Products FAQs

Haakaa pumps are 100% silicone, hands-free, silent, one-piece, travel-sized and overall just convenient! They may be used to help express breast milk or simply to catch let-down on the other breast during feedings,allowing you to build up a stash of breast milk for future use.

1. Sterilise your pump by boiling in water for 2-3 minutes.
2. Place the pump flange over your nipple – make sure your nipple is centred comfortably in the neck of the pump.
3. 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.
4. Once milk begins to flow, simply leave the pump alone to do its thing!
5. When the pump is full, empty into a glass storage bottle and reposition.
6. If the flow of milk slows or you've expressed your desired amount, detach from your breast and safely store your milk away.

To give you a little information, all of our pumps work off of suction and have the same size flange:

Generation 1: 100ml one-piece silicone with no suction base
Generation 2: 100ml or 150ml one-piece silicone with suction base
Generation 3: 160ml or 250ml with thicker silicone walls and a slightly stronger suction. Can be interchanged from a pump to a baby bottle, feeding spoon, sippy spout or even a storage container.

Many mums love our Gen. 1 & 2 Breast Pumps for their compact, lightweight, single-piece construction. Alternatively, the Gen. 3 pump features a thicker silicone body that is perfect for mums looking for a stronger level of suction from their pump. We designed the Gen. 3 range to be future-proof and added to over time, growing with a baby from breastfeeding to their solids journey and beyond as they gain more independence and confidence to self-feed.

As for the accessories, the flower stopper is used to seal the milk in and prevent spills. The grey silicone lid acts as both a dust cap and a stopper. It creates a stronger seal around the flange and prevents spills, which is great for when you are on the go, and protects the flange from any nasties it comes into contact with. Another great feature of the silicone lid is that it has a little opening flap on top that releases air once you place it on the pump to allow an even tighter seal. The breast pump strap keeps the pump around your neck so that it doesn’t fall or get kicked off when you’re expressing. 

We recommend expressing while feeding baby on the other side as it stimulates the other breast. If you are not nursing, try putting a warm flannel on top of your breast and massaging it to induce your milk flow. Every mother and her milk supply are different so don’t be disheartened if you are not getting as much as another mum! 

You can definitely use the Haakaa as a primary pump. Some women use our pumps simply to catch excess milk that would otherwise be lost in a nursing pad. However, you can use it to express as you would with any manual pump. It is as simple as suctioning on the pump and allowing the suction to gradually and naturally draw the milk from your breast. All that would be required is a let-down. This is where we recommend feeding baby on the other side as it naturally trigges your let-down. Alternatively, if you are away from your baby, you can gently massage your breast with your hand or place a warm flannel on your breast to help your milk begin to flow. 

It sounds like you may have too much suction strength on as it shouldn't be painful on your nipples at all. When attaching, simply squeeze the bottom of the pump, enter it onto your nipple and release. Keep in mind that the more you squeeze the bottom of the pump, the stronger the suction will be. As our bodies are constantly changing after giving birth, the level of suction may change and you may be required to trial and error what best suits your needs.

We strongly recommend cleaning and sterilising your Haakaa pump with any steam sterilising system or by boiling in water for 2-3 minutes. Do not use any bleach-based agents or sterilising tablets to clean your pump. Do not use UV sterilisers to clean this product as it may impact the lifespan of your pump.

It really comes down to preference. In the first three months after baby is born, it is recommended to sterilise your pump and all baby bottles that are used after every use. After this time, some mums continue to do so and others tend to wash their pumps with hot, soapy water after every use and sterilise after every couple of uses. It depends on what makes you most comfortable and works for you!

Please note that the following instructions refer only to products made entirely out of silicone and do not refer to products containing any other materials. The cleaning methods below may not be suitable for non-silicone products.

To clean your silicone items, just give them a good scrub in hot soapy water and then rinse. Pat the outside dry and leave to air dry on a drying rack. BUT, if you are in a rush to re-use them, just pop them in the microwave for 2-4 minutes minutes(stopping halfway to turn them over) and they'll come out completely dry! Haakaa Silicone Brush is super handy when it comes to cleaning silicone items. Its soft silicone bristles easily remove leftover food and milk without scratching silicone surfaces. 

Silicone is an absorbent material and can absorb the colours and smells of substances it comes in contact with. Although your silicone products can go in the dishwasher, we recommend hand washing with hot, soapy water. To sterilise, we recommend boiling in water for 2-3 minutes of using a steam steriliser.

We strongly recommend not using any bleach-based agents or sterilising tablets to clean your Haakaa products as it can affect the clarity of your product. Although your products might become cloudy after using detergent to wash them, silicone does not leach and it is still completely safe to use. If you are still concerned, you can sterilise your pump again by boiling in water, just to be safe!

Some mums have said that boiling the pump in water with a touch of white vinegar can help improve the clarity of the pump, so you may wish to give this a go. 

Have you tried a stronger suction? Sometimes, when our bodies are constantly changing after the birth of our babies, the suction strength needed changes as well. When attaching, do you fold the flange back, squeeze the bottom of the pump, centre it onto your nipple, unfold the flange and release? This is the most effective way of attaching. The more you squeeze the bottom of the pump, the stronger the suction will be.

Another tip would be to assist your breast by holding or cupping it in one hand while attaching the pump in the other so you can really get a centre onto your breast and allow the pump to grasp a bigger area.

If you find none of these tips work and it still won't suction on properly, it may be that the silicone material has worn and lost its suction. Sometimes this can happen depending how often it is used and sterilised, as well as the method of how it's washed and sterilised – the more you sterilise your pump, the faster it will lose its suction. Some mums find they need to replace their pumps after a few months while others have theirs for years. It really differs for each person based on each of those factors.

Sometimes silicone can act like a magnet and attract its surroundings or absorb smells, colours etc. We suggest hand washing the breast pump under hot, soapy water with a slightly rough sponge and gently scrubbing the exterior. This usually helps!