After pumping in an airport bathroom and clumsily navigating the electrical wire and two tubes of my old pump, I was more than ready to try something new. Enter the Evenflo SimplyGo Dual Electric Breast Pump.
What initially excited me about the SimplyGo is that each pump is a contained unit. That means that if I run the pump off of “AA” batteries (versus the included AC adapter), I have all I need in two convenient handheld packages – no wires and no tubes! Also, because the two pumps are separate, I can always leave one at home and use the other by itself should I feel like I can get away with a single pump. Super portable! Each also has its own power button and suction strength dial so that you can adjust each independently. This is a huge plus for anyone who’s used a dual pump and knows that the two bottles don’t always fill at the same rate.
The pumps do have a number of parts so you may want to keep them assembled so that you don’t have to fumble to put them together when you’re all set to pump. This would also help prevent loss of parts, especially since there is a small blue valve in each pump that could easily get misplaced (they seem to have anticipated this as they give you two spare ones). All the parts can be a little bit of a hassle when cleaning the pump as well, but I haven’t seen a pump that didn’t have multiple parts so I’ll let this slide.
One pump part that I do love and think should be essential for all pumps is the stand that pops onto the bottom of each bottle. With other pumps I’ve used, it’s a balancing act to keep the bottles upright, and that’s never fun when you’re juggling two of them. These stands let me put the bottles down without worrying that they’ll spill the freshly pumped milk.
So, what’s the big downside? Noise. This pump is loud. I wasn’t prepared for it when I turned it on the first time and turned it off right away to check that I didn’t have something assembled incorrectly. This isn’t too much of a problem if you’re at home, but be prepared to attract some attention if you’re trying to discreetly pump in a more public setting.
Evenflo makes a whole line of pumps, and it’s important to note that the SimplyGo Dual Electric Pump is recommended for occasional use (no more than two pumping sessions a day). If you pump more frequently, you’ll likely need another solution. However, for a couple times a day, this pump certainly does the trick!
