Pages

Monday, June 11, 2012

Planetwise Wet Bags: An Alternative View


Planet Wise Inc. is a well-known company with cloth diapering parents, and they offer great quality products. In fact, I own pail liners, snack bags, sandwich bags (and wraps) and wet bags from them. I love them all. Yes, every one of those items is pluralized, too. I have 3 pail liners, actually. I can have one in the pail, one in the wash, and one hanging dry on the line!  Obviously, I am impressed with the quality of the items, but I have to admit that my new favorite item is their small sized wet bag… and not for use of diapers.

Don’t get me wrong, the wet bags work great for diapers! I’ve never had a leak, I’ve never had any issue with the bag’s zipper closure, and I’ve never had any fading problems with the awesome designs they have. I use a medium wet bag for our diaper bag, as the small one is… well, small. That’s the point though,  right? 

Here's my medium (print: Outerspace) next to my small (print: Tropical Retreat):

Photobucket

....and a quick glance at the inner (water-proof!) layer:

Photobucket  

So, for those of you who were unaware, I am a full-time working mother. I have pumped for my son to have milk since I returned to work. I have a double-electric pump and I pump on my work breaks, but was rather flustered at the means I had to store items. My pump came with a tiny cooler bag for the bottles, but I was at a loss of what to do for the actual pump pieces. I didn’t have time to clean the parts after I would pump since I had a 15 minute break, but I figured that if breast milk is good in the fridge for 4 days, then the pump parts could be put in the fridge for the next 4 hours until I had another break. I could just take them home each night. I grabbed one of those big rectangular lunch bags that are insulated, put some paper towels in there to keep the parts from touching the material on the sides and bottom, and was on my way. That took up a LOT of room though, and the bag eventually broke down. It split at the sides, the lining cracked from the continuous usage, and it started becoming difficult to unzip. On top of that, it smelled a bit funky… and I was pretty sure there was no way to get that smell out since the padded insulation was now exposed from the cracked material. Yup, I was on the quest for a new way to do this.

I went to a local breastfeeding store and asked about Planet Wise storage bags. I saw on the Planet Wise website that they have quart storage bags and gallon storage bags (in addition to the sandwich and snack bags), so I figured this local store might have them (they carry Planet Wise products). I was in there and the owner suggested trying a wet bag. I had just mentioned to her that wet bags make great impromptu ice packs since they will hold in the water from the melted ice and they are insulated so you’re not instantly freezing when you place the bag against the ailing part….. so why didn’t I think of a wet bag for this storage? It was a great idea!

I bought a small Planet Wise wet bag and found that my pump parts fit (assembled, mind you) perfectly with a bit of room to spare. The fact the bags are lined meant I didn’t have to worry about any droplets of milk seeping into the material and making it smell or look funny. 



Photobucket

A peek inside with the pump parts shows we have extra room!

Photobucket



No, really! There is still a bit of room:
Photobucket

I love the fact it takes up less space in the fridge now, and that I have a lovely bag I can use for other things when I’m done with pumping for my son!

Check out all the other great wet bag prints (and products!) Planet Wise has to offer!

Photobucket

Disclosure: The product mentioned above was purchased by me, and I received no compensation for this publication. My opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own.

14 comments:

  1. What a great idea! I have almost no success with a pump, but I can see how this would be perfect for those that need to pump away from home. I love all the pictures showing how it fits in there! ~Melissa

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! These also work great for ice packs if you get hurt :)

      Delete
  2. I NEED to remember this the next time I have to work and pump. I have passed that stage with my daughter. Thanks for the tip!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's been really helpful since I know if any leftover milk drips into the bag it won't stink because it is so easy to clean! :)

      Delete
  3. I love the wet bags! Thank you for the blog post!

    ReplyDelete
  4. About time, no thank you to the one week headstart though!









    Bag Liners

    ReplyDelete
  5. I never thought to use a wet bag for my breast pump parts - genius! I will definitely use that idea and thanks for showing off the PW wet bags; I only have a Rumparooz one and a Blueberry one as well.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'm so going to do this! I wondered, do you use just one bag for the week and then wash it at the end if the week? Or do you need multiple? Could I fit a bottle in there too? It looks like it. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What size bottle, one for a breast pump? You would want the medium size if that were the case. The small was perfect for the pump parts. :) Since I was keeping the entire wetbag in the fridge, yes. I washed at the end of the week. If breastmilk is good for a (roughly) a week (freshly put into the fridge), then I didn't see why the bag wouldn't be. Of course, it's just more sanitary in general to clean daily and the pump parts too, but sometimes that's not always doable... especially when you were working 10 hour days like I was!

      Delete
    2. Yes, I was thinking one for the pump. And agreed - I have some long days ahead of me so I'm looking for ways to streamline my routine as well as be green. Thanks for the reply!

      Delete
    3. Of course! I read all comments posted on my blog. :) I store the bag (when not in use) with bottles or other such things, and I wash it with clothes. I figured diapers can stay with diapers ;)

      Delete
  7. This is a great idea! I'd never thought of using a wet bag for pump parts. I like the PW wet bags, although mine did fade a bit.

    ReplyDelete
  8. do you think the small bag can hold 2 sets of pump parts?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The small bag is shown holding both pump parts. I had a double pump, so the 3rd picture down shows what it is holding. You might be able to fit 2 pairs in there if you take them completely apart instead of leaving them put together, but otherwise, no.

      Delete