So you have built up a stash of frozen breast milk in your freezer. Congrats! That's quite the accomplishment. Building up a stash is very convenient. This means mom can have a night off or even a night out and leave milk for dad to feed baby. Perhaps you can partake in a nice dinner with some adult beverages without the worry of passing any alcohol on to baby through the milk. Or maybe you are going back to work and are preparing to have baby's meals already to go for the baby sitter. Or maybe your just storing it just because you can. All these are amazing and wonderful reasons to build a stash.
But do you know how long breastmilk can last frozen? Just like cows milk it does have an expiration. These guidelines are taken directly from Medela's website:
If you're like me, you probably don't have a deep freezer to have milk last up to 12 months. Regular freezers attached to your fridge can safely store breastmilk for up to 6 months (temp should be kept below 39 degrees).
But What Do You Do With Expired Milk?
First, DONT THROW IT AWAY! Even though its not safe for consumption, it is still liquid gold with valuable usages! I still have frozen milk from my now 5 year old and 1 1/2 year old. The following are few ways to use that milk:
- Eye drops for pink eye
- Ear drops for ear infections
- Diaper rash
- Sore/Cracked nipples
- Facewash
If you're crafty you can even make your own soap, lip balm, lotion and tons more.
