milk left out

[LaurieG]

I pumped milk at 2:30pm yesterday and stored it in the pump's cooler with a cold pack that I took out of the freezer at 8:30am. This morning at 8:30 I realized the milk never got put away (crazy night last night ), so I did a smell and taste test and it seemed okay so I stuck it in the fridge until I decide what to do.

DD is 23 months. She has multiple food intolerances and can't drink cow, soy, rice, hemp, almond, or coconut milk - reacts to them all. I need something to send to day care on Monday. My supply is very limited and I only pump a few drops after a feeding and around 1/2 oz in between feedings so I'm not likely to be able to get enough over the weekend to replace it.

WWYD?

[PatioGardener]

If it smells good, I'd use it, but I'd try to use it quickly rather than freezing it.

[Heba]

Room temp - good for 8 hours
Fridge - good for a few days/week-ish

That sounds like temp was between the two - and given the great antibacterial properties of milk and the fact that it tastes OK I'd say it probably is OK.

[Eligracey]

I'd taste it right before sending it to daycare. I've had BM go bad and it definitely smells! But I'm pretty lax about that sort of thing, I drink expired cow's milk as long as it smells and tastes OK.

[LaurieG]

I am a little concerned that it has to sit now in the fridge for 3 days before getting used. I wonder if I should try to "pasturize" it to keep it from getting really bad. I know that would kill antibodies but, at 23 months, I think 8 hrs away from antibiodies would be okay. I'm mostly concerned about her having something nutritious to drink. She tends to not eat while she's there so I worry about her being hungry.

What do you think? Would heating it keep it from going bad?

I've smelled it several times today and I don't know if now I'm just paranoid or what but I'm not totally convinced it is fine.

[pumpkinhead]

If it hasn't been frozen (and from your OP, it doesn't sound like it has been), I wouldn't hesitate to use it for a 23 month old. BM is actually just fine for up to 12 hours at *room temperature*. It can be stored up to 8 days in the refrigerator. At that point, you either have to use it, or it can be frozen. It's only when you freeze and thaw milk that it doesn't last as long. That's because you're denaturing a lot of the antibodies that way, so it just doesn't last.