Lansinoh -- Milk Freezer Bags Leaking

I don't put my Lasinoh bags in the freezer flat and I have NEVER had a problem with them leaking. Is it possible that you just got a bad batch????

I think the Lasinoh bags are the best.

I'm a big fan of everything Medela (pump, bags, etc.), but for my freezer storage system I love Mother's Milk Mate.
http://breakoutbras.stores.yahoo.net/milbreasstor.html
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I use Lansinoh bags and have never had that problem. It sounds like I'm doing it all wrong as well: I store them upright in little tupperware containers, and when we need them we thaw them for a few minutes in tepid water in a bowl.

How much do you store in one bag? I never have more than 5 or 6 ounces in one bag, and if I'm lucky enough to have expressed that much milk in one sitting I'll tend to separate them out into 3 ounce bags anyway. Perhaps if they are too full they leak?

N.

First of all, I am very sorry that this happened and that you lost some of your milk. As a former breastfeeding and pumping mom, I know how frustrating that can be and that is not at all what we intend with our bags. Second, I wanted to ask if you had gotten in touch with our customer service department? While we cannot replace your milk, we can work with you to try to remedy the situation in some way. Our email is ____@____.com and our number is 800-292-4794. We are open 8am-5pm eastern time M-F but you can always leave a message if it is after hours. You can also email me at ____@____.com other moms are right about the freezing flat--we suggest that method (removing the air from the bag before sealing is important too) because when the milk freezes in a uniform way, it is easier to thaw and easier to store as it takes up less space than a chunky frozen bag. This also ensures that there are no sharp edges as a result of how milk freezes in the chunk when standing up.

Again, please accept my apologies for this and please get in touch with us so we can help try to make amends.

Best wishes,

G. Ciagne, CLC
Director, Breastfeeding and Consumer Relations
Lansinoh Laboratories
www.lansinoh.com
www.bymomsformoms.net

Same thing happened to me! I like the gerber brand bags.

Before I put it in the freezer I would double bag it. I know what you mean about the liquid gold!

I had this problem a couple of times and I would turn them upside down and thaw them that way. Never had another leak again. I would also lay them flat to freeze so they were easier to store in the freezer.

I had a few leaks, but found that if I placed them into a ziploc bag, then placed them in water to thaw, it would catch any milk that did leak. I also used the Avent Via storage cups for my 2nd child. I love those because they stacked so nicely! But they did take up more space in the freezer. We used a seperate small freezer just for milk so that it wasn't opened too often and the bags & cups weren't getting bumped & shuffled (that seemsed to be the cause of most leaks). The benefit of the cups is that they are reusable. We now use them for snack cups!

I had that problem with 2 different brands. The use a special plastic that's safer for baby, but more brittle. I froze them flat and thawed them in a clean container. Good luck!

Been there! I contacted Lansinoh and they sent me free ones but you need your original box w/the #s on it. I tried others and I did not like any so what I did was defrost them within another ziplock so if there was a leak I would be able to use the milk still. I did not have a large supply saved so the milk was being used pretty quickly. Good luck and I am sorry.

I used them and would freeze them flat and then stand them up in the door for more room in the freezer. I did notice from time to time that they leaked a bit. The ones that come in the nursing pad box seem to leek the worst. I would put them in a cup or class and warm the outside of that with hot water sometimes. I've heard the medela ones are good.

Must admit, I laid mine flat and made sure there was no extra air in the bag first. Liquid gold is soo precious!

yes, i had this problem but i don't think it is the bags. those were acually the best bags i found (after trying a few). i think the problem is when they are stored and bump up against each other or other things while frozen, they are like little jagged rocks and the bags get scratched. i found freezing them flat then putting the flat frozen ones into big ziplocks helped eliminate the bumping and scratching of the bags and less leaks. the less you move them around or handle, the better. i did the bigger bags by date and would rotate that way. i also would thaw in a bowl in the fridege if possible to make sure, just in case. i know how it feels to see 6 or more oz go down the drain!

I had that happen all the time! I figured out that having them defrost in a cup made it so I didn't waste any milk - I would cut open the bag while it was still frozen and drop the frozen milk into a glass measuring cup then put that inside a bigger thing that was filled with hot water. The measuring cup had a handle that hooked so it could just sit on the edge.

I did not have problems with either Lasinoh or Madela bags. I always laid them flat when freezing, and never filled them too much. The milk expands when frozen, so you need to leave quite a bit of head space. Also if you do not freeze laying down, there may be sharp edges where the plastic tends to break.

I had that problem every once in a while even though I laid them flat. (They take up less room if you lay them flat while they freeze.) My solution was to thaw them out in a clean container (I used a Pyrex measuring cup just because of the pour spout) so that if they leaked while thawing, I could catch all that milk and pour it into the bottle.

Try the Medela hard plastic screw-top containers. They wash easily, are BPA free, and are reusable. So much better than the bags. You can get them in a pack of 12, and they attach right on to the Medela Pump in Style breast pump. I found them to be much more convenient. And their size was perfect for sticking them in a mug of hot water to heat them up.
http://www.medelabreastfeedingus.com/products/breastmilk-...

I used the bags and had no issue unless they got bumped up against something when they were frozen. I stood them up because they would not sit right when flat. If my husband or one of the older kids dropped/knocked one over or hit it when taking something else out, I made them put it on the side since it had a chance of leaking.

The Gerber storage bags are fantastic. Used them for years and never had a problem.

I never had a problem with them leaking, when thawing, I propped them up. Make sure you are not putting more than 6oz. in the bags!

I didn't read the other replies, trying to play catch up with emails. But, wanted to add a quick response, as pumped for 16 months for my son (he never breast fed, and only got breast milk in a bottle, never formula). I did have bags that leaked and would put the bag in a ziploc baggie prior to thawing if i noticed a problem. The Medela bags were a little better and more durable. I never froze mine flat, just put them in the freezer upright. (or however you can find the room)
Good luck!!

I never had that problem, but I haven't used them real recently. I think it might make a difference if you lay them flat because liquid expands when it freezes, which might be stretching the bag from side to side and thus causing the leaks? If you lay flat the milk has more room to expand. I never put more than 5 oz in mine....I never really got more than that in one sitting anyway!

I always put them in the freezer flat because it was easier for storage. We did not have it happen a lot, but my mom (she is my babysitter) said a few of them did leak as she was thawing. I think it was the bottom that was leaking and she said that she started thawing them in a warm bowl of water kind of with the bottom propped up or something?? It totally stinks that they would leak at all!!

I never had a problem with Medela freezer bags, try those. Also, make sure that they are not too full when you fill them, leave some room for expansion.

lay them flat once frozen i would stack them in a plastic container
i used a plastice magazine organizer because it was rectangle and the perfert size
or put them in a gallon ziploc anything to keep them from being nicked

I had pretty good luck with the Medela freezer bags. If you have a Medela pump, you can hook them up directly to your pump.

Good luck!
R.

I've used both Lansinoh and Gerber bags and rarely had problems. I always put them in the freezer flat though. If they did leak I usually knew why because I would knick a corner or edge when they were frozen. I prefered freezing them flat. I had a shelf just for the breastmilk and just lay the next one on top of the others and just grabbed a frozen one from the bottom. I was able to store 2 months worth of milk on that small shelf by laying them flat. But it doesn't take much to knick the sides when frozen. I would just be careful when you take them out. Because if the side of the bag hits something when it's frozen that could cause it to leak. I did not like the Medela bags because they didn't lay flat well and they took up more room in the freezer. Anyway, good luck.

I never had problems with Gerber bags.