If you’re looking for ways to save money when buying a breast pump, or you’re not sure how much you’ll be using your breast pump, you might consider buying a used breast pump. You can buy a used breast pump on eBay or on Facebook groups, but before you shop for a used breast pump, there are some health concerns you should be aware in order to safely use a used breast pump. Here’s what
you need to know about used breast pump safety.
Is it safe to buy a used breast pump?
It depends. When you buy a used breast pump, it should be a closed system breast pump. This is super important because closed system breast pumps have a barrier between your milk and the pump motor and tubing, preventing moisture from entering the tubing and pump motor. Once milk or moisture get into the pump motor, it’s impossible to clean and sterilise it. The dark, confined environment is the perfect place for things like mould and bacteria to grow. This is why hospital grade breast pumps are closed system, to ensure they’re safe for use by multiple users. You don’t have to invest in a hospital grade breast pump to get the benefits of a closed system breast pump. The majority of personal grade pumps on the market today use backflow protectors – the same technology that hospital grade breast pumps use to make them safe for multiple users – so as a buyer you have a lot of freedom regarding things to consider when buying a breast pump, even when buying a used breast pump.
Do not buy a used open system breast pump!
We wouldn’t normally recommend buying an open system breast pump anyway, but this is especially important when buying a used breast pump. If you buy a used open system breast pump, you have no idea what type of bacteria or mould could be hanging out in the pump, and you have no way ofcleaning it to make it safe for use. Some diseases are also transmissible through breastmilk, and we know from a recent CDC study on contaminated breast pump parts that unclean parts absolutely can contaminate breastmilk. Don’t risk the health of your baby by buying a used open system breast pump. Buy a closed system breast pump instead.
What parts to replace on a used breast pump
If you’ve decided to buy a used breast pump, there are still some parts that you will need to buy new for the health and safety of your baby. The parts you need to replace on a used breast pump include everything that comes in contact with breastmilk. This includes...
- Breastshields
- Valves
- Backflow protectors
- Breastmilk collection bottles
- Bottle accessories, including teats, caps, and sealing discs
Before you replace parts on a used breast pump, make sure you have everything you need. This varies somewhat by brand, but generally speaking you’ll need tubing, backflow protectors, breastshields, valves, and collection bottles. Without all these parts your pump won’t work the way it should. Verify that the parts you buy are compatible with your breast pump, and also compatible with each other. We recommend buying from one source to avoid piecing together parts, or worse, missing a part or getting parts that don’t match! Once you get used to using your breast pump you can start searching Amazon for deals on breast pump parts from other brands and so on.
The parts and accessories that Pumpables sells are compatible with most major brands of breast pumps, but you might need an additional adaptor, for example, if you have a wide neck collection bottle and a narrow neck breastshield. We sell several adaptors too. If you need help on figuring out what parts you’ll need to replace on a used breast pump, contact us for help and we can get you set up no matter what breast pump you have.
What to do with a used breast pump
Do you have a used breast pump? Wondering what to do with it? If you’ve read this far you’ve probably figured you could try selling it if it’s still working. But what do you do with a used breast pump if you can’t sell it? Perhaps it’s an open system breast pump, or maybe it’s broken. Did you know that many breast pumps and parts are actually recyclable? If you’re wondering what to do with a used breast pump, you can check our complete guide for recycling breast pumps and parts.
