How do I protect expressed milk during a power outage?

Knowing how to protect expressed milk during a power outage ahead of time can prevent losing a freezer stash. For recipient families, knowing how to protect expressed milk during a power outage can be crucial for feeding their baby. This infographic can be helpful to have on hand in case of a power outage. It can be downloaded and printed to keep handy. (4×9).1

Adding dry ice to the freezer is a good way to make sure that foods stay frozen longer. Know ahead of time where to buy this and how much would be needed for your freezer.2

Please remember that as long as there are ice crystals in the milk or the temperature of the milk is 4.4ºC/40°F or below, you can safely refreeze it.

Community-based milksharing and wet nursing can be vital in times of emergency. Identifying local human milk resources, whether through private donation or via wet nursing, can help provide milk to the most vulnerable in a time of need. Formula and ways to prepare formula may not be available or safe. Human milk will protect infants and young children against diseases.3 4

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  1. Guidelines used: USDA and FoodSafety ↩︎
  2. Information on dry ice:
    – US dryiceInfo and ShipStation
    – Canada The Iceman
    – Australia Dry Ice Australia ↩︎
  3. AAP – Infant Feeding in Disasters and Emergencies ↩︎
  4. CDC – Infant and Young Child Feeding in Emergencies ↩︎