For pumping mothers, the importance of safely storing breast milk cannot be overstated, especially for mothers constantly on the go. The risk of spoilage and loss of nutritional value due to improper storage can be a constant concern.
Say goodbye to the anxiety and stress surrounding breast milk storage. With Mila’s Keeper, you can rest assured your liquid gold will be safely stored and readily available whenever your baby needs it.
Are you starting your breastfeeding journey? Have you never heard of Mila’s Keeper? Don’t worry. We got you covered with all of the details.
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What is Mila’s Keeper?
Mila’s Keeper is a state-of-the-art breast milk cooler that uses a reusable ice pack to cool and create the perfect environment to hold your breast milk. This double-wall, stylish stainless steel container maintains a consistent and optimal temperature, safeguarding your precious breast milk when you are on the go.
Who Created Mila’s Keeper?
Mila’s Keeper was founded by Lara Vu, a working mom who pumped and needed to store milk during working hours.
After finding solutions to common breastfeeding challenges in the workplace on a UNICEF project, she noticed that many women needed a reliable way of safely preserving breastmilk throughout the workday. Although women had the opportunity to pump at work, their breastmilk was spoiled when they got home after working long hours. All the momma’s hard work had gone to waste!
After many challenges, Mila’s Keeper was born in 2022 to empower moms to store breastmilk confidently no matter where or what they are doing.
When Would You Use Mila’s Keeper?
This breast milk cooler can be used in many situations, especially when a fridge is not handy.
Pumping At Work
Mila’s Keeper has created for this purpose: a safe place to store breast milk while working. There are many jobs where a fridge is not easily accessible, or you may not want to keep your milk in a communal fridge.
Maybe you are a teacher or physician who doesn’t have access to a nearby fridge, a housekeeper, a home health aide, or a traveling saleswoman where accessibility to a refrigerator is a challenge; this is where Mila’s Keeper Shines.
Pumping on the go
Have an afternoon date or a relaxing kid-free spa day planned with the girls? Do you and your family have an outdoor event to attend? Mila’s Keeper is perfect for these types of outings. This small cooler is easy to carry in your purse or diaper bag. This product only needs one accessory instead of an ice chest, ice packs, and milk collection containers.
Traveling
Mila’s Keeper makes it easy to store breast milk and travel. It is perfect for road trips and on Planes. Yes, it is TSA-friendly!
Holding breast milk at night while pumping
If you are pumping in the middle of the night but are too tired to walk to your fridge, this is the perfect way to store your milk while you sleep. This may help you sleep better at night as you are not waking yourself up on that invigorating walk to the fridge! In the morning, place your milk in the refrigerator.
Mila’s Keeper Pricing
Mila’s Keeper can be purchased al la carte or as a set. If you’re new to this product, I recommend ordering the set that fits your needs.
If you are a working mom or a mom who pumps 12 ounces or more, I suggest the duo gift set or the working momma gift set:
Duo Gift Set: $130.00
The Duo Gift Set Includes: 2 Mila’s Keeper Breast Milk Coolers, two glass breast milk storage bottles, two ice packs
WORKING MOM GIFT SET: $195.00
The working mom gift set includes: 3 Mila’s Keeper Breast Milk Coolers, three glass breast milk storage bottles, three ice packs
If you are a mom who produces 12 oz or less throughout your workday or a mom who wants to use Mila’s Keeper for special outings like camping, traveling, or random date nights or for while running errands, I would recommend the Expecting Mamma Starter kit:
Expecting Momma Starter Kit: $65.00
This starter kit includes: 1 Mila’s Keeper breast milk cooler, one glass breast milk storage bottle, one ice pack
Pros and Cons of Mila’s Keeper
Mila’s Keeper has so many excellent features. Whether you just started your maternity leave or are halfway through your breastfeeding journey, this product can be a lifesaver. No product is perfect. Let’s dig into the Pros and Cons…
Mila’s Keeper Pros
There are so many pros to Mila’s Keeper. What are the benefits of this breast milk cooler? Let’s dive in!
Small and Compact
I love that this breastmilk cooler is small and compact. It fits in diaper bags, purses, and strollers easily.
Easy To Use
It is straightforward to use. You have a reusable ice pack that screws into the top of the lid and a glass bottle to store your milk in if you choose to do so. Pour your milk in, put back on the cap and you’re good to go!
Keeps Milk Cold
Because this is a stainless steel double-walled container (just like a Yeti) it keeps breast milk cold for up to 20 hours. The best part is that you don’t have to rely on a communal fridge or bring an ice chest, ice packs, and breastmilk collection containers while at work or out and about.
Fits in Cup holders
Mila’s Keeper container fits perfectly in your cup holder—no need to worry about it rolling and potentially spilling while driving.
The glass Bottle Can be hooked up to a breast pump.
I love that the breast milk collection bottles are made of glass. They can hook up directly to your pump, allowing for less contamination and spillage while pumping. If I were you, I would buy two glass bottles to replace the plastic bottles that come with your breast pump.
The Glass Bottle Can be used as a bottle.
The glass bottle can also be used with many nipples from your home bottles, making it convenient to feed the baby while on the go. I purchased the wide-mouth container that hooked up to the Spectra Breast pump, which also worked great with my nipples for my Avent Wide mouth glass bottles.
Stylish
Mila’s Keeper put a lot of thought into the design and ergonomics of this bottle. They have luxe designs and a unique handle (M for Mila’s) that allows you to hold your bottle comfortably. Perfect for converting into a water bottle/thermos after your breastfeeding journey ends.
Mila’s Keeper Cons
Every product has its cons. After using the product here are the biggest downsides:
Limitation to how much breast milk it can hold
This container can only hold 12 ounces of milk at one time. If you have long working days or a high producer, this container is too small. You can buy more containers to carry your milk, but if you want to use only one accessory this may not be the container for you.
I do not recommend putting more than 12 ounces of milk into the container at one time because the milk will freeze around the ice pack. This makes it challenging to get open if your ice pack is screwed onto the lid.
If mixing warm and cold breast milk, you have to change out the ice pack during the day to keep the milk cold.
If you like to pool your breast milk or feel comfortable with the pitcher method in order to keep your milk cold throughout your work day you have to change the ice pack. This can be challenging if you don’t have access to a freezer to keep your ice pack in. It defeats the purpose of not having to carry around an extra ice chest if you have to carry an extra ice pack to use midway through your day.
How To Use Mila’s Keeper
Mila’s Keeper is extremely easy and intuitive to use. There are four main components:
Cap
This is what closes the container to keep the cold air inside. It has a beautiful handle which makes this container easy to carry. The ice pack can be screwed to the cap.
Ice Pack
This is a reusable ice pack. It can be screwed to the lid or inserted into the bottom of the container to keep milk cold. It is recommended that the ice pack be kept in the freezer for at least 12 hours before use. However, the ice packs should ideally be frozen 24 hours before use.
This ice pack can keep 12 ounces of milk cold for 20 hours. If you pool your breastmilk, it is recommended that you switch to a new ice pack to ensure your milk stays at a safe temperature.
Glass Breast Milk Collection Bottle
This BPA-free glass bottle can hold 5 ounces of breast milk, baby formula, or baby food. It has a silicone leak-free lid. The bottle is safe in bottle warmers and can be placed in the freezer. It can hook up directly to your breast pump to collect milk and be used as a bottle to feed your baby.
The bottle comes in two different sizes: standard and wide necks.
The Standard neck is compatible with the following:
- Breast Pumps:
- Medela Symphony and Harmony breast pump (all other Medela fits without the sleeve)
- Ameda
- Evenflo
- Bottle Nipples:
- Medela
- Ameda
- Evenflow Standard Neck
- Pigeon Standard Neck
- Dr. Brown Narrow Neck
The Wide neck is compatible with the following:
- Breast Pumps:
- Spectra
- Phillips Avent
- Pumpable
- Zomee
- Cimilre S6
- Baby Buddha
- Motif Luna
- Bottle Nipples:
- Avent
If you have a wearable hand-free pump such as Willow, Freemie, MomCozy, Elvie, and Babyation, you can easily pour milk into the wide-mouth bottle.
Double-Walled Container
The container can hold 12 ounces of milk and one ice pack in its chamber. Alternatively, it can hold two breastmilk storage bags with 6 ounces of milk with one ice pack or a 5-ounce bottle with one ice pack.
My Experience With Mila’s Keeper
Mila’s Keeper was a fantastic way to store and cool breastmilk while out and about. I loved how easily the glass bottles hooked into my Spectra breast pump. A hands-free pumping bra made collecting my milk a breeze. Even though the containers are glass, they were light while I pumped. I am a big fan of glass products, so being able to replace my plastic Spectra bottles was a huge PLUS! At first I was skeptical that the silicone lid was leak-proof but never leaked or spilled.
Bringing Mila’s Keeper to work was a breeze…
I didn’t particularly appreciate pumping at work without Mila’s Keeper because I had to bring my pump bag full of the items necessary to pump, a bulky ice chest, ice packs, and a mason jar to store my milk. With Mila’s Keeper, I could slide this into my pump bag. I didn’t have to carry around a bulky ice chest and no one knew where I held my milk because it was so cute!
The container is compact, lightweight, and easy to carry with its handle. It fit nicely in my car’s cup holder, so I didn’t have to worry about it rolling around and somehow opening and spilling on my front seat.
Of course, it kept my breast milk cold when I got home and was so easy to clean. You do need multiple ice packs—a minimum of 2 so that you can rotate them each day to allow them to be frozen for 24 hours.
I pool my breast milk, so I needed another ice pack to switch out during the day to keep my milk cold. My breasts produce a lot of breast milk; some days, 12 ounces wasn’t enough room for my milk. I only had one bottle, but you can purchase another to mitigate this.
Overall I enjoyed using Mila’s Keeper as a breast milk storage cooler.
Milas Keeper Alternatives
Currently, Ceres Chill is the only alternative breast milk cooler on the market. Ceres Chill is also a double-walled stainless steel breast milk cooler that keeps milk cold while on the go. It does the same thing as Mila’s Keeper but is slightly different in that it keeps milk cold with ice instead of a reusable ice pack.
Curious about their differences and which one is better? We are too! We tested each product to see which one is best for you!
FAQS About Mila’s Keeper
Can you take Mila’s Keeper on an airplane?
Yes! Mila’s Keeper is a great way to collect and store breast milk while flying. It is TSA-friendly. This means you can bring your liquid gold through security without discarding it or worrying about it getting too warm.
Is Mila’s Keeper FSA/HSA Eligible?
Yes!
Can you use Mila’s Keeper things other than breastmilk?
Absolutely! Other ways Mila’s Keeper Can be used:
- As a cute water bottle
- A thermos to hold liquids such as alcohol, hot chocolate, or juice.
- To hold snacks that need to be kept cold or cool such as fruits, veggies, or otter pops!
- A portable bottle warmer to warm up breastmilk or formula while on the go. All you need to do is add some hot water to the container of your Mila’s Keeper and slide the glass bottle in when you are ready to feed your baby.
How long can breast milk stay in the Mila’s Keeper?
Breast milk can stay in this container with an ice pack for up to 20 hours. If you add warm breast milk to cold breast milk, switching your ice pack with one from the freezer is essential to ensure your milk stays at the right temperature
How many ways can you store milk with Mila’s Keeper?
There are four ways you can store milk in your Mila’s Keeper:
- Pour up to 12 ounces of milk straight into the container. Although this is not the preferred method due to the risk of contamination this method can be used once in awhile.
- Store two breast milk storage bags with up to 6 ounces of milk in each bag in the container.
- Insert your glass bottle with 5 ounces of milk into the container.
- Insert your plastic milk collection bottle from your breast pump into the container.
Conclusion: Should You Buy Mila’s Keeper?
Any working mother or mother on the go should consider Mila’s Keeper. It is beneficial when out and about doing errands or traveling. Due to its small size, it fits nicely in diaper bags, cars, and stroller cup holders.
It is straightforward to use and gives you the peace of mind that your liquid gold is kept safe. It is like a Yeti but for breastmilk!
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