How Long Is Breast Milk Good For
Start the correct CDC clock at expression, thawing, warming, feeding or cooler storage and let infant context or storage uncertainty override it. Sensitive inputs stay in your browser.
The clock starts from the selected milk state: expression, complete thawing, warming, the end of feeding or cooler storage. Changing state starts a different CDC limit.
Context matters.
- The CDC table is for healthy, full-term babies. Premature, hospitalized or medically fragile infants may need stricter clinical instructions.
- Never microwave breast milk. Once completely thawed, do not refreeze it; milk that still contains ice crystals after a power outage may be refrozen.
- When combining cooled milk from different expression times, base the storage duration on the oldest milk. When the milk changes state, record the new start time.
Sources & scope
The calculation guide and this source trail show what the result means, where the rule came from and when it was last reviewed. This is source-and-calculation QA, not a claim of medical, legal, tax or other professional review; time-sensitive decisions still belong with the linked authority.
A visible path from input to answer.
Start the correct CDC clock at expression, thawing, warming, feeding or cooler storage and let infant context or storage uncertainty override it. The page keeps the calculation scope and its limits beside the result so the output can be checked, copied or revisited.
- Read the record. The calculator uses Milk state, State began on, State began at, Check date and Check time and 2 additional fields supplied in the form.
- Apply the scope. It applies the United States human-milk handling — CDC healthy-full-term storage table; clinical plan controls for fragile infants reference and the explicit date, unit and counting conventions shown in the result.
- Expose the checkpoints. Intermediate rows, warnings and timeline events stay visible; the emphasized row identifies the primary checkpoint when one exists.
The clock starts from the selected milk state: expression, complete thawing, warming, the end of feeding or cooler storage. Changing state starts a different CDC limit.
- Final CDC boundarySep 3, 2026 at 08:00
Calculation purpose: Start the correct CDC clock at expression, thawing, warming, feeding or cooler storage and let infant context or storage uncertainty override it. This is a high-sensitivity reference output; the linked authority or qualified professional controls the final decision.
Calendar inputs use plain year-month-day semantics. Leap days, month ends, date-pair order and unsupported dates are checked before the result is shown.
Rule set 2.0.0 · Last reviewed 2026-08-20 · Next review due 2027-02-20. The source panel below contains the linked evidence.
What to know before using the result.
When does the breast-milk storage clock begin?
Use the earliest relevant event: expression for fresh milk, complete thawing for thawed milk, or warming/feeding for milk that has been offered. The most restrictive active clock controls.
Why does frozen milk show both six and twelve months?
CDC describes about six months as best quality and up to twelve months as acceptable in a freezer at 0°F / -18°C or colder. Storage conditions and the infant's care plan still matter.
Do the standard limits apply to a premature or hospitalized infant?
Not necessarily. Hospitals and clinical teams may use stricter handling rules for premature, sick or immunocompromised infants, so their instructions override this household reference.