Haakaa Generation 3 Silicone Breast Pump review

Tested by

Hazelann Williams is a former MFM Reviews Editor and first time mum who tested the Haakaa Silicone Breast Pump with her 4-month-old son, Raphael.

What were your first impressions of the Haakaa Silicone Breast Pump?

I had high expectations when it came to the Haakaa Silicone Breast Pump, especially as I’ve been obsessed with collecting my let down from my free breast while my son is breastfeeding. However, attaching my electric breast pump to express from my free breast while feeding is near impossible, as the tubes and pump storage get in the way. I find myself resenting the soaked nipple pad (or wet patch) and wishing for a helpful tool to collect my milk. After a bit of research for a breast milk pump and collector, I came across this Silicone Breast Pump, with Haakaa known as the originator of this type of pump and let down combo. The pump is a single piece of silicone moulded into the shape of an open top bottle with a curved lip at the top and is the size of a 200ml bottle.

Is the Haakaa Silicone Breast Pump easy to set up?

Unboxing the Haakaa Silicone Breast Pump is simple and quick, as it comes wrapped in tissue paper and it’s all ready to go out of the box. There is nothing to assemble or build. Of course you do have to wash it to get it clean and sterilised before use. So, the set up time does depend on how long your steriliser takes to complete a cycle. On the box of the pump, it recommends you sterilise the product by putting it in boiling water for 3 minutes, but I washed it with warm soapy water, rinsed it well and used my UV steriliser to make it sterile as it was collecting my milk.

How do you use the Haakaa Silicone Breast Pump?

There are quick-look instructions on the box, which provide 5 simple steps on how to use the pump, they are as follows:

• Sterilise your pump in boiling water for 2-3 minutes
• Place the pump flange over your nipple – make sure your nipple is centred comfortably in the neck of the pump
• Apply suction – you may need to adjust the position of your pump a couple of times. Once the pump is secure and comfortable, apply suction by squeezing the base of the pump to start the flow of milk
• Once the milk begins to flow, leave the pump alone to do its thing
• When the pump is full, empty the milk into a bottle and reposition.

There are also 4 step-by-step diagrams, which show you how to put the Haakaa breast pump on to use, they are simple but easy to follow. There are also 2 tips on how to get a better expressing experience with the pump; one is to use a warm flannel to encourage let down and the second explains how to get more suction from the pump, which is useful.

How easy is the Haakaa Silicone Breast Pump to use?

Based on its simple design, using the Haakaa Silicone Breast Pump was not as easy as I expected. Here’s the best and most effective way I found to use it:

• Fold back the flange to expose the neck of the pump
• Place/centre the opening over your breast.
• Squeeze the bottom of the pump to create suction.
• Once attached, unfold the flange to cover as much of your breast as possible.
• Providing you have a good latch, you can then let the pump do its thing, or you can fiddle with it a bit trying to get the right position and fit.

How comfortable is the Haakaa Silicone Breast Pump?

It’s a bit hit and miss in regards to comfort. The material is soft silicone, and comfortable against the skin, but the suction of the pump can be very painful. I found attaching this pump is as difficult as finding the right latch when starting to breastfeed. If I do not attach the pump perfectly centred onto my nipple, it is in fact very painful with intense suction. My son is now 4 months and I’ve managed to find the ideal feeding positions, so thankfully I don’t have cracked nipples anymore, but if I did have sore nipples, this pump could be very uncomfortable and I probably wouldn’t have tried it more than twice. I have also had to reattach the pump quite a few times on different sittings, to ensure there is no pain. Customers on Amazon also found this pump to be uncomfortable, with many reviewers branding its suction too strong, making it painful to use. However, I found once latched correctly, this pump is fine.

How effectively did the Haakaa Silicone Breast Pump express?

I would say this pump worked fairly effectively. Due to having a low milk supply, I need a pump with powerful suction, which the Haakaa silicone pump surprisingly has, but it still wasn’t allowing me to express masses of milk. After expressing for 30 minutes, I got about a quarter of the milk I’d get with my medical grade Ardo Alyssa pump. However, the Haakaa Silicone Breast Pump did manage to express more milk than I’d normally get with a non-medical grade MAM single manual pump. It’s also worth noting as a manual pump, there is one type of suction when pumping, which is quite forceful, but certainly bearable once attached correctly.

How is the Haakaa Silicone Breast Pump different to a manual breast pump?

The Haakaa silicone pump is designed to express milk by the force of the suction, and not by expressing with a hand pump. Pumping by hand is usually the most painful thing about pumping manually and often leads to hand cramp during and after expressing. You’re also not clock-watching on how long it takes to express as you can attach the Haakaa pump securely and let it do its thing. Reviews on Amazon are mixed when it comes to how well this product expresses, with some customers having more success than others which could be down to the crucial positioning of the pump. One user suggested that the Haakaa silicone pump isn’t ideal as a sole pump but is better for catching let down milk when feeding your child.

Can you do other tasks while using the Haakaa Silicone Breast Pump?

A great thing about the Haakaa Silicone Breast Pump is that once it's comfortably attached, it stays in place and I didn’t even need to wear my hands-free expressing bra. This is great when expressing, as I have my hands free to do other things. It’s also very good if I want to get up and about, it’s very portable. That’s because there are no wires or connections for this pump.

How portable is the Haakaa Silicone Breast Pump?

The Haakaa Silicone Breast Pump is very portable as it is just made of silicone plastic, so it does not have to be connected to a power lead, pump tubes or anything else. It’s a small bottle, so it can easily fit under your top while out and about. It’s also incredibly lightweight and you can take it anywhere as it's compact and small enough to fit into your baby changing bag for pumping on the move.

How noisy is the Haakaa Silicone Breast Pump?

This pump is silent, even more so than a hand manual pump – you don’t hear a thing. You can use it in the dead of night and no one would know, which is a massive plus if it's needed to express milk while your baby sleeps. Reviews on Amazon also commended how silent it is, with many praising its discreteness over the expected humming you get from an electric pump.

How easy is the Haakaa Silicone Breast Pump to clean and keep clean?

It is super easy to clean the Haakaa Silicone Breast Pump – just wash and sterilise it like a bottle. There aren’t any separate parts, so nothing to assemble and it is also dishwasher safe, although the brand highly recommends hand washing to make sure you get a thorough clean. As for detergents, Haakaa recommends its Dish Soap Bar, but you’re free to use any gentle, mild detergent/dish soap you have to hand.

The manufacturer also recommends parents use pH-balanced (neutral) soaps to prevent any product markings or measurements coming off. You should not use any detergents or soaps that contain bleach-based agents as these can reduce the lifespan of the pump by causing the materials to break down faster – especially silicone, as it will become sticky and unusable.

How does the Haakaa Silicone Breast Pump compare to other breast pumps you’ve used?

Firstly, let down collecting pumps like the Haakaa Silicone Breast Pump are very basic compared to a manual or electric breast pump. They are therefore much cheaper in price with the Haakaa pump starting at £15.99 and the MAM Single Manual Breast Pump priced at £40. The Haakaa Silicone Breast Pump is more comparable to the Elvie Catch breast milk collector (£19.99), the Tommee Tippee Made For Me Single Silicone Breast Pump (£12.99) and Medela breast milk collecting shells (£9.99). Despite its price, I still felt the Haakaa pump expressed more milk than I anticipated, but it was still only about a quarter of the milk I’d get with my usual breast pump.

How do you rate the Haakaa Silicone Breast Pump features?

Doubling up as a breast pump and milk collector is the special feature of this product . You therefore have the flexibility of a hands-free pump and collector to use at home or out and about. I also loved how quiet and discreet it was when expressing milk and that once positioned correctly, it used a suction motion rather than a manual hand motion to express.

What’s in the box

1 x Haakaa Silicone Breast Pump

What are the additional accessories you can buy?

• Haakaa Silicone Breast Pump Flower Stopper £8.99
• Haakaa Silicone Breast Pump Cap £8.99
• 36 Disposable breast pads £9.99

I’d recommend purchasing the cap with this pump as when you can’t decant the milk into a bottle, say if your baby has fallen asleep during a feed, a lid would have been the quickest and simplest thing to preserve and store the precious milk you’ve collected.

Who would the Haakaa Silicone Breast Pump be most useful for?

The Haakaa Silicone Breast Pump is a good, dual use pump and milk collector for all breastfeeding mums who do not want to waste breast milk. Customers on Amazon also said they found it helped with breast engorgement relief. It’s also perfect for use on the go thanks to its size and portability. It’s also good to use a night due to how silent it is when expressing.

Is the Haakaa Silicone Breast Pump worth the money?

With a starting RRP of £15.99 for the 100ml version, I’d say the Haakaa Silicone Breast Pump is great value for money as it is affordable and does work when it comes to silently expressing milk. The 150ml pump is also worth the money at £16.79 if you needed the bigger size. You can get other collector pumps for a lower price tag, but the Haakaa pump is good quality and works efficiently enough.

Where can I buy the Haakaa Silicone Breast Pump?

It is available from Haakaa and Amazon

MadeForMums verdict:

Having used the Haakaa Silicone Breast Pump, I found there to be good and bad things about it. I like the versatility of having both a manual pump and collector. However, there is a knack to using the Haakaa pump, which can make it a hit or miss product. Attaching this pump and using it to express can be easy and comfortable if you get it right, or it can be very painful if not attached in the correct way. When this is latched on correctly, this pump works great, has good suction, is truly hands-free and portable. But it is equally horrible when it hurts. If you have the patience to ensure you find the right fit, it’ll work well and would be a good option for any breastfeeding mum.