17 Best Breastfeeding & Pumping Tips to Keep You Sane
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The best breastfeeding and pumping tips can only come from one place:
Moms who have lived the breastfeeding or pumping life!
Whether it’s books, blogs, family members, or even medical professionals – sometimes you just need to hear some good breastfeeding and pumping advice from a mom who has found success firsthand.
These amazing breastfeeding and pumping hacks will have you prepared and feeling like a pro in no time!
✔️ If you’re looking for more specifics on pumping, don’t miss Pumping 101!
Best Breastfeeding & Pumping Tips – The Hacks You Need To Know
1. Making More Milk
Whether you’re looking to build a freezer stash or just trying to keep up with your baby. There’s some amazing lactation recipes you can try or you can buy your own.
I swear by these delicious chocolate chip cookies – no baking required and you can buy them on Amazon!
Another popular milk boosting product is Fenugreek – you can read more about my thoughts on it here!
2. This App! Easily Keep Track of Your Baby’s Feedings
I couldn’t talk about the best breastfeeding and pumping tips without covering an app that does the work for you.
The Baby Tracker App is a lifesaver.
Track your baby’s feedings, diapers, growth, and sleep the easy way! I know you always have your phone on you anyway and this app is FREE.
Go right to the Baby Tracker App (Android or iPhone).
The Postpartum Cure
3. This Milk Log is my favorite
If you plan to pump, use a milk log to keep track of the breast milk you’ve pumped and stored in your freezer!
This is so much easier than always going to your freezer to count – and saves you time.
Do you prefer a digital option? This Exclusive Pumping Tracker is super simple and great for keeping track of frozen milk you have in storage.
To get your free milk inventory log, join my newsletter and receive access to the resource library full of printables!
4. A Nursing Cover/Car Seat Cover Double
Nursing covers are incredibly handy. Instead of having to try to cover yourself with a baby blanket and worry about it falling off – grab one of these!
I love that these nursing covers double as a carseat cover and even a shopping cart cover!
5. Collect Extra Milk While Nursing Your Baby!
This is my favorite of all the best breastfeeding and pumping tips.
Stop letting your leaky breast waste milk! We all know how important breast milk is and the thought of wasting it is awful.
Whether you choose a milk saver pouch, or my favorite silicone manual breast pump (nursing moms are CRAZY over these), you’ll be doing yourself and your baby a favor!
I wish I had known about this pump (milk saver) sooner! It’s incredibly easy to use and affordable! Click here for my full review and why it’s so amazing.
6. Breastfeeding {Snack} Station
Create an easy to grab breastfeeding snack station to satisfy your hunger and thirst during feedings.
Related: Create your own Ultimate Breastfeeding Station
Related: Awesome List of Healthy, Easy to Grab Breastfeeding Snacks.
7. DIY Nursing Tanks
When you’re breastfeeding, you can really start to feel limited by what you can wear. Breastfeeding and nursing tanks and shirts are just so much easier.
If you’re not interested in a DIY – this a great nursing tank you can feel comfortable:
DIY Nursing Tank/Cami
But, if you’re tired of having to buy nursing tanks, you can make your own. Lauren at Simply Real Moms, has an incredibly easy tutorial to turning your non-nursing cami into a nursing tank.
8. Store Your Freezer Milk in Diaper Boxes/12 pack Pop Boxes
If you choose to pump breast milk and create a freezer stash, storage is going to be an issue. You want a method to your madness to be able to find the right quantity of milk with the oldest date.
I used a diaper box, cut the flaps to section it off and sorted my breast milk by date! Another option is to use a 12 pack pop/soda box and organize your freezer milk like Love Lucky Life.
9. DIY Hands Free Pumping Bra
If you’re planning to pump – I highly recommend you get your hands on a hands free pumping bra (pun intended).
It’ll make your life so much easier, whether you’re working or just pumping at home to create a freezer stash.
DIY Pumping Bra:
If you’re trying to be frugal, you can make 3 pumping bras for the cost of buying one!
Check out Sarah and Jessica’s DIY Pumping Bra tutorial on Pretty Providence, for an easy and detailed how-to guide.
Check out the Ultimate Nursing Bra Buying Guide for everything you need to know related to the best nursing bras.
10. Use Flanges to Pour (and make sure they’re the right size!)
Is spilling your breast milk a reoccurring nightmare you have?
No?
Just me?
Well, no more!
If you’re using a breast pump to pump your milk, you already have a tool to help you pour breast milk into your freezer bags.
Simply grab your flange (make sure it’s the right size for you!), stick it in to your freezer bag (I’ve tried many, and these are the best), and use it as a funnel to pour your breast milk. This hack is so easy but makes a huge difference!
11. Medela Quick Steam Bags
If you’re a pumping mom, you already know that washing pump parts is incredibly annoying.
It seems like an easy task, but when you’re doing it multiple times a day – it’s awful.
So say hello to Medela’s Quick Steam Bags! All you need to do is put your pump parts in, add warm water, and throw it in the microwave. Magic!
Your pump parts are not just clean, they’re sterilized.
I also love that these bags can be used up to 20 times each!
12. Get an Extra Set of Pump Parts
While this hack can get expensive, it can help with the problem of feeling like you’re constantly washing pump parts or moving pump parts back and forth from your home to your work.
Make sure you choose pump parts that will fit your your brand of breast pump and are the right size for you! To find out why the correct size flange is so important, read more here.
Extra Pump Parts:
13. Freeze Your Milk Flat
Of all the best breastfeeding and pumping tips, make sure you follow this one.
Freeze your breast milk as flat as possible to make storage easy!
And if you’re tired of having to find just the right spot in your freezer, using cookie sheets, and still ending up with uneven frozen milk… this DIY will be a game changer.
This DIY way to freeze breast milk flat has changed my breast milk storage and is so satisfying 🤯
Here’s the best way to freeze your breast milk:
✨🍼How to Freeze Your Breast Milk Extra Flat:
1. Cut two pieces of heavy cardboard just barely bigger than your breast milk freezer bag.
2. Label and fill your bag, then secure it well and set it on one of the pieces of cardboard.
3. Set the other piece of cardboard carefully on the top and secure the two sides with 2 rubberbands.
4. Set in your freezer until frozen, remove the rubberbands, and add to your freezer stash!
No more wonky lumps and bumps in your freezer bags = more room in your freezer!
Check it out in action:
If this DIY isn’t your thing, you can also buy the geniusly packaged version “Freeze It Flat”
Extra Tips for Freezing Your Milk Flat:
Let all the air out of the freezer bag, write the date and quantity on it, and find a flat smooth surface in your freezer for it.
This will make storing your milk so much easier and efficient.
There’s a whole 7 minute video on how to freeze your breast milk if the idea of freezing it flat just doesn’t make sense.
14. Help Your Breasts Heal Quickly
Whether you’re pumping or breastfeeding, your breasts will take a little time to get used to producing milk and pumping or nursing your baby.
If your breasts are able to heal and get used to breastfeeding more quickly, you’ll feel more confident and comfortable in your breastfeeding skills – which will hopefully make you more likely to keep on breastfeeding!
These best breastfeeding and pumping tips and products are perfect for all newly breastfeeding moms.
Nipple Soothies
My favorite breastfeeding product to heal postpartum were these Lansinoh Soothies. I’m so thankful my lactation consultant brought me one to try!
They’re sooo soothing and can be reused (and are also less than $6 right now!). Life changing sounds a little dramatic, but during those first couple days (or weeks) of learning how to breastfeed – I loved these!
Nipple Soothing Butter
The second life saver, was this nipple butter. It’s natural, organic, and the best part – it doesn’t need to be wiped off before your baby nurses.
Hot/Ice Packs
Hot/Ice packs – not just for what you think! These amazing 3-in-1 packs can be cold or hot depending on your need.
While these can be used hot or cold to relieve a variety of breastfeeding discomforts, many moms use them as a secret to pumping more milk. This is another one of the best breastfeeding and pumping tips. It’s so easy, but can make a huge impact on your breast milk!
Simply heat them up and place them on your breasts to increase milk output and reduce the time you spend pumping.
15. Use Reusable Nursing Pads
Disposable nursing pads can be scratchy and not stay in place throughout the day or night.
You can make your own reusable nursing pads by following the DIY Mommy’s tutorial. Make sure you have pads that won’t get too wet and are comfortable!
I thought I was going to use disposable pads, but couldn’t stand them once I started using them. I needed something softer and smoother, and didn’t have time to DIY.
16. Nursing Necklace – prevent distraction
If you have a distracted baby, which seems to happen to almost all babies at one point or another, this necklace can be a life saver!
Keep your baby’s hands busy why they nurse with a necklace like this. The necklace also serves as a teether for your little one. It’s a win-win!
17. Keep Track of What Side you Left Off on While Nursing
One of the best breastfeeding and pumping tips is one that helps you remember things.
If you’re having trouble keeping track of which side you left off on while nursing, there’s a few easy tricks to keep you on track.
The first easy solution is a bracelet or hair tie. If you’re a regular hair tie wearer – just place that on the appropriate wrist! You could also use a cute bracelet and do the same thing or wear a pin on one side or the other.
I also love the secrecy with these nursing bra clip reminders. You simply attach one to your bra and have an easy, hidden way of remembering which side you left off on.
18. Combine Your Milk With The Best Cooler
Instead of using the little bottles you got with your breast pump – grab the Ceres Chill Storage Container (it looks like a thermos) which was meant for keeping your breast milk cool all day long.
What’s even cooler? You can pump directly into the chiller and it’s compatible with most major pumps.
So you just throw it in your pump bag and go. SO cool!
Here’s the extra details:
- Chills milk for 20+ hours
- Up to 34oz of milk storage capacity
- Compatible with major pumps
19. Learn How to Pump On the Go
Whether it’s pumping while driving, or just pumping on the go, learning to multitask by pumping while you’re not stuck in one place is HUGE.
You can learn my test tips for pumping on the go with these two posts:
Bonus Tip: Grab a Helpful Book
Whether you’re a pregnant mom who’s hoping to breastfeed or a pumping mom who does it all the time – invest in a great resource to give you all the information you need.
I LOVE Pumping 101. You’ll find quick tips and tricks and learn so much about pumping (even if you only plan to pump once!).
You can also check out Milkology for an online course on breastfeeding!
How to Succeed with the Best Breastfeeding and Pumping Tips
Finding amazing breastfeeding hacks isn’t enough to ensure you’ll be successful while breastfeeding or pumping, but they sure help!
Don’t forget the importance of a great lactation consultant and an amazing support system. Whether you end up breastfeeding for a day or over a year, these hacks along with great support should help you through!
I know it’s not always easy momma, but keep going!
Do you have one of the best breastfeeding and pumping tips that wasn’t listed? I’d love to hear it!
If you want more details on pumping, I’ve got everything you need to know in Pumping 101!
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