Other than a breast pump – which is obviously the most important thing that you need for pumping – there are lots of breast pumping accessories and products that can make your life much, much easier. Here are seven essential breastfeeding products for pumping.
Before your baby is born, you might be wondering, “what do I need for pumping?” Here’s a quick pumping checklist of products that can make breast pumping much easier.
What Do You Really Need for Pumping Breast Milk?
1. A Hands-free Bra
Before I started using it, I was spending every pumping session holding the breast shields in place. Then a friend gave me one of these bustiers as a hand-me-down. It was amazing – I felt like I had so much time back, because I could multitask. I eventually bought a few more so that I could wash mine, and later so I could leave one at work.
The way it works is that the bustier zips up in the middle and holds the breast shields in place so that your hands are free to work on your laptop, play with your baby, eat a sandwich, etc.
Here is an overview of the pros and cons of a bunch of different hands-free pumping bras, including some different designs.
2. Extra Sets of Pump Parts
I have at least four sets of pump parts. It’s so nice to have extra ones that you can just throw into your pump bag when you’re heading out an in a rush, and it’s easier to wash them all at once, batch-style, versus doing it constantly. Also, I like being able to allow the parts to air dry after I wash them (for some reason, wet pump parts don’t work as well for me).
Replacement parts are available for most pumps (here are some for the Medela Pump in Style; here are the ones for the Medela Freestyle; here are the Spectra parts).
3. Breast Pads
Breast pads can help with issues with leakage. In the first month or two after having a baby, many women have issues with random letdowns. Without breast pads to protect you, these letdowns give you the attractive look of two wet circles around your breasts.
(Once, shortly after I returned to work, my milk let down when I was out to lunch with my boss. No breast pads, of course. I claimed I was cold and put my coat on so he wouldn’t notice, and then I had to wear it the rest of the day. NEVER AGAIN.)
I have tried a couple different kinds of breast pads (more reviews here), and I prefer the Lasinoh ones (over Medela and cloth). I like the shape better and the double adhesive. I buy these using Amazon’s subscribe and save program (also great for diapers, wipes, and other baby stuff).
4. Extra Bottles (Lots of Extra Bottles!)
If you are exclusively pumping, you need a lot of bottles. If you can swing it, I would recommend buying twice as many as your baby drinks in a day. This gives you one set to use and one set to pump into, and you can do one big batch of bottles a day instead of constantly washing.
One key way to save time is to try to get your baby to drink out of the same bottles that you pump into. I got lucky and all of my little ones took Medela bottles. However, if yours won’t, try to find one that they will take AND you can pump into. For example, I had success with screwing Dr. Brown bottles into the Freestyle pump parts.
(If your baby will only take a type of bottle that will not screw into the pump, then you’re out of luck – but it might be worth it to try again every now and then. Babies change really fast, and you never know!)
5. Breast Milk Freezer Bags
I highly recommend using the Lansinoh freezer bags. I’ve also used the Medela brand – initially, I thought it would be the best, since you can pump directly into the freezer bags using the adapter. However, the problem that I found with this is that when I poured thawed milk out of the bag, it would always spill out through the adapter hole if I wasn’t careful (and in my sleep deprived state, I forgot … a lot).
Lansinoh also has a lot more storage room in the bag, which becomes important later as babies get older and drink more milk at their “meals.” (The Medela bag stops at 5 ounces.) It’s easier and a timesaver to only have to defrost one bag of milk for a feeding.
You can see reviews and pros/cons of lots of different breast milk storage bags here.
6. Nursing (Pumping!) Cover
Even if you aren’t nursing, a nursing cover can come in really handy. In your case, it is a pumping cover! This allows you to pump in public and not be a slave to being home or pumping in a public restroom.
I have pumped in a car, on a plane, in an airport gate, in a hospital waiting room, while playing poker (with a bunch of guys), etc., all while using a nursing cover. Other people can’t see anything (unless they are looking down on you), but you are able to see your pumping gear and make adjustments as needed.
I use a Bebe Au Lait cover. However, if you don’t want to spend the money for one, you can also get away with a big t-shirt or towel. It just depends on how often you need to pump out of the house and how long you think you will be exclusively pumping.
7. Other Little Things That Can Make a Big Difference
- Some women find Pumpin Pals to be much more comfortable than normal breast shields.
- When you have to be out of the house for more than one pumping session, Medela Quick-Clean Wipes are perfect – you don’t have to find a place to wash and dry your pump parts. Just wipe them off and put them back in a ziploc bag until the next time.
- The guideline when you’ve been drinking is that if you’re okay to drive, you’re okay to breastfeed (and pump). Still, making the call on dumping your hard-pumped milk can be tough – Milkscreen breast milk alcohol test strips can give you a more objective opinion on whether your milk if safe for your baby.
- Before your nipples have “toughened up,” lanolin can help. You can also try coconut oil.
- Lactalites are a pumping light that can making pumping at night (and getting back to sleep) easier.
Did I miss any of your essential breast pumping accessories? Let me know below!
Hi!! Thanks so much for the useful blog and all the comments too. With a first child on the way, I am interested to know as much as possible about my options. Has anyone tried the Elvie hands free or another hands free pump? It seems like the parts would be easier to clean, and it would be a lot smaller so you could pump more easily while feeding the baby. Apparently from reading reviews online you can’t move around too much while wearing it, but the convenience factor still seems high.
I think the Elvie would be a great second pump if you can afford it! Amazing freedom-wise. I wrote a post comparing it with the Willow if it’s helpful!
https://exclusivepumping.com/best-hands-free-breast-pump/
Any recommendations for the best coolers for carrying milk from one place to another?
Hi Larissa! I’ve always used this one and really like it!
https://www.amazon.com/Medela-Transport-Bottles-Contoured-Carrier/dp/B00H5OI9XO/
These are great suggestions! It seems like there’s always a new something we “should” have! You did a good job of cutting through the junk to the necessities. What’re your thoughts on the Kiinde system? I haven’t tried them myself, but I really like that the milk is pumped, stored, and fed all in the same pouch. It seems like less effort, less cleanup, and less chance of milk contamination.
Great question – I think that if your baby will take the Kiinde Squeeze AND you can afford the bags (because with exclusive pumping they really add up), it’s a great option!
Pumpin pals! I switched to them about a week or two into EPing and I don’t know how I endured it before. So worth it, and they have a great money back guarantee (I always like having that stopgap measure for peace of mind, but definitely did not have to use it! Best thing ever!) and almost always have 10-20% off coupons online if you look for them.
One of the best things a friend set me up with was the Kiinde/Twist bottle/bag system. You pump into Twist bags (that will attach to a medela pump in style with an attachment) then when you are ready to feed you pop the bag into a Kiinde bottle (it’s more of a cover for the bag) then pop a nipple on top and your good to go. Super convenient, less to clean both pumping and feeding wise, easy to transport and less mess (no having to pour milk into a bottle from a bag if freezing bags). The only downside would be that the bags are not reusable so it may not always be the cheapest option. I get the bags on Amazon, 160 for $45 and it comes prime.
Awesome – thanks for the tip!
I love these, too! The bags and caps are recyclable, which makes me feel a tad bit better about using them. As for the cost, these are so convenient, I feel like the cost is well worth it if you can swing it. I’m pretty clumsy and tend to spill the Lansinoh bags while transferring to a bottle and it breaks my heart every time. This whole system is amazing-bags, bottles, and the warmer.
Yes, love the Kiinde system! Expensive but so convenient!
The First Years Quiet Expressions double electric pump is a must have for EP. The biggest challenge for me was finding an outlet everywhere I go. This pump requires batteries so you can pump on the go. Seriously made my EP less stressful.
Ladies, you all should check out the Rumina hands free pumping bra! It is awesome!!! Its a sports like bra but also converts into a hands free pumping bra. The best part about this bra is that you can wear it all day. You dont have to disrobe to put on the bra like you would with the Medela bra.
I love Sarah Well’s bags for pumping parts. The Pumparoos are particularly great for discreetly carrying parts around the office. https://sarahwellsbags.com/collections/all/products/pumparoo-anchors. Also, I bought a Spectra pump to replace a crappy insurance provided Medela and am SO HAPPY I did. It’s almost as good as the hospital grade Medela at work.
Evenflo glass bottles (4oz or 8oz) will fit Medela pumps! I just ordered 6 off Amazon for $12! I also ordered Dr.Browns TruVent nipples to go on them, from what I can tell I think those nipples have a shape that mimics a little better. I’ve been using glass Avent bottles with the Lansinoh mOmma nipple… I still try to nurse when LO wants to, and this is the absolute best nipple I’ve seen for switching back and forth. I pretty much exclusively pump, my 5 wk old randomly decides to nurse about twice a week. We attempt almost every feeding but she usually refuses. The lansinoh nipple seems to be good for switching back and forth.
Thanks for the tip about using a big t-shirt or even a towel as a pumping cover! I have pumped for over a year (although I’m not an EPer) and I never thought of that!
The Gerber First Essentials bottles fit one the Medela pump in style breast pump.
They sell 5oz and 9oz bottles, I bought them at Target for about $4.00 for a pack of 3.
You can directly pump into them and the baby can drink straight form the bottle that you just pumped into. I have multiple bottles and I rotate them in the fridge, just make sure your baby will drink out of any nipple before buying the Gerber bottles.
Great info! Thank you. Evenflo original silicon nipples were suggested to me by a pediatrician and breastfeeding resources group for a bottle that would creat less gas for baby. They also fit the medela and are great! They are super cheap and babies r us and toys are us carries them. They hold up great and clean easily. Lifesaver and so much less work- pump and feed all with the same bottle.