I'm all about color, and saving money, and reducing waste... So, here's an idea to help us working and pumping mothers.
Instead of purchasing and using disposable breast milk storage bags (which can get to be quite expensive, not to mention wasteful), why not use the reusable plastic breast milk storage bottles? While it is true the volume each bottle will contain is usually less than the total volume of a breast milk storage bag, storing in smaller amounts is generally recommended to reduce waste. Of course, all expressed breast milk should be dated before storing, but writing a date on these bottles would essentially negate their being used again and again. That's where color-coding comes in!
My system uses a different color rubber band (or ponytail holder) wrapped around each bottle to represent the day of the week the milk was expressed. This tells me when my breast milk must be used or frozen by. Sound familiar??? That is because this is essentially the same sort of code used by bread retailers and their twist ties!
For more information on proper breast milk storage, please visit http://www.llli.org/FAQ/milkstorage.html
