Containers should be covered and kept as cool as possible; covering the container with a cool towel may keep milk cooler.
Insulated Cooler Bag
5-39 ºF
- 15-4 ºC
24 hours
Do not store
Keep ice packs in contact with milk containers at all times, limit opening of cooler bag.
Refrigerator
39 ºF
4 ºC
5-7 days*
24 hours **
Store milk in the back of the main body of the refrigerator.
Freezer (Self contained frig freezer unit)
0 ºF
-18 ºC
3-6 months
Do not refreeze thawed milk
Store milk toward the back of the freezer, where temperature is most constant. Milk stored for longer durations in the ranges listed is safe, but some of the lipids in the milk undergo degradation, resulting in lower quality.
Deep Freezer
-4 ºF
-20 ºC
6-12 months
Do not refreeze thawed milk
References:
All guidelines, except where noted, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC Health Information for International Travel 2008. Chapter 8. (http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/yellowBookCh8-Breastfeeding.aspx)
* Sosa R, Barness L; Bacterial growth in refrigerated human milk, Am J Dis Child, 1987; 141:111-115.
**Arnold L; Recomendations for Collection, Storage and Handling of a Mother’s Milk for Her Own Infant in the Hospital Setting. 3rd Editions. The Human Milk Banking Association of North America, Inc. 1999, p. 18.
