The 9 Best Manual Breast Pumps of 2021 – Reviews and Buying Guide

Breast pumps started with the invention of manual breast pumps as the simple solution for traveling and busy moms’ yearnings to breastfeed their babies.

It is also an effortless way of not denying the baby breast milk for moms who have other genuine reasons not to directly breastfeed their babies.

Many moms want to breastfeed their babies following doctors’ prescriptions and advice but are faced with several challenges stopping them from doing so.

Also, Some mothers have infections placing restrictions on them. Some give birth to twins, triplets, or more, and breastfeeding them equally becomes a major problem.

Contents

Mums who want to travel and need manual breast pumps while on the road sometimes find it difficult to choose the best manual pumps in the market.

We compile the top manual breast pumps list in the market using these manual pumps’ unique features as the yardstick for rating them.

The portability, cost, ease of dismantling, assemblage, and washing are the key features that make the best manual breast pumps for travel a convenient tool across the world.

Another major thing to look out for when choosing the best manual breast pump is the ease of using it. You don’t want to purchase a tool; you have to attend training before using it.

Steps Involved in Using Manual Breast Pumps for Exclusive Pumping

  • Wash your hands thoroughly before touching the bottles or any other part of the pump that will contact the breast milk.
  • Place the breast shield on your nipple, making sure it is not touching the shield’s side.
  • Start pumping the breast milk by squeezing the handle of your manual breast pump. The milk does not start coming immediately until after some initial pumping.
  • Switch to the other breast for pumping after 15 minutes of pumping the first one
  • When you are through with the breast pump, dismantle and wash all the parts and air dry.  

Do I Need A Breast Pump?

A breast pump isn’t really important for a nursing mom. However, it will be a smart thought to consider having one for occasional use. Many new moms want to spend time with their babies, and some may have that extravagance while some may not. Being around for each second to take care of your infant isn’t generally conceivable. The simple requests of life make breastfeeding troublesome for working moms.

You may also want to reconsider owning a breast pump if you breast more than eight times a day, and your baby latches well. In this case, you may consider getting a silicone breast pump for collecting letdown from your second breast while your baby nurse on the other. 

For this reason, the breast pump seems unavoidable for nursing moms because we know every drop of the liquid gold counts. Also, if you will be resuming back to work or spend some time away from your baby, I profoundly urge you to put resources into a decent breast pump. With the aid of a breast pump, you will be able to provide your baby with the right amount of nutrients needed for his/her physical and mental growth. 

Best Manual Breast Pump for Travel Reviews 

Let’s take you through a list of our experts picked manual breast pumps in the market at the moment.

1. The Medela Harmony Manual Breast Pump

best manual breast pumpThe Medela Harmony Manual Breast Pump is currently the best manual breast pump for moms with low breast milk supply.

It offers the highest possible suction needed to fully drain your breast and stimulate the breast for more milk.

The Medela Harmony includes the breast pump, a 24 mm breast shield, one 5-ounce bottle with a lid and a stand, and all the breast pump parts you’ll need. It uses 2-phase expression technology.

During the first phase, you prepare your breasts for a let-down by using the lever that is closest to the breast shield.

Once the breast milk begins to come out of your breast, you use the longer lever to pump the milk until your breast is emptied. The suction of the Medela Harmony manual pump is soft and gentle on the skin.

It is also straightforward to use and may not require the use of the instruction manual.

Features 

  • It gives the highest suction of all manual breast pumps in the market.
  • It makes little to no noise, and it is amazingly cheap for your use.
  • Easy to dismantle, wash, and reassemble to forestall the infection of your baby’s meal by germs.
  • For occasional time away from the baby. It can be used when you are away from your baby.
  • 2 phase expression technology; the short plunger prepares the breast for the milk to start flowing while the longer plunger keeps the breast milk flowing till the breast is fully drained.
  • The lightweight design is portable and discreet, making it very handy and ‘easy to carry around without any hassle.
  • Personal Fit 24 mm breast shield for improved comfort and breast milk efficient flow. Different sizes of breast shields are available for sale individually.
  • Each part of the Medela Harmony breast pump that touches the breast milk is made without BPA – which is much safer for your baby.

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 2. Haakaa Silicone Manual Breast Pump

best manual breast pumps Haakaa Silicone manual breast pump is the most comfortable manual breast pump for traveling moms ever produced. It is used on one breast when the baby is suckling the other breast.

The let-down on one breast prompts the milk to continue flowing on the other breast. It might not be suitable as the main breast pump as it pumps quite slowly and also pumps a small amount of milk since it requires no squeezing before the milk start flowing continuously.

Fold the flange back, place it over your breast, and then release it again to create a super stronghold.

The Haakaa Silicone breast pump is the best used manual breast pump worldwide as a milk catcher rather than used as your only pump.

Some moms have been able to pump by squeezing and releasing, but others find it better as an occasional relief only and still uses a stronger pump at other times.

Haakaa breast pump has a bit of a cult/blind following amongst breastfeeding moms worldwide for several good reasons.

Its iconic design couldn’t be simpler, with a single piece of perfectly shaped silicone that you use to suction your breasts manually. 

Features

  • Soft and comfortable on the skin while in use.
  • It is approved by FDA as 100% high-quality food-grade silicone. Every mom wants green- safety baby products, and the Haakaa pump is BPA PVC and Phthalate Free.
  • The Haakaa Silicone manual breast pump is lightweight and portable. 
  • Suction to your breast and let the pump do the work for you as it draws your milk using suction, or you can use it for let-down what would otherwise be lost in a breast pad as you breastfeed on the other breast. Perfect for long-distance trips, planes, car rides, or anywhere you would like to express silently and discretely.
  • For dishwasher and can be sterilized. No cords, batteries, or assembly required. It’s easy to clean and use.
  • It is made from 100% food-grade silicone material and could work with a flower stopper or silicone lid.

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3. Lansinoh Manual Breast Pump

best manual breast pumpLansinoh manual breast pump is by far the fastest manual breast pump around. It is made for moms who have very little time at work and travel to quickly drain their breast milk once or mostly twice in the day.

This pump is designed with two different modes, which are the stimulation and the expression modes. This feat allows moms to find the right suction and the best fit that works for them.

The ergonomic design and easy-express handle will prevent your hand and fingers from getting hurt due to repetitive squeezing movements.

The Lansinoh manual breast pump can be used with other milk-saving bottles. 

Features

  • The Lansinoh Manual breast pump uses innovative two-phase technology to conveniently and comfortably express breast milk. The handle of the pump can be easily adjusted to switch between Stimulation and Expression phases. The Stimulation phase allows more rapid suction, similar to your baby’s suction pattern at the beginning of a breastfeeding session, which will cause the milk to start flowing freely. Once the milk starts flowing, it’s easy to switch to the Expression phase by giving slower cycles with more suction to express breast milk efficiently.
  • The lightweight manual breast pump has an ergonomic easy-express handle to reduce hand fatigue and pain due to continuous squeezing. It can be easily carried in any bag while traveling for quiet pumping sessions on the road.
  • This breast pump features dual-mode pumping & includes two flange sizes (standard 25mm & large 30.5mm), and Natural Wave nipple cap & collar. It provides ideal and excellent suction, storage, and feeding pattern at your convenience. 
  • The Lansinoh breast pumps allow you to pump directly into our pre-sterilized Lansinoh breast milk storage bags for convenient, hygienic pumping that saves precious breast milk from contamination at rapid successions.
  • It is designed from the best BPA friendly materials in the market to give your baby breast milk just like he/she is suckling directly from your breast.
  • It is also ridiculously cheap and straightforward to use. Most buyers have confessed to its simplicity in dismantling, washing, and reassembling. It is arguably the most affordable manual breast pump in the market.
  • The Lansinoh manual breast pump is uniquely invented by a breastfeeding mom to help other moms worldwide achieve breastfeeding with manual breast pumps with a difference.

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4. NatureBond Silicone Breastfeeding Manual Breast Pump

best manual breast pumps

Collecting letdown and relieving engorgement is now made easy with the naturebond silicone breast pump. The pump features a simple design similar to that of the haakaa breast pump. 

This breast pump features a pump stopper that prevents accidental milk spillage and leakage. The pump stopper also helps prevent pumped milk from being exposed when you take a break while pumping. 

Furthermore, the naturebond silicone breast is soft on the skin, making it more comfortable to use by many moms. The new model of this pump comes with a strap so you can have your pump with you anywhere. 

This pump is perfect for traveling; it is lightweight and will fit into any nursing bag for easy portability. No form of noise while using this pump, and also hassle-free making it convenient to use. 

Features 

  • The pump is generally easy to use. 
  • Made with 100% food-grade silicone and BPA free to ensure the safety of your baby
  • Portable and lightweight making it easy to move around. 
  • Hands-free and hassle-free pumping for comfortable and convenient pumping 
  • Comes with a lid cover to prevent accidental spillage of milk making
  • No assembling is needed. 

No parts and cleaning is as easy as possible, also dishwasher safe.

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5. Philips Avent Manual Comfort Breast Pump

best manual breast pumpsThis breast pump, as the name implies, is very comfortable in so many great ways. It has a nicely compact structure that is easy to fix in place on the breast, and its continuous pumping gives comfort to the hands.

The Philips Avent Manual Comfort breast pump has very lightweight, making it an excellent kit to carry around while traveling. It also has a textured massage cushion to boost the let-down, which leads to the woman’s breast milk flow.

This breast pump’s shape makes it quite easy to fix on the breast and find the best position for free milk flow from the breast and set it in place while pumping goes on.

There are special bottles that work perfectly with this manual breast pump and other large-mouthed bottles in the market.

They are easy to dismantle, washed, and reassembled with relative ease and little difficulty. The Philips Avent Manual Comfort Breast pump is arguably the fastest in milk expression amongst the market’s quality manual breast pumps.

Features

  • Very easy to pump and quite comfortable to use at all times while traveling
  • More suiting and comfortable pumping position due to its unique design.
  • Soft, textured massage cushion helps stimulate milk flow at a rapid rate.
  • The Compact, lightweight design of the pump body makes it easy to hold and position on your breast
  • Compatible with other Philips Avent feeding products, such as Natural and Classic bottles and breast milk storage containers, and other wide-mouthed bottles.
  • Made from BPA-Free materials to make the baby free from milk contaminations and infections 
  • The collection container that connects to the pump also works as a bottle with the included natural, breast-shaped nipple.
  • The breast pump also features an uncomplicated design with only a few parts that can all be washed in the dishwasher. 

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6. Bumblebee Manual Breast Pump with Stopper

best manual breast pumps Even though a silicone breast pump’s primary purpose is to collect letdowns, now they are being used as a breast pump because of the comfort and hassle-free experience they give. 

The Bumblebee breast pump is made of food-grade silicone, which is entirely safe for you and the baby. It is soft on the skin and does not hurt the nipple. In addition, this pump comes with a saver and a stopper to prevent pumped milk from getting contaminated. 

This pump features a simple design with very few parts to clean, making it a comfortable tool for moms. Furthermore, this breast pump comes with strong suction to ensure it is efficient, saving some precious time. This pump also gives you a hassle-free pumping experience compared to the pump with an ergonomic handle.

With this pump, no assembling is needed; it can be used straight out of the box, but don’t forget to sterilize before use. 

Features

  • Provide a hassle-free pumping experience 
  • features a strong suction for better efficiency 
  • Made of 100% food-grade silicone safe for use by both mom and the baby 
  • Comes with a lid cover to prevent milk spillage 
  • Features a portable and lightweight design making it easy to move around 
  • No assembling required 
  • Easy to clean and dishwasher safer 
  • it is also comfortable on the skin
  • Safe for milk warmer and can be boiled in water.

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7. NUK Expressive Manual Breastpump 

best manual breast pumpsMoms with large breasts have found it quite challenging to get the perfect manual breast pump to work conveniently for them without any hitch. The NUK expressive manual breast pump is specifically designed for plus-size moms.

This pump is made for occasional use and costs a lot less than many of its competitors in the market. Moms can adjust both the pump’s speed and suction as they use it, and the milk pumps straight into any NUK bottle that you attach.

It is also designed with an ergonomic handle to reduce the strain on your hand while pumping. The Nuk Expressive breast pump weighs just about 5 Oz and few parts for easy dismantling and washing. Also very easy to carry around while traveling.

It was noticed that this pump works best when the breastfeeding mom leans slightly forward – that allows the milk to go into the bottle and not run out of the unit.  

Features 

  • Easy to clean and assemble.
  • It is built such that you can control the suction and speed you need with relative ease; the shape of the cushion molds perfectly to the shape of your breast to help stimulate the let-down and efficient flow of milk while pumping.
  • The ergonomic handle helps to minimize hand fatigue while pumping. The ergonomic handle is designed to align closer to the milk collection bottle while pumping.
  • It is designed with a breast cushion for ultimate comfort for moms.
  • This pump weighs only 5.5 ounces making it the lightest manual breast pump in the market.
  • It is designed with simple parts to clean and assemble without training and less time-consuming. Press down faster on the handle to help promote let-down when you first start pumping, then change to slower presses on the handle after let-down to better mimic the baby’s deep suckling once your breast milk is flowing

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8. Unimom Manual Breast Pump with Soft Silicone Massaging Breast Shield

best manual breast pumps

The unimom is a double compo manual breast pump pack that comes with everything your need to pump right away. The pack includes a regular manual pump and a nipple cover to pump and feed right away. 

This pump is made of BPA free and safe materials to ensure the pump is safe for use. In addition, this pump is lightweight and portable, which makes it a perfect fit for traveling. It will fit into any bag or purse without adding any significant weight to your luggage. 

Furthermore, this pump features an ergonomic handle to ensure the pumping process is comfortable for a better pumping experience. This pump also comes with a silicone massaging breast shield or flange, which ensures the pump is safe, comfortable, and convenient for use. 

This pump package includes a diaphragm with stem, massager breast shield, and shield cover, diaphragm cover, and a milk bottle with a stand and covers to ensure a better pumping experience is served. 

Features

  • Made of high quality and food-grade materials 
  • Comes 
  • Come with an ergonomic handle for a better pumping experience. 
  • Also, it comes with a bottle stand and covers to prevent accidental milk spillage. 
  • It also features a nipple mouth cover for direct feeding after pumping. 
  • Comes with a silicone breast massage for better comfort 
  • lightweight and portable, making it easy to move around

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9. Tommee Tippee Made for Me Single Manual Breast Pump

best manual breast pumps The Tommee tippee manual breast pump features a unique design, which makes it a handy tool. This breast pump comes with a soft and easy to use the ergonomic handle, enhancing the pumping process. 

This pump is made of BPA or BPS-free materials to ensure it is safe for you and the baby. Furthermore, the pump is designed to reduce the strain of using a manual breast pump, which helps to make this pump comfortable for use. Besides, this pump features a soft and comfortable flange for a better pumping experience. 

The pump comes with very parts making it easy to assemble. Also, its parts are dishwasher safe and can also be sterilized in warm water for extra reassurance. Furthermore, this pump gives you the freedom to pump even when your baby is sleeping – relatively silent and does not produce disturbing sounds. 

Features 

  • Feature a unique design for better pumping experience 
  • Made of good grade materials – safe for mom and the baby 
  • Comfortable flange for better pumping experience 
  • Comes with fewer parts, which makes it easy to assemble 
  • Its parts are easy to cleans and dishwasher compatible. 
  • The pump is also silent, produces less noise. 
  • Comes with a soft and easy to use handle

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Manual breast Pumps FAQ’s 

Do you get more milk with a manual pump?

The amount of milk you get with a manual breast pump depends on your body. If your breast is properly stimulated and your body is calm while trying to pump, you will likely get more milk in such a moment. It is important to know that stress and proper nutrition affect the supply of breast milk. Furthermore, to enhance stimulation for an easy letdown, you can use a lactation massager before and while pumping. This device will prepare your breast for better milk flow while you pump. 

Does a manual breast pump increase milk supply?

Yes, if you are exclusively pumping or using the breast pump to empty your breast frequently after nursing, it will increase the milk supply. Though this might be tedious because of the stressed mom needs to go through before pumping. If you are looking to increase your milk supply, it is more advisable to use an electric breast pump, which is more effective and efficient than a manual breast pump. In addition, you won’t have to go through the rigorous stress of squeezing a handle.  

Does a manual breast pump work better?

This depends on what you want to use a manual breast pump for; below is a simple breakdown of what a manual breast pump can do 

  • Are you trying to relieve engorgement? Yes
  • Are you looking to pump occasionally? Yes
  • Did you want to increase your milk supply? No
  • Are you interested in pumping exclusively? No

Which is better electric or manual breast pump?

Before deciding on the right breast pump, you may want to consider the price. Sometimes the price is the deciding factor for moms when it comes to picking the right one. Keep in mind that electric pumps are priced much higher than manual pumps.

Even if you are investing in a breast pump or if your struggling to afford one, try to buy the best one you can. There are many affordable ones out there, but they may not fit your specific needs. Every situation is unique. Thus, going the cheaper route can result in insufficient suction to express the appropriate amount of breast milk. 

Conclusion 

If you need to pump your breast milk for your baby while traveling is not too consistent and much, you will most likely fall in love with the manual breast pumps.

The very best manual breast pumps for traveling moms are amazingly cheap, and they are also useful alternatives for the electrically powered breast pumps.

Manual breast pumps will assist you to skip the hassle of trying to recharge your pump often. Although efforts are firmly on eliminating the manual breast pumps, they are still handy for progressing moms to help them give their babies the best.

I sincerely hope that this article will help you make the right decision to choose the best manual breast pump for traveling moms.

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