Whether you’re a new mom, a busy mom, or both, having a bottle full of milk whenever you need it is definitely a time saver — especially when you feed your baby with breast milk. In this article, we’ll be reviewing 5 of the best mini fridges for breast milk along with some tips on how to store and use refrigerated breast milk!
Let’s jump right into the reviews!
1. AstroAI Mini Fridge (Top Pick)
The first mini fridge for breast milk on our list, and our top pick, is the AstroAI Mini Fridge.
For starters, this mini fridge comes in four different colors to choose from, one being light pink and the other baby blue to match your baby, or black and a dark blue to best match your home. It can cool down to 32 degrees Fahrenheit, making it perfect for storing breast milk, and has a 4-liter capacity (or enough room for about 6 12oz cans), which is more than enough for a few prepped bottles of milk.
The shelf inside this mini fridge is removable to separate any bottles from other containers or formulas you may have, and when the unit is running, it’s pleasantly quiet at 25 decibels. It has both AC and DC adapters to plug into your regular wall plug or your vehicles 12V cigarette lighter (just be sure your vehicle’s engine is on when you plug in the mini-fridge to avoid draining the battery).
The AstroAI Mini Fridge has both a cooler and a warmer so that you could keep already warm bottles of milk at an acceptable temperature for your baby. It also has a convenient carrying handle so that you can move it effortlessly or have it for whenever you’re on the go.
What We Like:
- Comes in four different colors. We love the baby blue and light pink for the purposes of storing milk for your baby!
- Has a 4-liter capacity — more than enough room for pre-made baby bottles
- Temperature can go as low as 32 degrees Fahrenheit to keep milk good for a few days
- Adaptable to your regular wall outlet or car cigarette lighter
- Quiet to operate
- Cooler and heater for multiple purposes
- Affordable
2. Cooluli Mini Fridge Electric Cooler (Perfect for Traveling)
With thousands of raving reviews, and with a surprisingly affordable price tag, the Cooluli Mini Fridge is super cute and perfect for traveling. It comes in 7 colors and patterns including black, baby blue (would be great for a baby boy!), fuchsia, light pink (for your baby girl!), red, white, or an adorable black and white cow print. The Cooluli has enough space to hold six 12oz cans, so it has more than enough room for a day or two’s worth of bottles.
It has a regular cooling setting but also a warming function that allows you to keep your baby’s milk at a constant warm temperature if need be. You’ll know which temperature setting the mini-fridge is on by the sleek, modern display, and can change between the modes with a flick of a switch.
It comes with both an AC and DC power adapter as well as a USB cord to make use while traveling a breeze! You can plus this mini fridge into your regular wall outlet, your vehicle, or any USB outlet (though a computer is not recommended as it may not generate enough power). This mini-fridge is also very safe to use and made with parts free of Freon, making it a great option for use for your baby’s bottles.
What We Like:
- Comes in 7 cutesy and neutral colors to match your baby, your favorite color, or your decor
- Thousands of positive reviews from happy customers
- Enough room to hold 6 12oz cans
- Cooling and warming function
- Can be powered by three methods; wall outlet, USB outlet, or vehicle
3. BLACK+DECKER Compact Refrigerator
Though it’s a tad on the expensive side of things, the BLACK+DECKER Compact Refridgerator is a high-quality, sleek mini-fridge. It’s larger than the other mini-fridges on our list, making this a great buy if you have more than one baby of your own, or look after multiple babies. It has adjustable stabling legs so that it can fit under a desk, inside a laundry room, the baby room, or your bedroom at whatever height you prefer.
It has an adjustable thermostat so that you can get your baby’s bottles to the perfect temperature and features glass shelving and storage in the door. The shelving is also reconfigurable so that you can organize your mini-fridge just how you like it. It also has a freezer inside this mini fridge so that you can both freeze bags of breast milk and chill bottles simultaneously!
While this mini fridge isn’t the best for traveling, it’s a great option to keep at home or daycare and looks very sleek and modern in all of the available colors (silver, black, and white).
What We Like:
- Has a freezer so that you can freeze bags of milk along with the bottles
- Glass shelves are reconfigurable so that you can replace and remove shelves to suit your needs
- Larger unit for more bottles for more than one baby
- Can fit under a desk or in a small closet or in the corner of a room for easy accessibility
- Modern appearance
- Available in three colors (silver, black, and white)
4. Efast Mini Fridge
The Efast Mini Fridge is super unique and would look excellent in a modern home and near modern kitchen appliances. It’s very compact (and when we say compact, we mean compact) making it great for traveling, placing on the kitchen counter near your regular-sized fridge, or for having in the car. It would hold anywhere from about 4 to 6 bottles at a time, so we recommend this mini fridge for the mom of only one nursing baby.
Like many of the options on our list, the Efast Mini Fridge has both a cooling and warming mode. The warming mode would be especially useful for keeping room-temperature breast milk warm for your baby’s next feeding time. Alternatively, you could use the cooling mode to keep bottles of breast milk fresh for use throughout the week. It has both an AC and DC power mode for use at home or on the go, and overall, this mini fridge is relatively affordable.
What We Like:
- Very compact and lightweight, making it great for the car or for a small space on your countertop
- Sleek and modern design would go well with modern appliances or furniture
- Affordable
- Warming and cooling function
- Can hold up to 6 cans
5. Uber Appliance Mini Fridge (Budget Buy)
The Uber Appliance Mini Fridge has a cutesy, vintage appearance. It’s compact, lightweight, and would fit easily on a countertop. It comes in 6 colors, including a vintage red, matte black, matte black with a blue LED fan, blue, silver, and white. The Uber is a 4-liter or 6-can mini-fridge and can be plugged into a car cigarette lighter or in your regular old wall outlet.
Like most of the other mini-fridges for breast milk on our list, this mini fridge has a warming and cooling function to suit your purposes best. This mini fridge can cool down to 32 degrees Fahrenheit or heat up to 150 degrees Fahrenheit. It features a removable shelf and a self-locking door to make more room for bottles or to keep you better organized.
What We Like:
- Very cute, vintage appearance
- Comes in a variety of colors
- Warming and cooling function
- Removable shelf and self-locking door
Benefits of a Mini Fridge for Breast Milk
You Won’t Have to Pump so Often
The most obvious benefit of having a mini-fridge for bottles of breast milk is that you won’t have to pump every time you want to have a bottle for your baby. You’ll be able to prepare 5 or 6 bottles in advance for future feedings and just have one session of pumping rather than multiple throughout the day. This is a great way to save time, making feeding time more convenient for both you and for your little baby.
Your Baby’s Milk Will Have it’s Very Own Place
Another benefit is that you won’t have to store the breast milk with the rest of the family’s food. This is especially good if you have other small children who can mosey their way around the fridge and may mistake baby’s milk for cow’s.
They’re Convenient in and Out of the Home
Mini fridges for storing milk are also convenient in that they can be placed virtually anywhere around the home, including in the baby’s room. You can also take most of the mini-fridges on our list with you whenever you’re on the go for the day, or for the week on a family vacation. Most are even compatible with your vehicle!
Tips for Storing and Using Stored Breast Milk
Believe it or not, there is a right and wrong way to store and use stored breast milk. Here, we’ll be providing you with some tips on how to store it properly!
- Wash your hands thoroughly and use clean storage containers. To prevent any germs or uncleanness from getting into the milk, be sure you’ve washed all of the containers, utensils, and your hands with a safe cleaner and water.
- Buy breast milk glass bottles to store milk in your mini-fridge. Glass bottles made especially for storing breast milk are safe for your baby and can be used for both storage and feeding. Our favorite is the Matyz 4-PACK Glass Breast Milk Storage Containers. These are great because each bottle holds 6 ounces, they’re made of food-grade glass for optimal safety, they’re leak-proof and easy to clean, and the mouths are wide enough for pumping milk directly into the bottle and feeding!
- Label your bottles with the date the milk was expressed. This will help you to determine how much longer it will last in the fridge and is also a great way to keep baby sitters and daycare workers organized. If your baby will be in the care of others, be sure to label the bottles with your baby’s name as well.
- Don’t go overboard! Because breast milk can spoil in the fridge after a few days, it’s important that you only store what you’ll use in the fridge.
- Warm refrigerated breast milk with warm water. Rather than microwaving breast milk and risking getting it too hot for your baby and destroying essential nutrients, run the bottle under warm water until it is lukewarm and acceptable for feeding.
- Once your baby has finished a refrigerated bottle, dispose of excess milk after an hour. If your baby is done eating, but there is still some milk left in the bottle, store the bottle back into the fridge for an hour. If the baby isn’t ready to finish the bottle within the next hour, dispose of the excess milk to keep your baby safe from potential germs or spoilage!
Answers to Questions You May Have
Got questions? We’ve got answers!
Q: How Long Can Breast Milk be Refrigerated?
Breast milk can remain safely in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, but it is recommended that you use the milk within 3 days for optimal freshness. After 5 days, you should have used or frozen the milk for future use (frozen breast milk is best used within 6 months). Keep in mind that if you opt to freeze breast milk after refrigeration, its Vitamin C content will decrease the longer it’s kept in the freezer.
Q: What if I Accidentally Leave the Bottle Out?
Fresh breast milk can be left out at room temperature for up to 6 hours without much of a problem, however, room-temperature milk should be put into the refrigerator promptly for use during the following days, or used immediately for feeding at room temperature.
Q: The Color of the Breast Milk is Different After Storage, is Something Wrong?
Putting breast milk in the refrigerator can alter the color of fresh breast milk slightly. Some mothers notice that their breast milk is yellow, brownish, or even blue colored. But this is completely normal and nothing to worry about, just be sure that you are storing and using the milk within the recommended number of days (3 to 5 days refrigerated).
Q: How do I Sterilize and Clean Pump and Bottle Parts?
Bottle or pump parts that aren’t cleaned and sterilized can result in the transmission of bacteria. Before you use bottles, nipples, or washable pump parts boil them for 5 to 10 minutes to kill any existing germs, taking care to check how long the recommended time is by the manufacturers. Then, wash everything that can be washed with hot water and safe soap, or run them through the dishwasher. This should be done after every use.
Final Thoughts
After all is said and done, our favorite is the AstroAI Mini Fridge. It’s relatively affordable, quiet to use, portable, and will fit virtually anywhere you wish to put it!