Breast Milk Storage Time Guide

How long breast milk keeps at room temperature, fridge and freezer. Free, private and instant.

How to use the Milk Storage Guide

  1. Choose milk is: Freshly expressed, Thawed from frozen or Left over after a feed.
  2. Choose stored: At room temperature (up to 25°C), In an insulated cooler bag with ice packs, In the fridge (4°C or colder), In the freezer compartment of a fridge and more.
  3. Pick date expressed, thawed or fed.
  4. Set time.
  5. Press Calculate to get an instant result with a colour scale, chart and plain-English explanation.

About the Milk Storage Guide

Safe storage depends on where the milk is kept and whether it is fresh or thawed. Enter when you expressed (or thawed) the milk and where it is stored to see how long is left, with the limits for every storage option.

Also known as: breast milk storage chart, how long is breast milk good for, breast milk fridge time, frozen breast milk guide.

Formula and cut-offs

Fresh milk: room temperature (up to 25°C) 4 hours, cooler bag 24 hours, fridge 4 days, fridge freezer compartment 2 weeks, freezer (-18°C) 6 months (up to 12 acceptable), deep freezer 12 months. Thawed milk: 24 hours in the fridge, 2 hours at room temperature, never refreeze.

Frequently asked questions

How long can breast milk sit out?

Up to 4 hours at room temperature for freshly expressed milk (up to 25°C).

How long does breast milk last in the fridge?

Up to 4 days in the back of the fridge.

Can I refreeze thawed breast milk?

No. Use thawed milk within 24 hours in the fridge or within 2 hours at room temperature.

Sources and references

Written and checked by the MediHub editorial team against the sources above. Read how we build and review our calculators.

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Last updated . This calculator is for education only and is not medical advice. See the medical disclaimer.