Used breastfeeding supplies?

[earlyworm]

Hello all!  

I am due with my first baby in February, and a friend of mine just recently brought over a giant bag of second hand stuff to my house.  She gave me reusable breast pads, lilypads, a breast pump, bottles, nipples and milk storage bags.

How much of this stuff would you feel comfortable using second hand?  I'm all for hand-me-downs usually, but I have to say, I feel a definite 'ick' factor about using a second hand breast pump and bottles and breast pads.  Can I get thrush from this, or other nasties?  Is this stuff that I should buy new, or am I just being overly cautious?  

[Courtney-Ostaff]

Last time I checked was 2007, but at that time, you could not completely sterilize a breast pump. All the accessories, yes, but not the breast pump. OTOH, unless you think your friend has something truly nasty, like AIDS, I wouldn't worry about it. I didn't get one because I didn't need it, and because I didn't know anyone well enough to have them give me one.

Bottles, nipples, lilypads, resuable breast pads, all sound great to me.  Milk storage bags should be unused.  

[crystal_buffaloe]

I'm assuming the milk storage bags she brought were unused, right? Just the ones left in the pack? Because you should not rinse out and re-use the storage bags.

Personally, I wouldn't have a problem with using a friend's breastpump. I'd just sterilize all of the parts that can be sterilized, you know? I'd be okay with her used bottles, too, and just sterilize them.

I would want to buy new slow-flow nipples because using and washing the nipples over time (and especially in the dishwasher) causes the hole to open up larger, and I don't want it to be too easy to get that milk from a bottle.

Again, just personally, I'd want to buy my own, new reusable breast pads. Maybe because they're cheaper than pumps and bottles and all that, but that's my personal "ick."

[akind1]

I got my pump second hand, sterilized everything, and it has worked great for us for the past year. (I stopped pumping once he turned one) I don't have any second hand bottles, because we use glass ones and no one else had any to give us. but would have used them no problem and just sterilized them. Nipples, I would get new ones. Lily pads, I liked the ones I had, and these can be washed and used.

FWIW, I used disposable breast pads, and friends did give some that they had left over, as well as milk storage bags. I have had no problem using them. (these were new, just in opened boxes in some cases). For reusable breast pads, I don't see how that is any ickier and getting used diapers (and I have lots of those!) I would just wash them well and use them.

[earlyworm]

Thanks for all the input!   I appreciate it!  I think I will keep everything but the pump and bottle nipples.  The plastic parts look a little sad and worn, and I'd rather make sure that whatever I start with is squeaky clean and in good shape.    Also, that will fit within my own personal 'ick' parameters nicely.  

[texmati]

Originally Posted by Courtney-Ostaff 

Last time I checked was 2007, but at that time, you could not completely sterilize a breast pump. All the accessories, yes, but not the breast pump. OTOH, unless you think your friend has something truly nasty, like AIDS, I wouldn't worry about it. I didn't get one because I didn't need it, and because I didn't know anyone well enough to have them give me one.

Bottles, nipples, lilypads, resuable breast pads, all sound great to me.  Milk storage bags should be unused.  

It depends on the type of pump. With most manual pumps, you can take them completely apart and sterilize the whole shebang.  For electric pumps, there are 'closed system' pumps (ameda, lansinoh) and open system pumps (medela). The closed pumps can be be used by more than one user, the single pumps cannot be.  As pumps are expensive, I'd def. take the time to figure out which one you have. That being said, if the pump has  seen heavy use *and* you will be depending on it to keep up your supply (say if you are returning to work) I'd def suspect the pump if you start to have issues.

[PuppyPanties]

Originally Posted by earlyworm 

Hello all!  

I am due with my first baby in February, and a friend of mine just recently brought over a giant bag of second hand stuff to my house.  She gave me reusable breast pads, lilypads, a breast pump, bottles, nipples and milk storage bags.

How much of this stuff would you feel comfortable using second hand?  I'm all for hand-me-downs usually, but I have to say, I feel a definite 'ick' factor about using a second hand breast pump and bottles and breast pads.  Can I get thrush from this, or other nasties?  Is this stuff that I should buy new, or am I just being overly cautious?  

You know, I thought I wasn't going to be comfortable with using someone elses pump - but this is what happened to me. Nobody bought the breast pump off the registry, and my husbands aunt had offered to give hers to me. So I said yes.....thank god we didnt buy our own!! I barely use the electric pump! I ended up going and buying a manual pump for $30 which I use all the time now. But if it was someone I dont know like off craigslist - I wouldve def not have used a 'used' pump! 

[amyhulen]

I was loaned and purchased used pumps with both of our kids. I have never had any issues. I personally have a bigger issue with buying all new plastic stuff all the time. Old defunct plastic is a different story though especially if it might contain BPA or other harmfull chemicals. For our family lesseing our footprint is a big factor in the decisions we make.

[crystal_buffaloe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by earlyworm 

The plastic parts look a little sad and worn, and I'd rather make sure that whatever I start with is squeaky clean and in good shape.   

Is it the kind of pump where you could just buy new plastic parts? A friend of mine just had her third baby and she thought the horns, tubing and membranes on her Medela were looking a little sad and worn, so I replaced those for her for her shower gift.

[PatioGardener]

A good soak in vinegar and then a hot wash will kill off any yeasties that may lurk on those reusable breastpads.

[myk]

i'd totally make use of used stuff. some breast pump parts can't be sterilized - the tubing from a medela Pump In Style comes to mind - but most parts can. i had a used Ameda Purely Yours which could be completely sterilized, including tubing. i also tried various manual pumps that i had borrowed from the public health nurses, which were sterilized by the hospital. as for breast pads, hot wash should do the trick, bleach if you're really worried about it.

nipples should always be replaced every few months regardless, so i would get new ones for sure. bottles can easily be sterilized by boiling, or buy medela steam sterilizer bags (which is what i used for the abovementioned pumps) that you just stick in the microwave for a few minutes. easy peasy. the one caution i would have is to check how old the bottles are, and whether they've got BPA - it has recently been banned in canada, but 6 years ago when i had DD1 i had all Avent bottles that contained BPA. not sure if it's banned in the US yet, or whether you've got older bottles that contain BPA. if in doubt, buy a few new bottles.

the milk storage bags, presumably they're still in the box, right? so still sterile.