The right equipment will save your sanity, time, and milk, especially as we resume in-person activities (including returning to our offices). A quality cooler makes the difference between bringing milk home or dumping that liquid gold down the drain after a hot summer day or a delayed flight.
There are 1,000,001 cooler options on the market (but who’s counting?) and no great way for a working mom to weed through all of the options. So we scoured the internet, read through reviews, and asked the moms on our team for advice on which coolers worked best.
Here’s what we recommend!
Amazon Prime is our addiction, and we’re not ashamed to admit it, which is why the Medela® Breast Milk Cooler Set should be at the top of your radar when looking for the best breast milk cooler.
With over 4,000 excellent reviews, it’s the #1 physician-recommended breast milk storage product in the US. It can transport and keep four, 5oz bottles cold at a time.
A word to the wise… it’s designed to work with Medela’s breast milk storage bottles and only fits four of them. With that in mind, it’s an excellent option for the workday, but if you’re away for more than a couple of pumping sessions or need to store more than a day’s worth of milk, you will need a larger option.
With most breast milk coolers running around $20–30 a pop, spending $200 on a cooler may sound like an insane indulgence. But, the YETI Roadie 24 Hard Cooler is worth the splurge if you need ample storage space and around-the-clock cooling.
Capable of keeping ice frozen for days, it is also very durable, waterproof, and resistant to mildew, punctures, and UV rays. (Did we mention it’s even tall enough to fit bottles of wine?)
Skip Hop nailed it with this budget-friendly and functionally stylish Grab & Go Double Bottle Bag that two large bottles hot or cold, and is also great for snacks. The long adjustable strap can also go over your shoulders or across the handlebar on your stroller for quick and easy access.
We don’t recommend storing your milk in it for extended periods (and certainly not overnight!). Still, it is ideal for short trips to the park or toting bags to daycare. It comes in grey, black, stripes, and other cute patterns.
Don’t be fooled by Business & Pleasure’s pretty premium cooler totes — they’re as practical, as they are stylish and perfect for multi-purpose cooling needs!
Similar to the YETI, these are not exclusively for toting around milk. But plenty of mamas swear by it for picnics, beach days, or longer trips away from their little ones if they need a cooler that can pack lots of bottles and snacks.
Alternatively, if you need something smaller, check out Sarah Wells’ collection of Cold Gold Cooler Bags that fit four, 8 oz bottles.
For moms on the go, the FlexiFreeze Pocketbook Cooler will safely (and discreetly) hold a smaller amount of your liquid gold. However, if you’re just looking to keep your milk cool or for a way to store milk at work, this is your sweet and simple solution!
With 16 cubes of water built into this cooler, you’ll need to pop it into the freezer every night to get it nice and cold. You can easily carry this wallet-sized cooler from your office to home.
And, remember, if you’re looking for a cooler to ship or tote milk from Point A to Point B and everything in between, Milk Stork can help!
Ship an entire stash, a day’s supply, or a batch from a donor or surrogate — fresh or frozen, domestic or international. Milk Stork makes it easy to get your milk where it needs to go. We even have an option to ditch the refrigerator and freeze dry your breast milk for a 3-year shelf life!
If you’re feeling overwhelmed and can’t possibly make one more decision with all this new baby prep, we’re confident you can find a cooler on this list.
For the mamas who need to research everything, we feel you! And we fully understand why you may not want to take our word for it. So talk to your friends, do your research, and read those reviews for yourselves.
Was there a cooler we missed? Let us know what we should add to our list!