New Freemie SlimFit Cups Review
A frequent complaint of wearable cups is that the discretion gained by pumping fully clothed was somewhat negated by the gigantic profile of the wearable cups. The new Freemie SlimFit Cups seek to counter that by making wearable cups with a slimmer, more discrete profile.
Size and Shape of the Freemie SlimFit Cups
The Freemie Slim Cups come in Two Sizes:
SlimFit5: 5 ounce capacity cups that are pink in color
SlimFit6: 6 ounce cups that are blue in color.
Both sport the traditional plastic cup attached to the plastic flange with the unique tongue shaped backflow protector found in the original Freemie Cups. The parts appear to be of the same quality as the original cups. The only significant change is to the shape of the cups and accessories to allow for the discrete low profile.
Where these cups differ from the original cups is that the cups are a touch wider, the flange side is flat, and the overall funnel length is slightly shorter.
When I say flat, I mean FLAT…
Traditional wearable cups have a sloped flange part that cups the breast similar to traditional flanges. These slim profile cups have removed that feature. Where this becomes something to consider is when determining which inserts will work to properly size these cups that the non-traditional shape creates. The tunnel on these cups also has a unique hump about halfway down the flange length that narrows rendering many inserts useless as they don’t seat properly.
Freemie has their own line of inserts designed uniquely for use with these cups, called SlimFit Fitmie Inserts. These inserts are purple in color and more T shaped than Y shaped compared to the traditional Freemie Inserts. They are made of the same firm, but flexible smooth silicone. They have the same wide brim, but it sits flat on the flanges and does not cup the breast. The abrupt angle of the inserts/cups leads to a firm circle where the insert will contact the base of the nipple. Overall, these inserts are actually only a few millimeters shorter than the original inserts, and they will be sufficiently long enough for the majority of people’s needs.
Why does Freemie recommend using the SlimFit6 instead of the SlimFit5 for elastic nipples?
Overall, this seems to be a marketing strategy as the inserts compatible with the 5’s and 6’s are identical. The 6 has about 1/4 inch more length overall, but I’ve never met an elastic nipple that stretched past the insert without mushrooming, so that extra space is of little value. The flat shape may actually help elastic nipples by placing pressure against the breast tissue holding it back.
Which inserts work with the slim cups?
Freemie’s SlimFit Fitmie Inserts
Willow Brand Inserts
Lianghazi/Onion Brand Inserts
Nenesupply Brand Inserts
Which inserts failed with these cups?
Traditional Freemie Inserts - don’t sit flush and cause air leak
Maymom Inserts - don’t seat properly due to tunnel shape
Iapoy/Momcozy Style Inserts - don’t seat properly due to tunnel shape
Imani Inserts/Legendairy Brand Inserts - air leaks and poor fit
LacTeck Flanges - Air seal caused a lack of suction intermittently
Pumpin Pals - defeats the whole low profile benefit and is unstable
How do these cups compare overall to other wearable cups?
They are certainly a more discrete profile, and they were visually not super noticeable when I was wearing them. They pair with all of the pumps the original Freemie Cups did. They generate the suction levels expected with the traditional Freemie Cups.
If you love your Freemie Cups, but hate how obvious they look on, these may be a good fit for you! If you didn’t love the Freemie Cups, these are unlikely to make you happier unless your issue was how they looked. These are still hard plastic collection cups, and if the original version was uncomfortable or ineffective with proper sizing, there is only small chance this new shape will be better for you.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Are the Freemie SlimFit Cups better for low supply?
Your supply has no bearing on the cups you can use. The only advantage here is that the milk visually looks like there is more in a smaller cup so psychologically that can be a boost. The biggest advantage I can see is increased discretion to make pumping in public easier. The low profile does make tending to your baby and pumping easier so these work well for triple feeding or parallel pumping.
What about oversupply?
These cups hold a few ounces less than standard cups, so it depends on how much you pump during a pump session when you would want to use these. These are not smart cups with sensors to prevent overflow, so that will be a consideration.
Will cutting inserts make them fit better for more brand options?
Unfortunately, no. The issue is the shape of the flange and the tunnel. Initial testing of cut down Maymoms showed a high incidence of nipple damage. Your nips appreciate you skipping arts and crafts here.
Any alignment challenges with these cups?
The unique flat shape actually makes these cups really easy to align as the base of the nipple is easily visualized during placement! If you struggle with alignment with wearable cups, these might be a good option.
Are these SlimFit Cups sized like other wearable cups?
Yes, in that they tend to fall into a 0-4 mm from base nipple size when measured prepump accounting for shape and elasticity. The shorter tunnels and limited insert options pose some challenging sizing concerns, and the flange shape can require fine tuning your sizing more than standard wearable cups. Poor sizing had a more dramatic effect on loss of suction with these cups compared to standard wearable cups. The flat shape makes for little room for sizing error, so be sure to be ideally sized.
Overall Opinion
The Freemie SlimFit Cups address a common complaint about wearable cups and give us more options. Like everything in life, there is a trade off when we address one issue, we may have to live with another. The insert issue is a bit complicated with these cups, but for parents seeking discretion, these could be just the option they were looking for.
