Breastfeeding hasn’t always been my strong suit when it comes to parenting, each of my babies have been breastfed for different lengths of time. I’ve always met my small term goal but always wished to be able to meet the ultimate goal that I set each time. With five kids, it can be quite difficult to get a pumping session in so when a friend in a Mom’s group recommended a manual silicone pump, I didn’t know what to think! I have used manual breast pumps in the past and for the most part, they hurt my hand and didn’t express much milk.

The first time I used the Avo Babies pump, I was nervous but that went away quickly. The amount of suction was comfortable and effective, I got nearly the same amount of milk that I would when using my electric pump! The best thing about the product for me was that I wasn’t losing milk into my bra due to the let down. Beyond that, I was actually able to gather enough milk to store away for later use. To use this pump, all you’ll do is position it like you would an electric pump and pump the actual bottle with your hand. Another really great thing about this pump is that when I was using it, my baby wasn’t distracted because there was no noise. When I use my electric pump in tandem with feeding, he wants to see where the noise is coming from and immediately unlatches.

I recently went back home to California over Thanksgiving break to see family and that entails a 14 hour car ride there and then of course, hours of traveling from house to house to be sure to see all of our family members, the beach etc. While traveling I was able to use the Avo Babies pump while nursing. I then would take the pumped milk and make a bottle for baby which could then be used on the next feeding. By doing this, we didn’t have to pull over or stop which made for less time in the car and safer traveling.

I chose this product because I feel as though it is a baby registry must have. It’s affordable to any shower guest and can be purchased on Amazon. In addition to being easy to use, the Avo Babies manual breast pump is easy to clean too. When you’re finished pumping, you can wash it just like any other dish. Once washed, I toss mine into a bottle steamer for that extra layer of sterilization.