Lansinoh Products Review: Soothies Gel Pads, Milk Storage Bags, Latch Assist, and Nursing Pads

This is the second of two Lansinoh product reviews. To read the first one, where CaroLyn from Breeder Brain and I discussed the merits of the Lansinoh HPA Lanolin, Clean and Condition Cloths, and Diaper Rash Ointment, please go here. In this review CaroLyn will cover the LatchAssist, Breastmilk Storage Bags and Disposable Nursing Pads, and we will both cover the Soothies Gel Pads.

About Lansinoh

Lansinoh Laboratories was started 20 years ago by a breastfeeding mother and specifically designs products for breastfeeding mothers and breastfed babies.  This award winning company is well known for their award winning HPA Lanolin, recognized with The Silver Award as the Best Breastfeeding Product for mothers two years in a row in the UK. In addition, Lansinoh Diaper Rash Ointment just won the iParenting Media award for outstanding Outstanding Product of 2009 award in the Baby Care Category.

In 2004 it sold to Pigeon, a leading worldwide manufacturer of baby feeding products. To learn more about the ramifications of this decision you can go here. Lansinoh also has its own blog called ByMomsForMoms, which I encourage you to check out.

LatchAssist

 
The LatchAssist device is a small bulb with a flange attached designed to help draw out nipples to which a baby is having trouble latching, whether due to engorgement, or flat or inverted nipples. It’s a great, simple idea and there are a lot of happy customers out there.

CaroLyn’s story: I was eager to try this out when I realized that Emily and I were having trouble getting our latch down right. Unfortunately, my nipples aren’t the issue. Using it on me just pulled them out a bit more, and I didn’t find that they gave Emily any more flesh to use, as my nipples returned to their normal size and shape pretty quickly – that is, before I’ve moved the bulb out of the way and she has a chance to bob around and try to latch on. I’ve read that some lactation consultants are recommending it for pregnant women with flat or inverted nipples to train their nipples to come out before their baby is born. This is not how the packaging instructions suggests they be used, but I imagine this off label strategy is likely effective and easy. I don’t have a dishwasher and I’m not sure how to clean the bulb effectively without one, as everytime I use it, it gets filled with milk and some is usually retained even when held with the flange down to drain. Lansinoh materials promote it as a gentle pulling out of the nipple, but I found it rather forceful. I expect it seems gentler when your nipples are not super sensitive, which mine are.

What CaroLyn liked: I like the simplicity of this product – it’s very low intervention and low tech. The customer testimonials I’ve found online are generally enthusiastic as well.

What CaroLyn didn’t like: Cleaning could be a hassle. It’s a bit painful to use with very sensitive nipples, but that’s probably unavoidable.

Breastmilk Storage Bags

 
The Lansinoh breastmilk storage bags are initially fairly typical of the genre – ziploc style closure and a label field to mark the date and quantity at the top. The packaging includes very detailed instructions on use, as well as several reminders not to thaw frozen milk in the microwave.

CaroLyn’s story: Because I started pumping very early, I quickly developed a bit of an oversupply. Not wanting to waste the sometimes painfully expressed milk when the stash in the fridge was piling up, I bought some Medela Pump & Save breastmilk storage bags. Then Melodie sent me the Lansinoh breastmilk storage bags which had been given to her by the Lansinoh rep. Overall, the Lansinoh bags are very good, with some nice features and a minor drawback. The Lansinoh bags are labelled up to 180 mL or 6 oz, while the Medela bags are only labelled for up to 150 mL or 5 oz. The Lansinoh bags also have a double ziploc seal – a nice feature for us pumping moms who might cry over spilt milk! The packaging of the Lansinoh bags note that they are the thickest storage bags available, which is also reassuring as a receptacle for our precious baby food. My only complaint is about the writing surface – the only type of pen I found useful on this surface was a Sharpie, though I expect any felt tip pen would be fine. The Medela bags however can be written on with any pen or pencil I happen to have handy, and that’s a definite bonus.

What CaroLyn liked: I appreciate the sense of security that comes with the double ziploc seal and the claim to thickest bag available. The larger size is a bonus for those days when I’ve been especially productive.

What CaroLyn didn’t like: Trying to find the Sharpie to label the bags is a bit annoying, especially when my apartment is in total new baby disarray.

Disposable Nursing Pads

The Lansinoh nursing pads come individually wrapped, with a small adhesive on the backs to attach to the inside of your bra or nursing tank. Like most nursing pads, the idea is to wear them between nursing or pumping to absorb any little leaks rather than have them absorbed into and then visible through your top.

CaroLyn’s story: I haven’t had a huge need for these yet as I’m still on my maternity leave and rarely far from my baby or pump. However, I’ve popped them in when we’re going to be out and about for awhile. They are less visible under clothes than my reusable cotton nursing pads, but not invisible, at least not under just a nursing tank, which I am living in during the hot and sticky Washington DC summer! I found too that the adhesive is not very sticky, and they fairly quickly get crumpled and detached from my top after one or two adjustments, such as pulling the cup down for a nursing session. The disposable pads are definitely more absorbent than the reusable cotton ones – I  put one of each on top of a piece of paper towel and put 3 mL (about a tenth of an ounce) of water in the center of each, and then pressed down on them. After a few moments, the reusable nursing pad both felt damp to touch and had let some water through to the paper towel. The disposable pad did not leak through and the surface shortly felt dry again. I had to perform this test, though, because by the end of a trip out in the afternoon, I’m so sweaty that even the disposable pads are soaked and sticky! I expect that nursing pads will be more useful to me when I go back to work in cooler weather, my hormones have normalized and I may be stuck in meetings or on the phone beyond when my body expects me to be pumping or nursing.

What CaroLyn liked: These are very absorbent, and should be good for typical use (as opposed to long walks in humid summer weather). The packaging is clever and involves no more materials than necessary. The pads are low profile but not invisible under clingy clothes.

What CaroLyn didn’t like: My environmentalist self won’t let me buy disposable stuff when I have found perfectly acceptable reusable stuff, so I probably won’t buy more when I run out. I also think the adhesive could be improved. The adhesive used for sanitary pads, for example, is sturdier and I imagine would be usable for this purpose.

Soothies Gel Pads

These gel pads were designed to enhance breastfeeding success by providing instant cooling relief for painful nipples and comfort and protection to the delicate nipple area.

Melodie’s story: It’s been a long time since I have had painful nipples due to breastfeeding, but I wanted to see what these were all about anyway. There were two in the box I received and they are reuseable so I would think that two is all you would ever need. They look similar to nursing pads and are the same diameter, but they have a light cotton weave on one side and a thin honey-coloured, gelatin-like gel on the other. Each has a plastic cover (not a peel away backing) that you can replace after use. You take off the plastic cover and put the gel side over your nipple. You can feel the cooling sensation immediately but I did find it wore off after awhile. You can put these in the refrigerator to increase the coolness, and if I had painful nipples I think I would do this. I wore mine for an hour. They were very comfortable and I pretty much forgot that I was wearing them. The only thing about gel pads is that you are supposed to clean off your nipples before nursing your baby again. Even though there was only a 20 minute window between the time I removed them and the time I latched on my toddler, I completely forgot to wipe off my nipples until halfway through the feed. Oops! I don’t think this was too much of an issue though as I didn’t see any gel residue on my nipples and even if she ingested some, the gel pads contain no toxic ingredients. “Soothies are composed of vegetable-based glycerin, water, and polyacrylamide (a non-toxic absorbent binding agent) all of which are nontoxic to mother and baby. Soothies is specifically formulated with 17½% water and 65% glycerin.” [Source].

The box includes a “Caution” to not use the gel pads for more than three weeks and to discontinue use if nipple pain persists beyond a week or if the nipple is cracked, bleeding, scabbed, blistered or excessively painful and to seek the help of an ICBLC or your health care provider if this is so. It also says “Keep away from children,” but I am going to venture a guess that this doesn’t mean the gel pads will kill your toddler if he or she decides to eat them, but like any non-food product, you don’ want your kid munching on them.

In studies, Hydrogel pads have been shown to relieve sore nipples, but one such pad (Elasto-gel) has shown to increase nipple infections; however, no problems with infections have been documented regarding the Soothies pads [Source]. However, in my opinion learning proper latch-on techniques and positioning will always be superior to any “quick fix” breastfeeding product, regardless of brand.

CaroLyn’s story: I definitely had sore nipples in the first few days of pumping, and found great relief using the Soothies. However, I was annoyed at being asked to wipe off the gel residue before nursing or pumping, and decided to put them aside until I go back to work, when I hope to be pumping on a more regular schedule. In the meantime, I treated my sore nipples with the Lansinoh Lanolin, soaked them in epsom salts and tried to keep them dry.

What I liked: These are very absorbent which is great for the constant leaky breasts of the new mom. They are also very comfortable and soothing. We also like that they are re-useable and are undetectable through clothing.

What CaroLyn liked: The re-usableness is also appealing to me, and I definitely look forward to having a gel pad that is so thin under my work clothes.

What we didn’t like: Regardless of their non-toxicity, we don’t like that you have to remember to wipe off the gel residue before nursing your baby. Moms have enough things to remember to do already.

Now for the fun part!

The Giveaway

This contest is now closed.

Related posts:

1. Lansinoh Products Review: HPA Lanolin, Diaper Rash Ointment and Wipes
2. Review: Honeysuckle Breast Milk Storage Bags
3. Winners Of Honeysuckle Breast Milk Storage Bags
4. Baby O’Really Designer Nursing Pads Review
5. Update on Lansinoh’s WHO Code Compliance

Tags: breastfeeding products, Lansinoh