My All Time Favorite Primary Pump – A Little Workhorse the Size of Your Phone

I felt like I tried every pump out there…

But I didn’t find the one that worked best for me until 6 months in and have never done a formal review on it! I talk about it all the time on my Instagram but I want to really break it down for you. Because this little thing is an absolute workhorse and is about the size of your phone.

I think it’s important to include context in these reviews so if you want to find out more about me and my pumping journey, you can read this blog post either before or after you read this review.

The BabyBuddha

The BabyBuddha is currently on it’s third-ish iteration.

The 1.0, the OG BabyBuddha, offers two modes: stimulation and expression. The new 2.0 offers three modes: soft stimulation, OG stimulation (1.0), expression. Both the 1.0 and 2.0 came with roller balls to control and switch settings.

There is now the 2.0 with a trackpad instead of roller ball – this has all the same settings as the 2.0 with the roller ball.

The easiest way to tell the two versions apart? Chrome accents!

Thank you to BabyBuddha for sending me the 2.0 (rollerball) to try!

Why the BabyBuddha is different:

• Considered one of the strongest suctions on the market
• Is a longer, more mechanical pull than the “popular” pumps
• Is a portable pump but can also be considered a primary pump because of its powerful motor

Why it’s my favorite

Really, it comes down to figuring out that I just didn’t respond well to the world’s most popular pump (it’s blue and white – you probably know exactly which one I’m talking about!!!). I learned that I needed a longer, more mechanical style pull and that it didn’t actually take 45 minutes to make sure no milk was left behind.

The stimulation on the Baby Buddha 1.0 was a bit of a surprise. It offers 10 quick pulls then one, very long, very strong pull. I honestly never needed to go above a level 2. The expression mode offers a strong, longer pull and I never needed to go above a 3.

The new soft stimulation with the 2.0 is like the OG stimulation, just minus the super long pull. I found out, on accident, that I responded best to this! Once the pump is turned on and set to stimulation, it has an automated increase every 45 seconds. If you manually change the settings, this will turn off the automation.

Settings & Features

One downside to this pump is that you won’t have separated control over cycle (how fast) and vacuum (suction strength). These are preset but you might find that works to your advantage – there is less to get caught up in with settings.

As mentioned above the BabyBuddha 2.0 comes with 3 settings options – Soft Stimulation, Expression, and OG Stimulation. BabyBuddha 1.0 just has the OG Stimulation and Expression to toggle between.

Toggling between stimulation and expression is easy! Some found the roller ball to be frustrating so BB listened to moms and updated the roller ball to a trackpad – I don’t have this one but will be purchasing with Baby #2!

My favorite way to use this pump was to set it on the new Soft Stimulation and let the automated increase do it’s things. A “set it and forget it” situation.

Replacement Parts

You can order the Baby Buddha with their flanges, which are hard plastic and come with a silicone insert. You can easily order replacement parts directly on their website or from Amazon directly – I have them linked here for you if your preference is Amazon! (Amazon affiliate links included).

Pumping on the Go

It’s about the size of an iPhone and comes with a lanyard so you won’t be stuck next to an outlet. I was able to get through four 30 minute pumps a day without having to charge it! I always bring a portable charger with me, like this one. I picked this one specifically for it’s size and the fact that it chargers more than just pumps/phones – it lives on after your pumping journey is finished!

You can buy this clip here if you prefer to clip it to you or check out a bag like the Harper fanny pack from Mimi and Pal to wear around while you pump. It becomes a great small diaper bag when you’re done pumping or on the go! If you are a Mimi and Pal fan already, you might love this BabyBudda x Mimi and Pal collab – you might find this Mini Radley and BabyBuddha combo to be a good fit! You can use code THATMILLENNIALMOM for 10% off!

I always made sure to wear leggings or bike shorts with pockets and could just slide it in a pocket when I needed.

Hackable with lots of flanges

I love, love, love that Baby Buddha doesn’t pigeon hole you with their flanges! I found that I responded best to silicone flanges and was able to use my BareShield flanges (use code Cait10 for 10% off) that attached to standard Spectra bottles. They also have their own pump cups that have an 8oz capacity that work great and I loved using the Momcozy V2 cups – the tubing for these cups fit great with the Baby Buddha 1.0 and 2.0.

I need to dig all my stuff out of storage and will update this with pics of what I used and how I hacked things!

Issues

I personally have not had any issues with either my 1.0 or 2.0! As mentioned above, the roller ball was a pain point for some moms but personally I never had any issue with it. I do think they’ve done a great job listening to their mamas and with the new trackpad update, I would assume that fixed that particular issue others had!

Overall Thoughts

Again it’s important to note that pumping is very personal and subjective. Not everyone responds well to every pump but I do feel that this is a really great, efficient pump. Especially if you find that you are not responding well to “big blue”. It’s the perfect go between wearable/primary due to its size and “hackability”. Make sure to check your insurance to see if this pump is covered! If you do have any issues using your Baby Buddha, you can book time with a CLC directly on their website!

You can use code THATMILLENNIALMOM directly on the Baby Buddha website to save 10% on  your purchase!

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