What You Need In Your Pumping Bag

Disclaimer

Everything in this blog is my opinion. I understand some people can not afford to buy all of these things and I am not saying they are absolutely necessary, they are just nice to have. My must haves is just that, what I think I needed in my pumping bag, not necessarily everyone’s must haves. 

Things to Think About

Where will I be pumping?:

It is important to know how long you will be gone and what will be available to you where you are going to be. For example, when I went to work I knew I had access to a pump and a refrigerator. Therefore I did not need to bring my entire pump, just bottles and pump parts. I also only needed to buy 1 set up pump parts in a zip lock bag since I would be able to store it in the fridge and reuse the same parts (I only needed to pump twice during my shift). If a fridge is not available to you, but a sink is, bring stuff to wash your pumps instead. If a pump won’t be available for you, bring your entire pump. 

When Aryi was in the NICU I did not even need a bag. We were able to pump and store pump parts and bottles in his room. The hospital gave me a set to use with their pump while I was there. 

Also, don’t be that person that has all of your pumping equipment ready to go. You pump, you have your milk. Then, uh oh. What do I do with my milk? Obviously you will need a separate little cooler bag for your milk. 

Budget:

Maybe you can’t buy a fancy bag to tote around your pumping equipment. That is fine. You can do this with a tote bag from the dollar tree or get one for a few dollars from Trader Joe’s. Use a reusable bag you already have. 

My Must Haves

Pump, pump parts, and bottles:

Of course, you need your pump if you won’t be somewhere where one is available to you like my workplace or the NICU when Aryi was there. You will also need pump parts and at least 2 bottles for each time you intend on pumping. You will need to store the milk in those bottles after, so you can’t just wash or refrigerate and reuse them like you might at home if you directly feed your baby, freeze your milk, or do the picture method. 

Zip-lock bag:

I always had an extra one in the bag for pump storage. 

Water: 

You drink so much water when pumping. I always kept an extra bottle in my bag in case I forgot or ran out of water in my big cup. 

Snacks:

Snacks are necessary when pumping. You get so hungry. I did keep extra snacks in my bag, but I did not really eat them when I was out and pumping. I was usually at work and pumped during breakfast and lunch break, so I just ate the meal I brought or bought. 

Lanolin cream:

My go to was to apply the nipple cream and put on fresh pads every time I pumped. This really helped me to stay comfortable. 

Nipple pads:

I only had disposable nipple pads in my bag. It was just so much easier for public. It was more comfortable and more convienient. 

Water wipes:

I used these for spills. It drips from the pump pieces, maybe you combined bottles and spilled a little bit. It was just super convenient to have the wipes nearby. 

Soap and washing supplies:

If you will need to wash your pump while in public, it is nice to have the mini dish soaps you can get from like the dollar tree or a travel aisle and a pump brush. 

Cleaning wipes:

I always had pump cleaning wipes in my bag. I never actually used them, but it felt nice that they were there if I needed them. 

Cooler bag and Ice pack:

You will need to store your precious milk after pumping. I got a small bag with my pump that fit in my pumping bag. This was super convienent. 

Note

It was easier for me to just have a big bag I could throw all of my purse things in. I know some people might not like that idea, but It worked for me, so I thought I would share.