Philips AVENT Via Breast Milk Storage

I use the Avent bottles and a Medela pump. With my first child I purchased several 4 oz and 9oz Avent bottles and sealing discs once I realized just how much I was spending in milk storage bags. It was considerably cheaper to invest in the bottles.

With the second child, now 4 months old, I had more milk to freeze than bottles. So instead of buying more bottles, I tried these. I will use them for the 3 allowed times, then I am going back to buying regular bottles as needed.

Downfalls:
-Hard to know if they are sealed, but not had issues with spilled milk since I only transport the milk when frozen.
-Can only be used 3 times; if you have lots of bottles, it's hard to keep track of this.
-Lids are not sold separately - I have already cracked one.
-You still need a collar for the adapter to work as a bottle; the kit doesn't come with collars. You can't buy the collars separately.
-Measurements on the side are very faint and hard to read.
-If...Read more

I bought this set because I was going back to work and thought this system would work out well for both milk storage and feeding in daycare. I already use the Avent bottle system and have the adaptor for my Medela pump, so I could pump directly into it which was a plus. The fact that they stack was also nice, since I don't have a lot of room in my cabinets. Finally, I liked the idea that I could cut out all those pouring milk from bottle to bag to bottle again steps. It all sounded like it would work well, but the negatives ended outweighing the positives for me:

(1) It's too expensive for something that's supposed to be "tossable"
(2) If you use the containers for breast milk storage and write the name and date on the container, you can't reuse them again unless you cross out the date and name from the first use, it's a minor thing I know, but it just bugged me!
(3) Screw top containers don't screw on and seal very well
(4) You only get two adaptors to turn it...Read more

I made the mistake of purchasing several of the Via containers. My intention was to use them for freezing breastmilk rather than dealing with the slippery bags. They stack nicely, but that's where the pros end. They leaked constantly in my diaper bag, no matter how many times I tried re-screwing the lids. Using the adapter to insert an Avent nipple also resulted in a leaking mess. But, most importantly, after more than a few weeks in the freezer, the fat in the breastmilk in the containers began to break down faster into the "soapy smelling" lipids. This is common occurence in frozen breastmilk, but the smell and taste (yes, I tasted it to make sure it wasn't soured) was much worse than breastmilk that had been frozen the same duration in a Gerber SealnGo bag. Bottom line: Bags are easier; they are pre-sterilized and result in less surface area for air to get trapped in to cause milk fat breakdown. I love all of the other Avent products though( bottles, nipples, training...Read more