KiindeBreastfeeding Gift Set

*Edited 1/12/17I am editing my review after 9 months of using the system. My opinion of the product hasn't changed, but the way I used it did a bit since the beginning. Kiinde was a life-saver for me since I ended up exclusively pumping my daughter because of latching issues that never resolved themselves.I ended up not pumping into the bags. I wanted a uniform amount in every single bag and I could never trust the measurements. So, I pumped into bottles and consolidated into a Kiinde bag for fridge storage. Also, I did not freeze any Kiinde bags. I used Lansinoh bags for freezer storage because the Kiinde ones are way too bulky. Lansinoh bags freeze flat and you can fit many more in a box. I am an expert on freezer storing. At one point, I had 5,000 ounces in my freezers! There is no way I could fit that much in the freezer if I had used the Kiinde bags.Yes, the bags are expensive. But, for me, the cost was worth it. I loved the bottles. They worked great for my daughter who had terrible reflux. I was so thankful that I didn't have 8-10 bottles a day to wash. I didn't have any trouble with the bottle warmer. Only recently has it been doing some weird things but that is after using it for 9 months. It still works but the timer gets stuck on occasion. It takes 8.5 minutes to warm up 4 ounces of frozen milk. 5 ounces of milk in the fridge takes 4.5 minutes to warm.One other thing that I feel is important to mention. Twice I had a product issue with bags/nipples. I bought the box of 80 bags and ONE of the bags had a split seam. I emailed Kiinde and they SENT ME A NEW BOX OF 80. That was way beyond my expectations. Another time, I had bought some new nipples but got old product (old style of nipple). They sent me all new nipples free of charge. When you are sleep deprived and just barely hanging on, you don't have time to deal with random issues. I appreciated their stellar customer service so much for taking care of me.Original Review:This is hands-down the best baby-related purchase that I have made. Feedings with my 6 weeks old baby have been a nightmare. Here were our issues:1. She has a very painful latch, therefore I pump 90% of the time and nurse only a couple of times a night.2. She is extremely gassy. Like, I'm talking man-farts. I know that the culprit is bottles because I can hear her ingesting air as she drinks. Also, (here is the major battle) a few minutes into feeding she starts crying while drinking. After a few days of scratching my head, I realized that it's because she is ingesting so much air that it hurts to eat. But, I pull the bottle away to burp her and she screams because she is hungry. It's a catch 22. I have been having to burp her 10 or so times during any one feeding. As you can imagine, I spend at least an hour feeding her each and every time. You do the math when you have to feed an infant every 2-4 hours. The dark circles under my eyes are horrible.3. Since I spend so much time pumping and I have a limited supply, I hate, hate, hate to see that liquid gold wasted! We have been using Dr. Brown's and Joovy Boob bottles both with preemie nipples and they both leaked so much down her face that she had to wear a bib while feeding to avoid soaking her clothes. Ok...so that saves her clothes, but look at all the milk wasted! It broke my heart!4. Lack of sleep has caused me to do some crazy things. I wore my shirt inside out to my doctor appointment last week. I put orange juice in my cereal. You get the picture. There were several times that I got confused and almost dumped the freshly pumped milk down the drain as I was transferring it to bottles. I also spilled a bottle and wasted milk. Any way that I could minimize transferring the milk was absolutely necessary to avoid further meltdowns on my part.5. As any new mom, or even a seasoned veteran will tell you, you need to figure out where to save time! I found myself a slave to bottle cleaning. I ran the microwave 10-12 times a day. Between pumping and feeding, I was standing there for 3 minutes each time to sanitize the bottles and that doesn't count the time cleaning the bottles with soap. I couldn't keep up with pumping, feeding and cleaning bottles AND still being a human being (that requires showers).So, then I discovered the Kiinde system. I cannot even believe it. It has solved all of our problems.Pros:1. ZERO milk dripped out down her chin while she drank. I checked. NOT A DROP. I didn't need a bib and I didn't waste ANY! I couldn't be happier about this!2. She no longer ingests all of that air! I saw the claim about reducing air, but isn't that what all bottle manufacturers say? So, I was skeptical. But, I can't hear any air being swallowed like I could before, and even better, I no longer have to burp her in the middle of feedings! She doesn't cry during feedings due to painful gas at all anymore! And, when I finally did burp her at the end, I got one tiny burp. I so wish I had discovered this weeks ago! It also greatly reduces feeding time. It cuts it at least by 60%.3. No need to transfer milk from container to container anymore. So, there is no chance of spilling. I pump directly into the bags, store in the fridge (or freezer), warm and feed directly from the bag.4. I am no longer a slave to cleaning bottles! The bags are disposable so after you use them, just toss in the recycle bin and GO BACK TO SLEEP!Cons:1. I find the measurements to be difficult to get an accurate reading. This is the case with all bags though.2. I way overwarmed one of the bags. Likely this is directly related to Con #1. I thought that I had 3 ounces in the bag, but probably there was less. I tested the milk and it was way too hot. This might just be something that I'll get used to.3. I admit that the storage bags are expensive. So, that is definitely a con. But, considering all of the pros it is well worth it to me.A happy baby equals a happy momma! She is way less gassy, eats in 60% of the time and doesn't drip at all. I don't spend my life in front of the sink cleaning bottles. All of this means that I can get back to sleep in a fraction of the time for night feedings. I couldn't be happier. If you have some of the same issues that I have had, please consider this and finally get some sleep! It was the best money I have spent. And, it was $20 cheaper on the Amazon site versus buying from Kiinde directly.

My husband bought this set for me as a surprise after I showed it to him and said that I thought it was really cool and I was thinking about giving it a try. At the time I was only about 4 months pregnant, so needless to say this sat around for a while before I could actually get around to trying it out, granted I did open it all up and look through everything several times while I waited.Now that my daughter has actually been born I have had the opportunity to start using this bottle system and so far I love it. I am currently expressing breast milk with a manual pump and it works great with bags. I have found that I really like to clip the bag into the bottle base and then attach my pump to it. I really like the added stability and support the base offers, plus if I need to set the bottle/ pump down for a minute to deal with my other children or something (and there is always something when your trying to pump) then having the bottle base attached makes it super easy and I don't have to worry about the bag spilling any milk back out. The only issue that I run into with this method is that sometimes the bag will unclip from the bottle base, it does not fall and it only takes a second to clip it back in. I think if I wasn't using a manual pump it would not do that at all, and even now it only happens occasionally, so for me its really not that big of a negative.I really like the convenience of being able to pump right into the storage bags. When I first started pumping I was hesitant to start using up my storage bags, I didn't have very much extra milk to pump off at the time. I was pumping into a small bottle that came with my pump and then having to transfer the milk from that bottle into small storage containers, that I received in the hospital. Now honestly it worked but it was a pain. I was always worried I was going to spill the milk while trying to transfer it, not to mention I then had to transfer it back into the bottle again if I wanted to feed it to my daughter.The kiinde system really simplified all that for me. I love that I can just pump straight into the bag, put it into the fridge and leave it until I am ready to pump again or feed it to the baby. Having it in the bottle base also comes in quite handy when putting it in the fridge to await another pumping session. I have only used the bottle warmer a couple of times but man does it work, the first time I used it I actually heated the milk up a bit to much but that was a mistake on my part. I have not used everything that came in the kit yet but I am anxiously waiting until I can use the food system that came as a gift in my kit. I am even planning on getting addition sets of the spouts for my older children, they love to eat the store bought fruit pouches, and this system will allow me to make my own and control what they are actually eating.I have also found that my daughter has not had any issue with going between breast and bottle, She has had no confusion and doesn't fight taking either. One issue that I do have is that I have found it a little hard to get the nipple back off the bottle, it goes on super easy but I seem to have a little bit of a problem pulling it back off, but I am also trying to be very conscious as to not damage the nipple at all, it is most likely that I am missing some kind of trick to easily getting it back off. I will report back here if I do come across a trick or simple way to get it back off.Overall I really love this product so far, I have had minimal issues with it and have no real complaints, I am not trying to make this review sound to good to be true but this has been my honest experience with this system so far. I have actually recommended this system to several different people because I have been having such a positive experience with it so far.I am hoping that I covered everything and that someone will find this useful, If anyone has any questions that they would like to ask me please feel free to send me a message.

I wish I had this when my first daughter was born in 2017.Pros- easy to build and stash milk in freezer with no leaks. Having a big freezer stash helps me feel comfortable leaving my little one for work; you never know when your production could drop due to a cold or plugged duct, etc so having a full freezer stash can help even out days that you pump less at work. As soon as I pump it, it goes in the freezer till it’s ready to be consumed. I write the date and amount on the top so it’s easy to see what we have.- I’ve used the kiinde warmer and I think it does a good job. Defrosted frozen milk tastes good and my baby accepts it fine. Since it defrosts at a regular temp, I think the nutritional value is better than my old method of using a hot pan of water.- bottle bags are well made and don’t leak, tear etc.- my daughter took to the kiinde nipple very easily.-It’s easy to squeeze excess air out of the bottle to reduce gas.-a lot less time cleaning up when I’m pumping at work or at end of day when it’s time to clean dishes.Cons- these are single use- price per bag- May still use some bottles. In the morning, I can usually pump a full bottle on each side during the first pump of the day. As the work day goes on, I use a bottle on one side and a bag on the other so I can combine the amount into a single bag with no wasted or half empty bags.- measurements on bags are approximate. If you pump less than 2 ounces, the bags don’t open all the way at the bottom and you may think you’ve pumped more than you really have.We recycle the bags so I feel ok about the single use of the bags. Also, even when I was using glass bottles with my first daughter, I was still using a single use bag to “stash” milk in my freezer so for me atleast, there isn’t any incremental environmental effect. For the amount of milk I stash daily, it wouldn’t be practical to use an all glass or bottle solution for my freezer.We started to use bags to make our own food purées. I’m not sure I would buy foodie system if I wasn’t already using the milk system. It is easy for us to fill bags with leftovers butternut squash soup or leftover potato leek soup but making my own purées of other items is time consuming.

I have been using the Kiinde Twist system for 3 months now, and it has worked really well for us. Here's my general routine:Pump at Work -I am back at work full time now, and I am fortunate to be able to pump 3 times a day at work. I use a Spectra S1 pump with Kiinde Twist adaptors. The adaptor connection to the Spectra is a tiny bit loose, but the direct pumping is super convenient. I fill 4 pouches a day. No complaints, except this one time (out of the ~150 times I've used it) the adaptor fell off from the pump and I lost about one ounce of milk.Measure and Store Milk -When I get home, I take my pumped milk and make 4 4oz pouches. I know a lot of people complain about the inaccuracy of the pouch volume markings, but the truth is that plenty of bottles are inaccurately marked as well. This is why I weigh everything with a kitchen scale, with the close enough assumption that 1 fluid oz = 1 mass oz. The conversion accuracy doesn't matter that much as long as you stay consistent. (Remember to subtract the weight of the empty pouch!) I mark each pouch with date and volume, and then I freeze them using the organizer. Other reviewers complain that the pouches don't freeze flat, but I see that as a positive because I can store them standing up. (See photo) I put them in a container with the oldest ones closest to the outside so I can use them first. When my organizer is full, I put the newest frozen pouches at the back of the container. Storing them standing up also allows me to easily see what size bottles I have available. If at the end of the day, I have a pouch that doesn't make 4 ounces, I'll put it in the fridge. If I pump at night in the next couple days, I can fill it up to 4 oz then freeze. I also like keeping a few smaller pouches in the freezer for top off feedings.Feeding -I breastfeed my daughter whenever I am physically around her, so she's only taken a bottle from other people. All feedback has been great! My daughter has never taken another bottle other than the Twist system with active latch nipple. One key thing to remember is to squeeze the air out of the pouches before putting on the nipple to prevent gas. This is especially necessary if you're using a paced bottle feeding method where the bottle stays mostly horizontal. I can't review the warmer because no one has ever used mine. We never had the need because the pouches warm up nice and fast under a faucet of warm water. Our daycare loves using these bottles because the direct feed is really convenient. We provide 4 pouches, 4 nipples, and 1 bottle a day. We save time in the morning packing my daughter's stuff because we don't have to make bottles. Cleaning at the end of the day is fast. I do feel a little bad about the amount of waste, but at least I recycle the bags.One note about the pouches... Kiinde redesigned them a few months ago, and the pouches are now longer than the bottle so they stick out at the bottom. To allow you to put the bottle on a flat surface, they provide this rubber spacer ring that you put on the bottom of the bottle. This has been pretty annoying because you need to keep taking it on and off when you switch out the pouches. Kiinde customer service told me this pouch design will be corrected later this year.Overall, the convenience of this system has enabled me to exclusively breastfeed my daughter while working full time. The recurring cost of pouches is definitely higher than other solutions, but in the end it has been worth the time saved for me.

I love the Kiinde system. It's easy to use, the milk warmer works great and heats gently to not destroy the nutrition/antibodies in breast milk. It takes a little longer to heat than a regular milk warmer, but if you are going to all the effort and hassle of pumping and storing breast milk you probably don't want to ruin it by over heating. A 4 to 5 ounce bottle, thawed in fridge, takes around 5.5 min to reheat, not too bad. This kit is great and comes with everything and more than needed to get started. The milk bag organizer was a nice thought but useless for the quantity of milk I am storing.I love the easy of use of the milk bags. I can go from a frozen bag, to the fridge to thaw, to the warmer and then just snap the bag into the bottle and pop on the nipple (the slow flow nipple is the best on the market, it doesn't even drip water when held upside down). I love that the bag can be compressed all the way to the top when in the bottle. Other bag systems, like Playtex, make it impossible to squish the bag at the top when in the bottle.Mild Inconveniences:The milk bags have a narrow opening in order to fit the nipples (which are the best on the market for slow flow in my opinion), which makes it hard to pour milk into if you don't pump directly into the bag (I use the Freemie collection cups - another awesome product), but a funnel helps if you are worried about spilling. I do it so often, I just our it carefully and don't spill, but I could do it faster if they had a funnel. I'd like to see them come out with a funnel that pops in like the nipples.It can sometimes be hard to get the bags to open up when empty and they don't stand up well until there is some milk. I find it better to pop the bag into the bottle when filling by hand to provide stability. The ounce measurements on the bag are useless because the level will depend on how open the bag is at the bottom and that varies a lot. I have to use a food scale to determine how many ounces are in the bag. All of these issues listed would be true for any bottle bag system. The convenience of simply throwing the bag away when done out weighs the issues.Also, the max you can fit in one bag is about 6 ounces. If you need to feed more than 6 ounces in a feeding, you'll have to switch out bags.