Which breast pump is better

You may not hear about Spectra pumps as often as you do some of the other brand names on this list, but the company is quickly gaining fans for breast pumps that combine medical-grade functionality and affordability. Not to mention, it's a What to Expect Award winner. Moms everywhere tout this as one of the most powerful pumps outside of the ones you can rent from the hospital — great for exclusively pumping moms and moms who rely on pumping to stash enough milk to feed baby during work hours.

The streamlined design builds in a super-convenient handle for portability and a space at the back to secure a bottle — and with the blue S1, you get a built-in backup battery, as well. It weighs just 3. The double-electric, closed-system design has a digital display that lights up so you can easily set the speed and rhythm. Turn it off, and its memory will even recall where you last left off. The Medela is fine, but the Spectra is more comfortable, easier to clean closed system , gives you more control over the pump settings, is quieter and gives me more milk when I express.

This compact and lightweight pump features two pumping modes and multiple levels of suction. The pump itself is nice and sleek, too. The device, which fits in the palm of your hand, clearly displays the working mode and suction level.

Perhaps one of the biggest draws, though, is the fact that this budget-friendly pump can be used wirelessly. It's battery-powered and lasts up to minutes without a new charge.

Worth noting: Although there are various suction levels, even the lowest setting is incredibly strong — perhaps even a little too strong, according to some moms who complain of nipple tenderness. As for how it differs?

Weighing less than one pound, this is one of the smallest and lightest breast pumps on the market it reminds us of an oversized mobile phone. The rechargeable battery lasts about two hours pretty impressive for a battery-operated pump!

It also comes with a USB charging cable — great for using in the car and other places where you might not have access to a regular outlet. I can cart it around in a purse to and from work, and I use a hands-free bra and can roam around the house when I pump! So worth it! I just charge my Freestyle every few days and throw it in the bag and go! I use my Freestyle at home and for traveling because it runs on the battery. At my desk, I use the Pump in Style. I get similar amounts out of each when I pump.

Pumping is hard enough without having to get into a certain position in order for your milk to make it into the bottle. The bottles are easily assembled and and control buttons are simple to use. The settings are highly customizable: There are eight for stimulation, and 16 different expression modes. The pump has a timer and will also remember your previous settings by default.

A handy travel bag and waist belt to hold the pump while you're expressing are also included. While the breast pump also comes in a single-electric style, most What to Expect moms agree that the double-electric is the way to go for efficiency. Weight: 2. Dimensions: 5. Most breast pumps are a one-size-fits-all product. Sure, you can change the flange on some to better customize your fit.

Enter the Evenflo Deluxe Advanced. This double-electric pump cuts out the guesswork by including three different flanges with your original purchase. It also delivers tons of speed and suction settings, a closed system to protect milk from mold and bacteria growth.

It worked awesome. Single-electric breast pumps are less efficient than double-electric pumps, but they're also usually much cheaper. Think of it as the best of both worlds. It also has a hygienic closed system with a mere five parts to assemble and clean to help make pumping a breezy experience from start to finish.

You can pump in the car, the bathroom or even a changing room without searching high and low for an outlet. The affordable pump is super compact, too, so you can opt to store it in your glove compartment for emergency pumping sessions.

But they can be hard work if used frequently, as you have to keep pumping the handle to create the vacuum. Electric breast pumps are easier and more convenient to use, as the motor does the pumping for you.

A single or double breast pump? A single electric breast pump is ideal for expressing from time to time. This makes it a great choice for busy mums. And the milk you obtain when double pumping has a higher fat and calorie content too. Why choose a Medela breast pump? Choosing a pump that suits your needs and lifestyle Which is the right breast pump for you depends on how often you expect to be pumping, and where you are in your lactation journey.

Product recommendation Choose between the Medela Harmony manual breast pump or Medela Swing single electric breast pump. Product recommendation A lightweight portable breast pump is ideal, and a double electric model, such as the Medela Swing Maxi or Medela Freestyle , will enable you to collect more milk in less time, making it perfect for quick pumping breaks. Mizuno K, Ueda A. Changes in sucking performance from nonnutritive sucking to nutritive sucking during breast- and bottle-feeding.

Pediatr Res. Kent JC et al. Response of breasts to different stimulation patterns of an electric breast pump. Which leads us to figuring out which pumps are worth your money and time. Check out the picks below. Portable, rechargeable and whisper-quiet -- those are the promises of the Spectra S1 Plus, which make it widely popular among parents and medical pros.

After talking to many parents who breastfed, the Spectra breast pump stands out as a clear favorite. Parent and former CNET editor Vanessa Hand Orellana praised it for being powerful and efficient, and for the fact you don't have to plug it in each time.

It supports single and double pump and has adjustable suction levels, all intended to mimic the experience of breastfeeding as closely as it can. CNET editor and parent Karisa Langlo chose it "because it uses a closed pumping system to prevent backflow, which meant I wouldn't have to clean the tube part.

If you have the money, or can get your insurance to cover it, the Spectra S1 Plus is the top pick for breast pumps in The Spectra S2 Plus has all of the specs and features that make the S1 Plus great, except that it's not wireless. While most parents I polled picked the S1 over the S2, the S1 is a good pick if you want to save some cash and don't mind being tethered to an outlet while you pump.

While the Spectra S1 Plus allows you to pump anywhere you have privacy, the Elvie wearable pump lets you pump anywhere, period. This all-in-one pump slips into a bra, sits against the breast and pumps discreetly -- the milk collects in 5-ounce washable bottles that snap into the bottom. There are no tubes or wires hanging out of your shirt; everything is contained in the unit.

The Elvie double breast pump is also quiet, so you don't have to listen to an annoying motor or draw any attention to yourself. That makes it easier to multitask while pumping. If you truly want to be hands-free while pumping, or need to pump when you return to work but don't want to be stuck in a room every few hours, the Elvie is for you. There are some downsides to the Elvie. You might be able to get your insurance to cover part of the cost, depending on your plan.

CNET Reporter Joan Solsman tested the Elvie , and pointed out that it's hard to tell if your nipple is correctly aligned for proper pumping and it's hard to see how much breast milk is collecting because the unit sits into your bra. A workaround for that is to use the Elvie companion app, where you can control the pump there are physical buttons on the unit too and see the volume of breast milk you're expressing. Still, she noted that often the amount the app showed was higher than the actual amount of breast milk in the bottle.

Like the Elvie, the Willow breast pump allows you to pump while cooking dinner, in a work meeting or hanging out with friends without anyone knowing. Horman emphasized that a manual pump should be easy to squeeze just halfway, to keep the suction comfortable and as a corollary, effective. The Harmony was her pick in that regard. The Harmony has a few features that make it more appealing than the Philips Avent manual, our runner-up manual pump.

A small divot just below the breast shield helps to make the pump comfortable and intuitive to grip. Small yellow bumpers keep the handle from clacking annoyingly against the bottle. As with our runner-up electric pump the Pump in Style Advanced, also by Medela , the Medela Harmony manual breast pump and any necessary replacement parts are easy to find in brick-and-mortar stores, as well as online.

The breast shields, membranes, valves, and collection bottles are the same as for our electric runner-up, which makes the Harmony an appealing option for someone who already owns another Medela pump.

The Harmony pump comes with the standard 24 mm breast shield, as well as a single collection bottle. You can swap in other breast shield sizes , ranging from 21 mm to 36 mm. The pump has a day warranty. One lactation consultant reported that some of her clients with small hands have found operating the Harmony a little tricky.

The parts on our runner-up, the Philips Avent Comfort Manual Breast Pump, are larger and easier to disassemble for washing. Because the handle lacks a bumper, it clacks against the collection bottle if squeezed all the way. The pump has just one size of plastic shield, and comes with one 25 mm silicone liner. Other reviewers note the slightly squeaky noise of this mode, which is louder than the Harmony though both are far quieter than electric pumps, which some of the same reviewers say are less efficient for them than this manual.

When suction on one breast from a nursing baby or a single pump triggers a letdown in the opposite breast, the one-piece Haakaa Silicone Breast Pump can catch milk that might otherwise go to waste. It works by the simplest possible suction—squeeze the bell-shaped collection vessel, position the shield over the nipple, then release the base.

An online reviewer wrote that she uses a Haakaa under a shawl when nursing in public. Another uses it each morning on her more productive breast while the baby nurses on the other side, and stashes away 2 or 3 ounces a day.

Because the silicone squeeze pump attaches while nursing, it can be a low-hassle way for someone who is primarily breastfeeding to build up a modest supply of extra milk.

It can also save milk from leaking into clothing or onto tissues or pads —making for less waste and less mess. There are similar models out there but we recommend the Haakaa based on its history of positive reviews.

We hope to compare like models in future testing. In our tests, we found the Medela Sonata shares many of the user-friendly features of the Spectra S1. The motor creates two different suction modes, which means more people may find success with it.

But the pump itself is the loudest of any we tested—45 decibels from 3 feet away—and at least one tester found it painful to use, pinching the nipples.

Plus, with only one size of breast shield available with two possible sizes of silicone liner it was the least customizable of any double electric pump we tried. The Medela Symphony is a quiet, effective pump that can be used exclusively meaning, without also nursing a baby directly to maintain milk supply. But as a very expensive hospital-grade pump typically available as a rental, it fell outside the scope of this guide. The Medela Freestyle is a small, portable, battery-operated pump.

The Lansinoh Signature Pro Double Electric is a popular double electric pump that we researched but decided not to test. It's moderately priced, but the Spectra and Medela models we recommend were consistently better reviewed.

And Rakowski-Gallagher at the Upper Breast Side doubted this pump's ability to maintain milk supply in the long run. The innovative but expensive Naya Smart Breast Pump uses water, rather than air, to create its vacuum; the breast shields massage the breast with water sealed in a separate chamber from the milk and the pump can be controlled via an app using Bluetooth.

The California-based startup started selling the pump in mid but has struggled to find sufficient funding. Though at least one early reviewer found the water-suction method far more comfortable, and Rakowski-Gallagher at the Upper Breast Side told us she thinks the pump could be a game-changer, we reviewed all the comments about the Naya on the Exclusively Pumping Mamas and Working Pumping Moms Facebook groups and found they were overwhelmingly negative, and included reports that the pump is not particularly quiet, has an annoyingly bright charging light, and has components that can leak.

We hope to compare that pump with our current favorite double electrics in the future. We tested the Lansinoh Manual , which is a relatively popular and widely available manual pump. It offers multiple sizes of breast shield, which is a plus, and is fairly inexpensive. But its suction was more difficult to control than our top pick or runner-up. Lansinoh redesigned this pump a few years ago, and many online reviewers and one of our testers who had used both preferred the old model.

We dismissed them because their reviews were not as consistently strong as those of the Medela, Philips Avent, or Haakaa manuals.

Two lactation experts said they were not as well-built for long-term use as our picks. When the Willow breast pump was introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show in January , it was heralded as a major innovation in the category. Unlike the other electric pumps covered in this guide, the quiet, battery-powered, tube-free Willow pump consists of two cups that sit directly in your bra, collecting the milk into integrated cups in either single-use plastic bags, or reusable containers.

In theory, you can wear the Willow unobtrusively under clothing, allowing you to pump any time or place.

The Elvie pump , which became available in spring , has a design similar to the Willow, but only offers reusable plastic milk containers. For now we can say that both pumps have the potential to significantly improve the pumping experience, but are unlikely to work well for everyone, and each come with significant learning curves. For both manual and electric pumps, wash everything that comes in contact with breast milk after every pumping session. Some parts are dishwasher safe. But frequent washing, combined with occasional sanitizing in a microwave steam bag or a pot of boiling water, is probably sufficient.

Our goal with this guide is to identify the best breast pumps for most people, but breasts and pumping experiences vary wildly. Professional lactation consultants can provide detailed guidance, tailored to your particular body and history. They can also help address supply problems and nursing issues, as can local support groups organized by La Leche League leaders and others. According to this guide to new and used pumps on the breastfeeding web site KellyMom, the motors on most single-user electric pumps are designed to last only a year or so anyway, so a used pump may not last long.

Angela Horman, lactation consultant at Baltimore Breastfeeds , in-person interview, June 27, Felina Rakowski-Gallagher, owner of the recently defunct breastfeeding resource center the Upper Breast Side , phone interview, June 20, Paul , email interview, May 29, KellyMom , breastfeeding resource site. Nancy C. Our pick. Spectra S1 The best double electric breast pump The quiet, compact Spectra S1 has a rechargeable battery and separate modes for suction strength and suction speed, making it more customizable and easier to use than competitors.

Spectra S2 Same pump, no battery If plugging in is no problem, you could save money and weight with the Spectra S2, which is the same pump but without a rechargeable battery. Medela Harmony The best manual breast pump With a smooth, swiveling handle, the Medela Harmony is easier to grip and squeeze repeatedly than other models.