Best Manual Breast Pumps (2022)

There are lots of ways that manual pumps can be useful – for pumping quickly outside your home without lugging tons of gear, as a backup pump in the event of a power outage, or as a main pump for someone who only needs to pump occasionally. Here are the top pumps available, and how to find the best manual breast pump for you.

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Types of manual breast pumps

There are two main types of manual breast pumps: handle pumps, and silicone pumps.

What are the differences between the two?

Handle Pumps

Handle pumps look a bit like electric breast pumps, in that they have a flange, some connectors and valves, and you pump the milk into bottles.

The main difference is that your hand provides the energy for the pump by repeatedly pulling the handle down, instead of electric or battery power.

Silicone Pumps

Silicone pumps don’t really look like breast pumps at all, they sort of look like a vase.

The way they work is that you attach the pump to your breast, get it positioned correctly and establish suction, and then squeeze the base of the pump to get your milk to let down.

This article covers the best manual pumps that are covered with a handle, while you can read more about the best silicone breast pumps here.

Best manual breast pumps

Below are the four of the best manual breast pumps that are currently available.

Below are more details on the pros and cons of each pump.

1. Medela Harmony

The Medela Harmony is fairly easy to use – you assemble it, position the flange on your nipple, and start cranking.

I used this pump as my backup pump and sometimes when I wanted to get a quick extra pumping session in when I was away from my pumping station.

Pros:

• It’s easy and intuitive to use
• While it’s slightly bigger than other hand pumps, it can still fit in a large purse
• It has two settings – one for letdown and one for expression
• If you have a Medela Pump in Style or Swing, some pump parts (such as the flanges and valve/membrane) are compatible with the Harmony

Cons:

• Only one flange is provided (24mm)
• I had problems with the handle falling off (probably from washing it – the instructions state it doesn’t need to be washed unless it’s “soiled”)
• Some people have had problems with the connector causing lost suction after a few uses

2. Lansinoh Manual Breast Pump

The Lansinoh Manual Breast Pump works very similarly to the Medela Harmony; it has a handle that you push which creates the suction on your breast.

Pros:

• It comes with two sizes of breast shields (25mm and 30.5mm)
• It has both letdown and expression modes
• Seems to have fewer issues with the parts not working compared to other manual pumps

Cons:

• This pump only fits Lansinoh bottles (it does not fit Medela or Dr. Brown’s bottles), so if you normally use other bottles, you’d need to make sure the bottle that comes with the pump is always clean when you need to pump
• If you need a replacement part, you might have to buy a whole new pump; individual parts can be hard to find

3. Philips Avent Manual Comfort Breast Pump

The Philips Avent pump is a small handle pump with a slightly different flange.

Pros:

• The flange that comes with the pump has a massage cushion which is supposed to be more comfortable
• It’s very small
• The manual pump parts compatible with the Avent Electric breast pump, if you have one
• It’s made so that you don’t have to lean forward and can sit more comfortably

Cons:

• The pump includes only one size flange (25mm), another one (19mm) is available for sale separately
• The pump is not compatible with many other bottles

4. Dr. Brown’s Manual Breast Pump

The Dr. Brown’s manual breast pump is a great option that comes with a silicone breast shield.

Pros:

• Comes with a silicone breast shield, which many people find more comfortable than hard plastic flanges
• Can use it in either letdown or expression mode
• Easy to clean, and all parts are dishwasher-safe

Cons:

• The pump comes in only one breast shield (25mm), but 21mm and 30mm available on the Dr. Brown’s website

How to choose the best manual breast pump for you

The most important things to think about when you’re choosing the best manual breast pump for you are compatibility of bottles and other pumps, breast shield size and the type of pump that you want.

• Compatibility with other bottles and pump parts. If you have a Medela, Lansinoh, Dr. Brown’s, or Avent electric pump, it might make sense to get the same brand of manual pump since you can mix and match pump parts, flanges, and bottles.
• Breast shield size. It’s a good idea to make sure that the flange size you need is available for the pump you decide to get.
• Type of pump. Whether a silicone pump or a handle pump would best for you. A silicone pump can have a bit of a learning curve, but is has fewer parts and is easier to clean.

Using a manual breast pump – manual breast pump tips

Below are some tips for using a manual breast pump with a handle:

1. Check and see if your pump has the ability to do “letdown mode” first by pushing the handle in the other direction, and if so, do that until your milk lets down.
2. Switch the hand that you’re using to crank the pump frequently so that you can give each one a break and you don’t get cramps in your hand.
3. It’s fine to switch sides every now and then when you pump, but make sure you give each side the same amount of nipple stimulation (even if one side produces more – you don’t want to make it worse) and try to pump on each side for about 15 minutes.

Have you used any of these pumps? Did I miss a manual breast pump that you think should have been included? Tell us what you think!

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