Philips Avent Comfort Manual Breast Pump

Manual breast pumps can’t be beat when it comes to affordability, and the Philips Avent Comfort Manual Breast Pump is a compact and easy-to-use model. If you’re one of the lucky moms for whom breastfeeding is a breeze, a manual pump is a good option for when you're occasionally away from your little one for a few hours or a night. Or you could use it to pump one breast while your baby feeds from the other if you need to keep up your milk and your baby gets full from just one side.

ASSEMBLY

The Philips Avent Comfort Manual Breast Pump comes assembled, but you'll have to do an initial sterilizing boil. (Always read the instructions that come with your pump because some parts cannot be boiled.) When you’re taking apart the pump to sterilize it, you’ll want to make a mental note of how all of the pieces fit back together. User manuals aren't always crystal clear for every user—two of our parent testers said the manual for this pump could have been a bit more understandable. The Philips Avent Comfort Manual Breast Pump is made up of seven different pieces. All of our parent testers strongly agreed that the pump was easy to assemble and take apart. Parent testers also agreed that they were able to start using the pump quickly.

COMFORT

The Philips Avent Comfort has a uniquely soft and flexible breast shield—so much so that they call it a “breast cushion.” None of our mom testers experienced any new nipple pain, cracking or bleeding while they were testing the Philips Avent Comfort Manual Breast Pump. Nor did they experience any new occurrences of blocked ducts or mastitis while they were testing the pump. They especially enjoyed that they were able to sit in a comfortable position while pumping; with many pumps you have to lean forward to make sure the milk drops straight down into the bottles, but that's not the case with any of the Philips Avent Comfort pumps.

PUMPING

When it comes to manual breast pumps, moms have the ultimate control over the pressure and pumping rate, but you can’t pump hands-free. A manual pump is great to have on hand if you’re an electric pump user, because if the power goes out, or if you’re in a car and your pump doesn’t have car adapter or battery, you’ll be out of luck. The great thing about the Philips Avent Comfort Manual Breast Pump is that it's compatible with Philips Avent’s double and single electric breast pumps, so you can use the pump bodies and bottles interchangeably.

So, how does this pump perform? Three quarters of our parent testers found it easy to detach the collection bottles from the pump without spilling breastmilk once they were done pumping. When it came to pumping in a dark or dimly lit room, our testers were divided—half of them found that it was easy to do so, while the other half found that it was somewhat difficult. But, as it is with many aspects of pumping, it might just require a little practice.

When it came to getting a tight seal between their breasts and the shields, three quarters of our parent testers were successful. Of the testers who experienced some leakage while using the pump, all but one described it as “a dribble every so often”—nothing that would deter them from using this manual pump regularly. Three quarters of our testers were happy with the suction that the pump provided and felt that their breasts felt fully drained after a pumping session. All of our mom testers found that the pump packs up nicely when they need to bring it with them somewhere and that it’s easy to use while they’re away from home—exactly what you need from a manual pump.

NOISE

Manual pumps don't have a noisy motor, but they can be squeaky. In our lab tests, we found the Philips Avent Comfort Manual Breast Pump is less squeaky than some of the other manual breast pumps available. All of our parent testers felt that they could comfortably use this pump in the same room as a sleeping baby or their partner without waking them.

CLEANING

This manual pump is very easy to sterilize and clean by hand or in the dishwasher. The valves on this pump are larger than some other pumps, so they're less likely to tear or be lost. (Note: As with any pump, check the instructions for which parts are dishwasher-safe.)

DESIGN

All of our parent testers strongly agree that the Philips Avent Comfort Manual Breast Pump is compact and lightweight. We really like that the pump bodies are compatible with the Philips Avent Comfort Double Electric Pump and Philips Avent Comfort Single Electric Breast Pump—no need to store parts separately to avoid guessing games when you need to pump.

FINAL WORD

The majority of our mom testers rated the quality, value and ease of use of the Philips Avent Comfort Manual Breast Pump as good, and most said they were satisfied with the pump. Half of our testers would buy the pump again and three quarters would recommend this pump to other parents or parents-to-be. We think the simple design of this pump, combined with its compatibility across all Philips Avent pumps and bottles (except glass bottles), makes it a great option for someone who is using one of Philips Avent's electric pumps and wants a back-up manual pump, or a breastfeeding mom who needs a reliable manual pump for when she's away from baby.