Milk Tray

This is a good idea in theory. However, the problem of milk splashing out even if you don't fill it up all the way is still an issue. Placing them in the freezer to avoid spilling while pouring is also difficult because the freezer walls get in the way of your elbow or the container you're pouring it from. Especially if you have to scald because of excess lipase. The "lids" do not thoroughly seal the milk in the trays for the duration of freezing, and let's face it, there isn't a large percentage of women who have the money to dedicate a deep freezer solely to the purpose of freezing their breast milk, so there is lots of outside air getting into the freezer as it's being opened. So after you freeze the sticks, you then have to transfer to milk bags to seal to avoid freezer burn. That adds another step in handling the milk, which could possibly be unsanitary depending upon how clean you are about that kind of thing, if you use gloves, etc. I suppose this would be good for overnight, but most moms who pump at night for the next day can just put the milk straight into a bottle with a lid and keep in the fridge ready to go for the next morning/day....I ended up not using my freezer stash because I just didn't trust that the milk was uncompromised. I did not trust the freshness of the milk after being in an unsealed tray while freezing. Too much milk was spilled and wasted. The sticks were just too messy of an option for me. I just ended up doing daily pumping from the time my baby started daycare and luckily had enough supply to keep up.

Pros:I love that you have portion control with the 1oz sticks is a huge plus that outweighs the cons.Its easy to break the sticks in half by hand if you need to squeeze it into a bottle or only need .5oz.Can be used for other liquids, especially if you make your own baby food, but don't put hot liquids in it!Cons:Hand wash only is a bummer because I hate hand washing things in general.The lid does not snap on so you have to place it on a level surface. Our bottom freezer makes this precarious, but I got used to it.Very heat sensitive. Do not use with hot liquid.I have been using these trays for months and I still love them. To remove the sticks I take the lid off and put it on the counter, then twist the trays back and forth over the lid. They fall onto the lid and I slide them into a quart size freezer bag from there so that it minimizes direct contact with the milk. I warped one of the trays because I put hot baby puree in it. Be sure not to fill them to the rim because the milk expands as it freezes; use the line that is marked below the rim.

I really like the concept of these but they didn't work as well as I had hoped. First, the lids don't lock on making it difficult to transport them when filled to the freezer without spilling a bit. After the bars were frozen I sealed them in breast milk bags after releasing all of the excess air. However, after a few weeks they began to look freezer burned and some air had gone back into the bags. This worried me some. If you were using right away I think they would be great. I like brining a few of these along with a few 3oz bags to daycare so they can unthaw the 3oz and then add an ounce or 2 more as needed. I used these trays for about 3 months and have switched to just bags. Partly because after going back to work this just added an extra step to my routine that I did not need to do (the filling the trays and then putting them in bags after frozen).

I'm going to take a second to completely praise this product. It is AWESOME. I'm HUGE on not using plastic to heat up food so o didn't want to use those bags to store and then thaw my breastmilk. This was a FANTASTIC solution. I pump, freeze in ziplocks and then remove to put in glass bottles when I thaw/heat. It comes with two trays and two lids. I've frozen 600+ ounces of extra milk over the past 3 months and it has been the most amazing product ever. I wouldn't save milk any other way. Four fit perfectly in my glass avent bottles. Once thawed, you can add more if needed. If you fill the tray to the top when freezing, its 1.3 oz per stick. The lid is perfect for preventing freezer burn when placing in the freezer. I normally fill the tray, place it in the freezer and THEN put the top on once it's already in the freezer. Top isn't a snug fit, just sits on there to cover the milk and for you to stack the trays if needed. I absolutely LOVE this product.

These trays work well, but they are hand wash only. I also do the trick of storing milk in a plastic bag after it is frozen since the trays don't provide freezer protection. You do have to be careful with the delicate dance to the freezer - they must be placed in a very level surface otherwise the milk will spill everywhere. I have a fridge with a pullout freezer at the bottom, which means that opening the freezer door sloshes the trays around, so be wary of this if you have the same type of fridge. I would probably have given this product 5 stars if it was dishwasher safe and a little less prone to spilling. I typically under-fill each ounce container to reduce the amount of spills from closing the freezer drawer.

I like the size, it's supposed to freeze into 1 oz portions, and because they're skinny they can be inserted into bottles to be thawed out. But the lid is not good. Maybe my husband put it in the dishwasher? I don't know, but something touching breast milk ought to be able to be boiled (kill germs!) and not warp. The lid is only good as a way to stack the other one on top of it in the freezer. It's not airtight (leak when you walk with it, so scary!) and they both (I bought two) warped so they barely even stack anymore. I ended up getting some other freezer trays with airtight lids instead. Second baby, though, so I figure I got my money's worth the first time around. Good idea, but lacks the follow through.