How to Choose the Best Portable Pump

The best portable pump is one that’s easy to use, quiet, and compact. It’s also important to consider how much milk you can get out of it, whether it has a variety of speed and suction settings, and how the cycle works (see our All About Suction video).

A lot of pumps aren’t intuitive to set up and use on a day-in, day-out basis, but we found that most moms gravitated toward the more straightforward models. The Spectra S1 has great “getting started” instructions, simple assembly, and intuitive buttons while the Haakaa is a hands-free wearable that doesn’t have any wires or tubing to tangle up. The Willow 3.0 is the smartest wearable but isn’t suitable for everyone since it requires an app and you can’t adjust the cycle speed, making it best for people who work in situations that don’t offer a real pump break.

If you want a portable pump that’s easy to clean and doesn’t require an app, the Medela Freestyle Flex is an excellent choice. It uses two-phase expression technology to mimic a baby’s natural breastfeeding pattern to stimulate more letdown and pump more milk in less time. It’s also quiet, compact, and can be worn discreetly when you’re out in public.

If you’re a breastfeeding mom in need of an affordable manual pump, the Genie offers impressive results for its price. It’s quiet and compact with a backlit LCD screen, a special handle to help you avoid hand fatigue, and flanges that are soft and flexible and won’t leave indents on your breasts like hard plastic ones can. best portable pump