Thawing and Feeding Stored Breastmilk

Thawing Frozen Milk

To thaw frozen milk, you can do one of the following:

1. Put the container in the refrigerator.
2. Put the container in a cup of warm or lukewarm water.
3. Run lukewarm water over the container.

Whatever method you choose, keep these tips in mind:

DO:

• Thaw the oldest milk first (REMEMBER: First in, first out).
• Keep the container sealed.
• Use milk thawed in the refrigerator within 24 hours (from the time it completely thawed—not from the time you took it out of the freezer).
• Use room-temperature or warm, thawed milk within 2 hours.
• Use leftover milk from a feeding within 2 hours after baby has finished.

DON’T:

• Thaw or heat milk on the stovetop or in a microwave.
• Refreeze thawed milk.

Warming Refrigerated Milk

Many babies are just fine with drinking room-temperature milk, but some prefer warmer milk. If this is your baby,

• keep the container sealed;
• place the container in a pot of warm water for a few minutes, or run warm tap water over it;
• swirl the milk inside the container to mix the fat that may have separated;
• test the milk’s temperature by putting a few drops on your wrist (you want the milk warm, not hot).