best buys
The best manual and electric breast pumps
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Breastfeeding can be a deeply satisfying and bonding experience, but there are times when you won't be able to be there to feed your baby.
It’s recommended that babies are purely breastfed for their first six months, and for many mums, expressing milk means that they’re able to have an evening out without their baby, go back to work, or just get their partner to do one of the night feeds.
Some babies – especially those who are born prematurely or have health issues – struggle to breastfeed, and expressing milk means they can get the benefits of breast milk from a bottle.
You can express milk to use in your baby’s food, such as on cereal, and you can also use a breast pump to express small amounts of milk to relieve the discomfort of engorged, overfull boobs..
A manual breast pump is best if you only plan to express occasionally, while electric models are better for more prolonged use.
1. Comfort Electric Breast Pump, £99.99
* Offers more a comfortable pumping position due to design
* Features a gentle stimulation mode and three pumping settings
* Comes with Avent bottle and teat for natural latch on
Designed with your comfort in mind, this highly supportive electric breast pump has a massage cushion that gently stimulates your milk flow as you relax. This means more milk in less time – the perfect time saver. Plus, it comes complete with the Avent baby bottle and teat for a more natural latch-on.
2. Silicone Breast Pump
* Made from medical-grade silicone
* Portable, lightweight and travel-friendly
* Dishwasher-safe
This extremely soft, comfortable and safe manual pump is quick and easy to use and is made from medical-grade silicone. Its portable design makes it easy to fit and carry anywhere. So, this is the perfect option if you would like to discretely express or if you wake up in the middle of the night engorged. It also has a suction base to make it easier to use.
3. 2-in-1 Electric Breast Pump
* Designed with three pumping styles and eight suction levels
* Can be used as a single or double breast pump
* Has a hygienic closed system, anti-bacterial design
This smart device features three pumping styles and eight suction levels to match your baby's natural feeding patterns and maximise your comfort. It can be used as a single or double pump and works via batteries or by connecting to the mains. It also has an LED display so you can express in low light during night feeds.
As another plus, it's now on sale, for almost half price!
4. Swing Electrical Breast Pump
* Compact enough to fit in most handbags
* Designed with two-phase expression technology that mimics the nursing rhythm of baby
* Can be powered with batteries or by mains
This award-winning electric pump is perfect for when you are out and about or travelling. Small enough to fit into your bag, it's quiet and discreet, too. It's also designed with breast shields that mould perfectly to your shape for optimum comfort. You can easily switch between phases and suction levels to find the best and most comfortable setting for you and your little one.
5. Nuby Natural Touch Electric Breast Pump
* Has five settings for suction and five for speed, to adjust to your flow rate
* The cup is made from soft silicone for added comfort
* Provides a great transition between breast and bottle
This electric breast pump is quiet, compact, and gives great results at the touch of a button. It's designed with several settings for suction and five for speed plus a convenient display screen, which is easy to read during the day or night. It's also quiet and discreet, with a clock to monitor expression time. Definitely recommended!
6. Calypso Double Plus Breast Pump
* Highly adjustable settings for cycle and vacuum
* Comes with a selection of breast shell sizes and a soft massage insert
* Can be used as a double or single pump
This double electric model is great value for money, allowing you to express from both breasts at the same time. It's powerful yet quiet, and has a range of settings so you can personalise it to meet your needs. It will keep you 100% protected and reassured as it prevents against germs in the pump or milk.
7. Jolie Manual Breast Pump
* Has a soft silicone cushion that moulds to a breast's shape
* Designed with an ergonomic handle
* Easy to assemble and clean and also dishwasher-safe
This attractive little manual breast pump makes expressing quick and easy. With its smart, ergonomic handle you can express with one hand, leaving the other free. Its soft silicone cushion gently massages and stimulates milk flow and is very comfortable to use. The pack also includes a stand and a 150ml breast milk container with screw ring and sealing disc.
8. Lovi Electronic Breast Pump
* Has a two-phase pumping action
* The memory function adjusts the pump to your natural rhythm automatically
* The soft silicone overlay makes it comfortable and helps stimulate milk production
This handy, single electric pump has intelligent memory settings for rhythm and suction that will automatically adjust to your natural rhythm and comfort needs. It also allows you to express manually if there's no power source available. A great, efficient, but also gentle option!
How much does a breast pump cost?
The cheapest breast pumps are manual pumps, which are operated by hand.
These typically cost somewhere between £20 and £40, depending on the brand and what’s included in the package: some come with a couple of feeding bottles, for example.
Electric breast pumps start from around £60 for a single pump that expresses from one breast at a time.
There’s quite a wide range of prices, again depending on the brand and what’s included.
If you’re looking for a double pump that expresses from both breasts at once, you can expect to pay from around £150 up to £350 for a top-of-the-range machine with lots of accessories.
What to look for
The main thing to think about when choosing a breast pump is whether you want a manual or electric one.
Manual pumps are cheaper, lightweight and compact, often small enough to fit into your bag.
They’re operated by squeezing a lever, which extracts the milk from your breast; you’re in control of how hard and fast you pump, so you can tailor your expressing to be as comfortable as possible.
They’re quiet to use, and are not reliant on buying batteries or being near a power source.
The drawbacks of manual pumps are that they can be hard work on your hand, and generally, it takes longer to express milk compared with an electric pump.
It can also be harder to stimulate the ‘let down’ reflex that makes your milk flow. On the whole, they’re best suited to occasional use.
Electric pumps are generally faster and more efficient so you can express more milk in a shorter period – particularly in the case of double pumps, which work on both breasts at once.
Some can be operated from batteries as well as the mains, while others are mains-operated only.
They have variable speeds and suctions so you can pick a comfortable setting. Some even work out and memorise your preferred pumping rhythm.
On the downside, electric pumps tend to be bigger and bulkier, which makes them harder to transport, and they can be noisy.
They’re also more expensive – particularly double pumps.
However, if you’re expressing regularly, they’re worth the money.
Both manual and electric breast pumps have a range of features that aim to make them more comfortable to use, such as different sizes of funnel to fit varying breast sizes, or cushioned cups.
Some come with added extras such as feeding bottles, storage containers and insulated bags for keeping milk cool.
Need to know
Breast pumps are also available to hire, through the NCT, some baby and toddler stores, and in some cases, if you or your baby have a medical need, through your local hospital.
This can be a cost-saving option if you’re only likely to use the pump for a short time, and generally, the breast pumps that are hired out are hospital-grade pumps that are faster and more efficient.
Read on:
- The best bottles for colicky babies
- The best bottles to mimic breastfeeding
- Your essential bottle feeding kit
