lid to keep the glass jar from getting sticky from the adhesive. Another perk of the jars were they were easy to wash.
Do what works for you
Being an over supplier with my first baby, I had a lot of milk I needed to freeze. I ended up doing a combination of glass jars and plastic breast milk bags. I did donate some of my milk, so I was glad to have had some in bags instead of glass. If you are wanting to avoid single use plastics there are some options for reusable containers (like silicone bags). I wanted to use all glass, it just wasn’t feasible with the limited freezer space we have. That’s why I ended up using some storage bags.
Important note
When freezing in a glass breast milk storage container you always want to make sure you leave room at the top of the jar for the milk to expand when it freezes. Otherwise you risk breaking the glass.
If at any point the glass breaks or even cracks with milk still in it, you will want to throw out your milk and not feed it to your baby. I washed most of my bottles with bottle brushes and soapy water but did use my dishwasher for the jars.
Safety information
Many glass bottles and containers are heat and thermal shock resistant, as well as safe for a top rack dishwasher. Double check the particular brand you choose. Always inspect the appearance of your bottle before using it for any visible signs of damage. When rewarming in breast milk storage glass containers, place in a bowl of warm water.
Do not use hot water if the milk is frozen in a glass container. This will help avoid glass breaking and having to throw out any of your precious gold. Do not warm milk in the microwave for many reasons, including creating hot spots that can burn your baby. I didn’t use bottle warmers, but from what I’ve found, you are able to use glass with bottle warmers. Please verify with the particular bottle warmer you choose.
Final thoughts
In doing research for a glass breast milk storage bottle that you can pump into, store and feed with, I found these Mila’s Keeper glass storage bottles. I have not used them, but IF I were to have any more babies, I think I would give it a try.
I enjoyed writing about my experience and sharing my tips and tricks to all things breast milk storage with glass. It’s definitely not the easiest way to store your milk, but absolutely doable! What kind of questions do you have about storing or pumping your milk in glass containers?
Click over to see what else I’m writing about!
Leave a Reply