This Insulated Bottle Is Like a Hydroflask, But for Breast Milk
Save this article to read it later.
Find this story in your account’s‘Saved for Later’section.
Comment
For nearly a year since giving birth to my daughter, I’ve hooked myself up to abreast pumpseven or eight times a day and waited for 30 minutes while it emptied my boobs of milk. (For reasons I won’t get into here, it works best for me to pump one side at a time.) I have to keep up this routine no matter what else I’m doing or it hurts. Alot.I’ve pumped while on deadline for a story. I’ve pumped while my husband drives us on the Garden State Parkway. I’ve pumped in the basement bathroom at ABC Carpet & Home. (Fellow moms, it’s clean and empty there.) I’ve pumped on a Delta flight to Ireland. I’ve pumped outside Gaston’s Pub at Disney World while my6-month-oldslept in thestroller.
On all my jaunts, I hauled around what I started to think of as the feedingbackpack, stuffed to the brim with mykettlebell-size breast pump, its charger, a gallon-size zip-top plastic full of pump accoutrements, sanitizing wipes, andbabybottles. This in addition to the diaper bag withdiapers, wipes, extra clothes, and atoyor two. It’s doable, but I’ve found that the more stuff you need to bring, the greater the chance you’ll forget something that’s actually essential. And perhaps the most challenging part ofpumpingoutside the house is figuring out how to store the milk when it’s not getting fed immediately to my daughter.
It seems like a problem organization could solve — and as aformerMartha Stewarthome editor, I’ve been somewhat obsessed with finding the solution. At first, I stored the milk in the containers that came with my breast pump, but after a few weeks they were too small. I tried pumping into those bottles then emptying them into largerreusable silicone bagsfor longer term storage, but dirtying four containers at every pumping session frustrated me. Other times, I poured the milk into clean baby bottles, thinking I could eliminate a step and a dirty dish. None of these methods have worked seamlessly, even at home; I still go back and forth depending on what’s clean and sterilized. When I’m commuting, traveling, or even just running errands, it’s even harder because space is limited and spills can be a real buzzkill.
But then, after the Disney World vacation, I saw a message on my local moms’ Facebook group asking to borrow aCeres Chillfrom someone to take on a trip — the original poster didn’t want to shell out $70 before trying it to see if it was worth it. The comments section yielded a couple offers and ringing endorsements. I Googled it, and within an hour, one was on its way to me.
New! You can now save this product for later.
The Ceres Chill looks like one of those big, old-schoolcampingThermoses with the top you can use as a mug for the hotcoffeeor soup inside. It’s insulated, so it can also keep cold liquids cold. But what’s unique about the Ceres Chill is that it can actively chill warm liquids. It has an inner chamber, which is uninsulated stainless steel and screws securely into the outer vessel. You can fill one of its chambers with ice and water to chill as much as 24 ounces of breast milk for 20-plus hours, essentially eliminating the need for a refrigerator or cooler. The Ceres Chill is also designed to connect directly to breast-pump parts, so it streamlines the number of pieces you need to carry around. You can also use it as a baby bottle or abottle warmer. As far as I can tell (and I’ve looked), there’s nothing like it.
The Ceres Chill website has an excellent illustratedguidethat explains this in very user-friendly detail (even I could figure it out), so I won’t get into the nitty-gritty here. What I will say is that it has five simple-to-clean pieces, and once you get the hang of how they screw together, they’re straightforward to reconfigure to do whatever you need it to do.
The best use case for me is for a full day out and about with my daughter. We took herbackto Disney World when she was 8 months old (yes, we’re insane). Before we headed out in the morning, I pumped 12 ounces of milk into it and added ice and water to the outer chamber to keep it cool — voila, her ten-o’clock bottle (and then some) was ready. At ten, I poured six ounces out into a separate bottle for my husband to feed her, then I pumped into the Ceres Chill to top it up for my daughter’s next bottle, and I didn’t have to wash or sanitize or tote any extra storage containers or bring a cooler. I had just the one compact container to clean when we returned to our hotel.
The Ceres Chill pretty much eliminates spills, too. There’s an outer cup and an inner cap. The cup serves several purposes. You can pump into it or use it as a baby bottle, and it’s a backup top that screws on tightly. I love having two layers of defense. I don’t even put my Ceres Chill inside an extra-large zip-top plastic bag as a backup (the way I do pretty much everything else). I’m that confident it won’t spill.
When I head out now, all I pack is the Ceres Chill, the pump, and the pump parts. It’s still a lot, but with a small enough pump, all of this can fit in a diaper bag. Pumping will never feel convenient, exactly, but now it’s much, much better.
The Strategistis designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Some of our latest conquests include the bestacne treatments,rolling luggage,pillows for side sleepers,natural anxiety remedies, andbath towels. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
