Storing Expressed Human Milk
Following recommended storage and preparation techniques can maintain the safety and quality of expressed
human milk which is important for the baby’s health.
Storing Tips:
● Can be stored at room temperature (less than 25°C or 77°F) for 4 hours.
● Refrigerate or chill freshly expressed milk within 1 hour of expressing if you are not going to feed it to your
baby within 4 hours.
● Store in smaller amounts to prevent wasting your milk.
● Always cool freshly expressed milk before adding it to already cooled or frozen milk.
● Leave a 2.5 cm (1 inch) space at the top of the container when freezing.
Containers For Storing Milk
● Label containers with date and time. Always use oldest milk first.
● Use glass or hard plastic (BPA free) containers with an air-tight lid.
● Special freezer bags specifically for human milk can also be used.
● Do not use bottle liner bags. The thin plastic of these bags may break when frozen.
● Wash containers in hot soapy water and rinse thoroughly with hot water. Let the containers airdry on a dry
clean surface away from where food is prepared.
Following recommended storage and preparation techniques can maintain the safety and quality of expressed
human milk which is important for the baby’s health.
Storing Tips:
● Can be stored at room temperature (less than 25°C or 77°F) for 4 hours.
● Refrigerate or chill freshly expressed milk within 1 hour of expressing if you are not going to feed it to your
baby within 4 hours.
● Store in smaller amounts to prevent wasting your milk.
● Always cool freshly expressed milk before adding it to already cooled or frozen milk.
● Leave a 2.5 cm (1 inch) space at the top of the container when freezing.
Containers For Storing Milk
● Label containers with date and time. Always use oldest milk first.
● Use glass or hard plastic (BPA free) containers with an air-tight lid.
● Special freezer bags specifically for human milk can also be used.
● Do not use bottle liner bags. The thin plastic of these bags may break when frozen.
● Wash containers in hot soapy water and rinse thoroughly with hot water. Let the containers airdry on a dry
clean surface away from where food is prepared.
● Place containers at the back of the fridge and freezer where it is the coldest.
● After the storage time has passed, discard the breast milk.
Travelling with Expressed Milk
For fresh, refrigerated, or frozen expressed milk:
● Carry expressed milk in a cooler bag with ice packs.
● If not used within 24 hours, throw away the unused milk.
● Warm milk by placing the container in a bowl of very warm water or running tap water.
● Do not refreeze breast milk once it has started to thaw.
Additional resources:
https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/health-topics/ue5301
https://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/recommendations/handling_breastmilk.htm
● After the storage time has passed, discard the breast milk.
Travelling with Expressed Milk
For fresh, refrigerated, or frozen expressed milk:
● Carry expressed milk in a cooler bag with ice packs.
● If not used within 24 hours, throw away the unused milk.
● Warm milk by placing the container in a bowl of very warm water or running tap water.
● Do not refreeze breast milk once it has started to thaw.
Additional resources:
https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/health-topics/ue5301
https://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/recommendations/handling_breastmilk.htm
