Learn how to manage your breast milk stash in Dalo Milk Stash. This tutorial covers adding storage locations, logging bags, moving bags between storages, splitting bags, and seeing your Freedom Number™ — the exact number of days of food your baby has banked.
Why Manage Your Freezer Stash Digitally?
A growing freezer stash is reassuring until it becomes unmanageable. Bags get buried, dates rub off, and milk expires before you realize it is there. Dalo Milk Stash turns your phone into a breast milk inventory manager so you always know what you have, where it is, and when it should be used.
How Stash Administration Works
Add Storage Locations
Most parents use more than one place to store milk: a kitchen freezer, a deep freezer, a work fridge, or even a freezer at a caregiver’s house. Dalo Milk Stash lets you create a storage for each physical location. Each storage keeps its own bag count and total volume, so you always know not just how much milk you have, but where it is.
Log Bags
Each time you freeze a bag, log it in a few taps. The app records:
- Volume — in milliliters or ounces
- Date frozen — so you always know how old the milk is
- Storage location — which freezer the bag is in
- Expiration date — calculated automatically based on CDC and ABM guidelines
Move Bags Between Storages
When you move milk in real life, update it in the app so your digital stash stays in sync. Select the bags, choose the destination storage, and confirm. The app updates the locations but your total stash volume and Freedom Number™ stay the same, because no milk was used — only relocated.
Split Bags
If you only need part of a bag, you can split it in the app. Dalo Milk Stash divides the original bag into two portions with the volumes you specify, keeping your inventory accurate without losing track of any milk.
Expiration Tracking and FIFO Rotation
The app uses CDC and Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM) guidelines to calculate expiration dates automatically. When you select a storage type, the appropriate guideline is applied:
- Refrigerator freezer compartment: up to 6 months
- Standalone deep freezer: up to 12 months
The app alerts you before any bag expires and uses FIFO (first in, first out) rotation to recommend which bags to thaw next, so you always use the oldest milk first.
Your Freedom Number™
The Freedom Number tells you exactly how many days of food your baby has banked in your freezer. It is calculated from your total stash volume divided by your baby’s daily intake, and it updates automatically as you add, use, or move bags. It gives you long-term confidence that every pump session is building toward your goal — whether that’s returning to work, a planned break, or weaning from the pump.
Tips for Stash Management
- Log bags right away. The sooner you log a bag after freezing, the more accurate your stash data will be.
- Use with the Digital Pitcher. Track your fridge milk in the Digital Pitcher and your frozen milk in Stash Administration for a complete inventory.
- Track your pumping too. Pair stash management with pumping session tracking to see the full picture from pump to freezer.
- Combo feeding? If you supplement with formula, your Freedom Number adjusts automatically. Learn more in our combo feeding guide.
Stash Administration is available in Dalo Milk Stash on iOS and Android.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How long does breast milk last in the freezer?
- It depends on the type of freezer. In a refrigerator freezer compartment, breast milk lasts up to 6 months. In a standalone deep freezer, it can last up to 12 months. My Milk Stash automatically calculates expiration dates based on CDC and ABM guidelines when you select your storage type.
- What is the FIFO method for breast milk?
- FIFO stands for first in, first out. It means using your oldest frozen milk before newer milk so nothing expires unnecessarily. My Milk Stash automatically recommends which bags to thaw next based on FIFO rotation, so you always use the oldest milk first.
- What is the Freedom Number in My Milk Stash?
- The Freedom Number tells you exactly how many days of food your baby has banked in your freezer stash. It is calculated from your total stash volume divided by your baby's daily intake. It updates automatically as you add, use, or move bags.
- Can I track breast milk in multiple freezers?
- Yes. My Milk Stash lets you create multiple storage locations such as a kitchen freezer, deep freezer, work fridge, or a freezer at a caregiver's house. Each storage tracks its own bags, and the app gives you a combined total across all locations.
- Can you split a frozen breast milk bag in the app?
- Yes. If you only need part of a bag, you can split it in My Milk Stash. The app divides the original bag into two portions with the volumes you specify, keeping your inventory accurate without losing track of any milk.
