Customer Reviews

Medela Pump & Save Breastmilk Bags - 50 pack

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(24)
2 star:		(17)
1 star:		(43)

 

 

I like these bags because it is really convenient to be able to pump straigt into the bag (no bottle washing!)

A couple of annoying things:
1) My baby drinks a lot so at each pumping session, I usually pump about 6 ounces. i have to use two bags to hold my milk because the medela ones hold max 5 ounces. lansinoh makes larger ones, so i can use just one - no problem.
2) You have to be reaaallly careful that the bags are zipped closed tightly. On a couple of occasions, i have spilled milked because i thought the bags were zipped and they werent. This is especially true when the bag is filled to the max 5 oz, it doesnt always zip as easily. lansinoh's bags have a double zipper which ensures no spillage!

so basically i like lansinoh bags better except for the fact that you can pump straight into the medela bags (im actually thinking of just taping the lansinoh bags to my pump and seeing what happens...)

Let me start by saying that, after three kids, I'm a longtime and repeat Medela customer, and I generally sing their praises to the skies. But this is the worst product I think I've ever bought, and I won't be buying them again.

I use a Medela Freestyle pump, and the first thing I noted was that these bags don't fit the Freestyle all that well. The shorter neck of the Freestyle pump attachment sits higher than the zip seal of the bag, so you will wind up with some residual milk above the zip seal when you get done. OK, so not the end of the world, but you'd think Medela would have noticed that. Perhaps that's why various reviews I'd read said they weren't a terrific match for the Freestyle. For the record, the tape strap that holds the bag on does indeed fit just fine, so if you don't mind cleaning up your bag seal post-pumping, then it won't bother you too much.

The deal-breaker for me is the horrible ziplock-style seal itself. In short, don't count on it working. As a college-educated adult who has lots of experience with zip-type bags over the years, it ought to be a simple thing to seal a bag of milk. And yet.

Five times in two weeks I've had the seals on these bags fail. Once in my briefcase (thank God my laptop wasn't in it too), once in the freezer, once in the diaper bag, and twice (and please insert shocking profanity here) in my bed, all over my quilts and pillow-top mattress pad. Anyone can blame user error for a single leak-- but with this frequency? I don't think so.

Medela has clearly made these seals far too fussy. They have to realize that women are using these bags on the go, or in the dark in bed, in any number of locations. These zippers need to be idiot-proof. Either I'm an idiot, or these bags are rubbish.

A call to the Medela hotline to complain was interesting. The service rep told me to make sure to stand the bags upright in the freezer to make sure they don't spill. To me, this implies that Medela completely expects a certain number of seals not to work. And even if the bag is upright so as not to spill, don't they realize that a bad seal will freezer-burn the milk and ruin it? What's the point of freezing it if it's going to be unusable when thawed?

Any nursing mother will tell you that every ounce you can get is needed and important. Losing it because of a bad zip design is really enough to ruin your day. Particularly if it soaks your bed-- or your briefcase, diaper bag, freezer, car, etc-- in the process.

As a footnote, the bags only hold 5 oz, which isn't a lot. I routinely need multiple bags per side per session. Medela expects us to be putting out very small quantities, apparently.

Suggestion: purchase one of the other brands, with larger bags, thicker plastic, and sturdy double-zip closures. No, they're not made specifically to be pumped directly into like these ones, but I've found that a good quality masking tape to make the strap converts them nicely into the product Medela SHOULD have designed.

Great idea, lousy product. Very disappointing.

I pump a lot, and I've used all kinds of bags.

I like the fact that you can pump directly into these bag, but the system is not very robust. The tape does hold the bottle in place, but you have to be extra careful because the bag is practically open and you there's always the risk of pouring precious milk out of the bag if you move it too quickly.

Another thing I don't like about these bags is that you can't very easily write on the bag (date, milk amount, etc).

I prefer the old style "tie" bags, but if you are looking for the best bag try the Lansinoh bags, they are much better that Medela's, but you can't pump directly into them!

I am pumping/ have pumped a lot of milk, and the problem with the Medela bags is manifold. First of all, you can maybe pump 6 oz into the bag MAX. While this might be enough for most people, it often wasn't for me. (Lansinoh and Gerber can hold 10 oz). Secondly, the Medela bags don't freeze flat,which took up a LOT of space in my freezer. (The other two bags can freeze flat, and I just line them up in a shoe box) Medela bags are also very expensive. I don't see the big deal in cleaning a couple of bottles each time I pump. I still have to clean up the shields. Also, it's hard to tell how much milk you have when you pump into a bag. I find it easier and more accurate to pump into a bottle and put EXACTLY what I want into each bag. Finally, I agree with others that this is a pain in the butt to pour. I spilled a lot of milk with Medela bags. Between the Gerber and Lansinoh, the Lansinoh is much stronger.

I thought I'd love to be able to pump directly into these bags, but not so. First of all, logistically you can only pump one side into one bag. So you still have to dirty a bottle, or use two bags at each pumping. And trying to pump into bags means there's no way to do it hands-free, because you have to hold the bags steady.

Then there's the measurement markings. They're not accurate. So you have to measure the milk in a bottle before pouring it into the bag, which is an extra step.

And the worst part of the bags is that they're not perforated right. There's about 1/2 inch section in the middle that's not perforated at all. So you can tear from both sides, but when you get to the middle if you don't use scissors, there's no telling how far off it'll tear. What a mess!

I haven't found a good bag yet, but this is definitely not it.

I found these bags to be hard to tear straight on the perforation. Also, they have a very small area to write on. They do stand up and seal well and are pretty easy to attach to the breast shields. I was using the Medela bottles to pump in and then putting it into the Gerber storage bags. I thought it would be easier to pump straight into the bag while at work, but later realized that pumping straight into the bag does not allow you to get an accurate measurement of how much milk you have pumped. So, I am back to pumping into the bottles and then using these bags for storage. I think I will just buy the cheaper Gerber bags when these are gone.

I started out pumping and thought I would store all of my milk in Medela's bottles. When I realized how much milk I would need to store, I quickly realized that would cost me an arm and a leg (the bottles run about 20 bucks for 4!) and came upon these little wonders. They are made of a thick polyethylene plastic (safe for long-term storage) and you can't beat the zip-loc style closure compared with other tie bags...those scared me, every drop truly is precious. Granted, they are a bit awkward at first because you are dealing with a container that is much less sturdy than the plastic bottles most women pump into but it works well once you get used to it.

I think I've tried all (at least most) breast milk bags, and these are worth the extra money -- my favorites. They are easy to pump directly into. For comparison, the First Years bags are flimsy plastic (one actually ripped); the Lansinoh bags are nice material but big and bulky (can't attach to pump mechanism). Lansinoh claims "can store flat," but so can the Medela bags. Lansinoh bags do hold more, but I don't find that to be an advantage (all I usually need is 5 oz at a time). I do like the double zipper on Lansinoh, but with the Medela, all you need to do is check the seal by squeezing milk upward. I've never had a problem with Medela Pump & Save and would recommend these above all.

I hate these bags. If you have to pump, breast milk becomes so precious and wasting a drop is painful. The idea is great - especially for using at work. But they do not seal well. Every time I have used them they have leaked - they just dont close well. I love the Lansinoh bags, i wish i could pump directly into them.

I have a Medela Pump in Style breast pump and recently returned to work. Prior to returning to work I figured I'd get some breast milk storage bags because they seemed that they would be handy-also my sitter prefers bags as opposed to bottles. While the bags are great for storing and freezing the milk, as well as dating it, I think they're a little cumbersome to use while actually pumping. The best way to use them seems to be to pump into one of the bottles that came with the pump then pour the milk into the bag. These bags aren't as cost effective or 'green' as simply reusing bottles but they fit nicely in the freezer and are easily labeled. All in all I would suggest the pump and save bags but would suggest pumping into a different container then pouring the milk into the bag.