While there are a whole host of portable breast pumps – small enough to fit in a bag and simple enough to assemble quickly when needed – wearable breast pumps, on the other hand, are harder to track down. Elvie are leading the way in this department and their 12.8cm pump, which is small enough to tuck into your bra, is a top choice among busy mums and one I couldn’t live without in my pumping journey.
Moulded to your breast much like a silicone bra insert, the Elvie pump is silent, wireless and can collect around 140ml of milk at a speed somewhere between its manual and mains-powered competitors. It may be expensive, but the glowing reviews really do speak for themselves. Still not convinced? Why not check out our full Elvie review, written by a mum, for mums.
Scroll for our full edit of the best breast pumps for pain and hassle-free expressing.
1. Best do-it-all breast pump
Type: Electric.
Dishwasher safe? Yes.
Wearable? No.
Pros: Adaptable breast shields, an accessories pack – including a cooling bag – and a touchscreen interface with a delay start function, giving you 10-seconds to fix both flanges into place before stimulation begins.
Cons: The control panel vibrates when in use and can move across surfaces as a result.
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2. Best electric breast pump
Type: Electric.
Dishwasher safe? Yes.
Wearable? No.
Pros: It detects the right about of stimulation to initiate maximum milk flow and features a rechargeable battery so you needn’t be sat by a mains plug. Plus, the breast shields fit 99.98% of nipples.
Cons: None of note.
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3. Best manual breast pump
Type: Manual.
Dishwasher safe? Although dishwasher safe, the brand recommends hand washing in warm soapy water and rinsing and drying thoroughly. Do not use any bleach based cleaners or tablets to sterilise or clean your Haakaa products, they warn.
Wearable? No.
Pros: Uses natural suction, requires zero battery or mains supply and, in terms of ease of use, it’s by far the most simple to clean and is even suitable for the dishwasher.
Cons: Lid sold separately.
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4. Best wearable breast pump
Type: Electric.
Dishwasher safe? Yes.
Wearable? Yes.
Pros: Ultra-quiet, controlled via bluetooth on an app on your smartphone, is easy to clean with only five parts and no tubes, and it can automatically detect let-down in your nipples and switch from stimulation to expression on its own.
Cons: Not the fastest at expressing milk.
Read our full Elvie breast pump review now.
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5. Best breast pump for bigger breasts
Type: Manual.
Dishwasher safe? Yes.
Wearable? No.
Pros: Gives mums more control over how much they’re expressing, to avoid that feeling of milking you dry (for lack of a better phrase…). Plus, it’s super lightweight and features only three parts for really easy cleaning.