Customer Reviews

Medela® CSF Bags

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(23)
1 star:		(36)

 

 

When I was using the hospital grade Medela double electric pump these were the easiest bags to use. They attach directly to the pump, then you just seal it and freeze it. Very easy. The bags are nice and heavy so I never worry about double bagging. The only thing I don't like is that due to the twist tie system they don't freeze completely flat so defrosting takes a bit longer . The other problem with the bags not freezing flat is that its harder to store in the freezer. Most of my freezer is filled with plastic tubs which are stuffed with these bags. I've never had a problem with the milk tasting funny after thawing.

I switched to using the Avent Isis pump ( it actually works better!) so now these bags are less convenient. The Avent bags are easier to use with the Avent pumping system but they are much thinner than the Medela bags and I don't trust them not to leak. I've also tried the Gerber ziplock bags and I like that they can freeze flat ( I put them inside ziplock sandwich bags just in case). I've never had trouble with them leaking but I've heard from a number of other people who have had the Gerber bags leak.

The Medela bags don't work with the Avent Isis ( the milk gets stuck at the top) so I just pump into a bottle and then pour it into the bag. At least these bags are heavy so I trust that they won't leak. I hate the pour system though. I think the little part that you are supposed to tear off is difficult to use. I can never get it to tear.

These are the only bags I used (and I tried them all) that didn't split in the freezer. The Avent bags tell you to double bag and the Gerber bags are very hard to open when they are frozen which makes it hard to add milk later. The Gerber bags also don't instruct you to double bag so I lost some milk when the bag split. The twist ties on the CSF bags work, but I felt more comfortable using an Avent clip to keep them closed. You could also use a barrette or paper clip to do this.

I used these bags with my Medela Little Hearts pump and they worked very well. The instructions are very clear and accurate.

The bags attach easily with a twist tie to the coupler that normally holds the bottle. Removal from the pump is easy, as is securing them for storage with the twist tie. The bags held up nicely in the freezer and thawed well, too.

The method for transferring the milk to a bottle, by tearing a corner of the bag is a bit tricky. Although the instructions didn't say so, I suspect the reason is to keep any contaminates on scissors/knives from transferring to the milk. The first few tries we spilt a bit of the milk, but after a bit of practice it wasn't a problem.

I like these bags quite a bit. I pump at my desk at work and pour the milk into the bags and refrigerate them. At lunchtime I go to my son's daycare to nurse and bring a couple of the bags for his afternoon feeds. I bring a bag or two home at night and then to the daycare the next day for his morning feeds. This system has worked great and has allowed me to keep him on 100% breastmilk even though I work. It's also easy to create a stockpile of bags in the freezer for when hubby or babsitter want to give him a bottle. In the 4 months I've been using them, haven't had any leak issues.

While I haven't tried other brands, I will say that these bags seem pretty darn sturdy and easy to use, with the ounces shown on the sides. The only thing I don't like about them, is the little "funnel" at the bottom of the bag that you're supposed to tear and use to pour the milk into the bottle. For one thing, you need scissors to tear the tab open (which isn't very sanitary) and then you have to use scissors again, or your teeth to actually tear the plastic to get the milk to come out. It usually rips abruptly causing the milk to spill all over. I tried over and over thinking I was just being stupid, but I finally decided it is MUCH easier to simply take off the twist tie and pour from the top of the bag!
All in all though, they work just fine and even have a space at the bottom to write in the date you pumped.

I've had absolutely no problems with these breastmilk bags. They close-up fine, don't leak, and I really like the spout at the bottom for pouring the milk into bottles. The only thing I don't like is that they are a llittle difficult to organize in the freezer. I have to go through and check the dates on all the bags to decipher which is the oldest and, therefor, first to be used. I recently purchased the Lansinoh Milk Mate (if you're interested, check it out at CVS.com) which seems like it will solve that problem. The Milk Mate will also solve another thing I don't like about using bags, constantly having to buy new bags. The Milk Mate comes with reusable plastic bottles. Overall, these Medela Breastmilk Bags do their job very well. Personally, I'ld prefer a reusable, more organized system but I would still recommend these bags, especially for those who love the convenience of disosables.

i would give this a 0 star if there's a choice. i got a medela pis advanced at home and loved it, so i naturally assumed the storage bags would be superior to others. It's not that hard to use once you do it once, but complex enough to have an instruction sheet for new users. I came home from the hospital with a 2 day old baby, physically exhausted, dead tired, sleepy, and I have to hold up the 2 parts and read the instruction and figure out how to use it!! Before I get into the review, let me walk through the steps it takes to pump/store/use for this product: it's a bag that requires you to insert a wire into 2 holes on the bag, peel open the corner, fit it under the pump or pour milk into it directly, seal it by rolling the top a few times. Twist the metal wire to seal it. once frozen, you thaw it in the fridge over 6-12 hours, then twist open at the bottom.

Here's what's wrong with this bag:
- The steps seem simple enough, but it's for moms who have plenty of time, who are wide awake and alert at 2am and have 2 free and steady hands (who have the patience to insert a wire into 2 holes, peel the corner, and for storage must sloooowly squeeze out air and roll down the top of the bag and make sure there's no leakage), and able to do all this quickly under dim lighting at night. For me, i'm a busy mom (yes with only one baby, I hardly have time to eat or go to bathroom), I was severely sleep deprived in the first 4 months of my baby's life. Every minute becomes precious and since I pump 4-6x a day at the beginning, medela bags were a horrible addition to my busy life (btw pumping itself already took up an hour a day for me, not counting the time of washing bottles).

- 2 parts are involved in Medela, the metal wire, and the bag itself. My favorite brand, Lansinoh, has a simple double locked zip bag, you pull to open, pump into it, and seal/ store.

- Medela bags take up more space to store. it's practically a plastic bag with liquid in it, so it's almost spherical once frozen. The other brand I use (zip bags) can be laid flat and stacked on top of each other, saves freezer space

- Takes longer to thaw. Because medela has this unique thick shape that can't be easily stacked, it also takes much longer to completely thaw. The other brand I use is flat and thin, the thickness is about a third of an inch when laid flat, which means it thaws a lot quicker in the fridge, or if you put it under cool runny water it'll thaw in just a moment.

- The medela bag is 150 cc, my other storage bags can accomodate 180cc. Since it isn't cheap to store, I prefer to store 180cc at a time. My baby eats a lot more than that a day anyway.

- There's a little dent at the bottom of the medela bag so that you can peel open at the bottom to pour milk into a bottle. Theoretically it sounds simple enough, but in reality it isn't as graceful as it sounds. My fingers would slip, hard to gauge how much force to use so I either couldn't open it or ripped it with too much force and had milk splashing all over. Sometims doesn't work one way or another with my fingers, I had to use scissors. Either scissors or fingers, the problem of germs/bacteria contamination is in my head. The zipbags, on the other hand, is simple as open the zip lock at the top and pour.

- If you can't finish the whole medela bag, you can't restore the left over milk in that bag for rest of the day. Once the bottom is opened it's opened. the zip bags on the other hand can be re-sealed until you use it the next time (within 24 hrs)


In summary, the design of this storage bag is flawed, archaic and lack convenience for modern working women. If I were a mom years ago I'd probably appreciate this product. Now that there are other products available in the market that are clearly convenient and easy to use, I'm not even sure i want this product even if it's offered to me for free. I'm using Lansinoh and it's cheaper ($5.99 for 25 bags), and it saves me half the time. I don't have to juggle 2 different parts, piece it together, carefully roll down the top of the bag to prevent spills, etc. I also can handle a lot more bags in the freezer b/c it can be stacked easily. I haven't tried other brands besides Medela and Lansinoh, but I can't imagine any brands can be worse than Medela.

I registered for and received these Medela bags. After using all 50, I got a few free Lansinoh bags with my breast pad purchase. Wow!! I will never go back to Medela. The reason I registered for them is because everyone says they are strong and don't leak. Well this is the only good feature. The Lansinoh bag is strong as well, easy to close (DOUBLE zip-lock Vs. Medela's bothersome twisty ties), easy to get the air out (unlike Medela's), and the Lansinoh's take-up WAY less room in the freezer! Stacking Medela bags in the freezer is difficult because of their shape...and thawing will be difficult because I can see I'll need to watch that the milk doesn't spill out the top. With Lansinoh I won't have to worry about that. My medela bags haven't split in the freezer...I'll give them that. But neither has my Lansinoh bag.

I didn't actually purchase these but got I think 25 of them free with my Medela Pump In Style. Love the pump, hated the bags. I've had a few of them come with holes in them. As we all know breastmilk is liquid gold, so these baggies cost me precious milk. Now I just pump into the provided bottles--which I mainly use for storage--then use Gerber freezer bags for freezer storage. The Gerber bags are self-standing and they have a zipper seal, which is so much better than fooling with those stupid twist ties that the Medela bags use. Bottles are much easier to attach to your pump. I hate to say anything bad about Medela, but I wouldn't recommend spending actual money on these by themselves.

While waiting for these to arrive (I ordered the replacements because a few free ones came with my Pump in Style Advanced pump), I ran out completely and went to my local drug store to buy some bags. I bought the Lansinoh ones and was much more impressed with them.

What I don't like about the CSF bags is the twist tie closure. I worry that I did not close it properly or that it will leak if stored other than upright. When thawing, I have to be really careful so as not to allow warm water to get in the top. I may be a paranoid first time mom, but why take a chance?

What is it about the Lansinoh bags that I particularly like? I love the double zipper closures. Makes it easy to make sure it is sealed properly. I stack these flat in the freezer which takes no space and there is no need for plastic storage systems. You can even stack them (once frozen) in a rectangular tupperware and flip through them like a card catalogue to find the earliest date or the volume you want to use (a snack or a meal). Also, when you want to defrost them, the flattened bag is thin, defrosts easily and quickly and you know it won't leak out because of the zipper closures.

The 50-pack CSF bags are still on my shelf.