Is there a “best if used by” date for breastmilk?

There are many questions asked by households when mothers start breastfeeding their children. Here are some examples: Is breastmilk better than formula milk? How do I store breast milk? Is there an expiration date for breast milk? What’s the shelf-life of breast milk? How long should I breastfeed my baby?

However, there is one important question most parents fail to address or even think about:

Is there a “best if used by” date?

Most people do not think twice about the quality of the food products they buy until the “sell-by” or the “best-by” date.  Breast milk also has a “best if used by date,” yet we shouldn’t view it quite the same as other foods.

How to Store Breast Milk?

How do you store or handle breast milk?  There are many websites that explain the storage of breast milk. The shelf life of breast milk is determined by a number of factors: the environment and temperature it is kept in, storage techniques, type of container used, and clean practices used to express the milk.

The CDC has an excellent chart detailing how long one can store breast milk in various environments. (Click here to download The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine protocol for human-milk-storage information.)

Which Brand of Milk Should I Drink?

There are many brands of milk on the market today ranging from our supermarket-labeled milk to local dairy milk to organically labeled milk.  Let’s investigate more closely the questions and steps consumers should take when buying dairy milk (from cows).

Health on the Net Foundation

Hooray~!  Happy Baby USA is officially certified as HONcode compliant.

This site complies with the  HONcode standard for trustworthy health information:
verify here.

Search only trustworthy HONcode health websites:

.

Health on the Net Foundation is a non-profit, non-governmental organization, accredited to the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.  It was created in 1995 and has since focused on the essential question of the provision of health information to citizens and information that respects ethical standards.

HON’s mission is to guide Internet users to reliable, understandable ,accessible, and trustworthy sources of medical and health information.

Scotch-Brite Non-Scratch Scrub Sponge Leaks Blue Dye

3M is a reputable company that has many product lines.  One of them is the Scotch-Brite Non-Scratch Scrub Sponge.  There are many people who use this scrub sponge for their dishwashing and other scrubbing needs.