Child Care Resources for Parents
Supporting Breastfeeding in Child Care Settings for Parents
Feeding breast milk to your baby is the best nutrition you can offer
Teaming with your child care provider can allow you to continue to feed
your baby breast milk when you return to work or school
Prepare Baby Before You Return to Work or School
Contact your health care provider, local health department or visit www.lalecheleague.org or www.kellymom.com for information about choosing a breast pump, along with other breastfeeding and pumping tips
Introduce one bottle a day to your baby at least two weeks before starting child care so that your baby learns to drink from a bottle
It may take many tries before your baby will drink from a bottle
Not all bottle nipples are alike – use a dome-shaped, slow flow nipple
Prepare Child Care Provider Before You Return to Work or School
Take your baby to child care for a few short visits before you return to work or school to allow your child care provider practice with feeding your baby
Discuss with your child care provider whether you will be breastfeeding on site or sending pumped milk in a cooler with ice packs
Write down your baby’s home feeding schedule so your provider will know your baby’s routine
Feeding at Child Care
Ensure your baby has enough breast milk for the day by estimating the average amount baby will need per feeding (calculate by dividing 25 oz by the number of nursings per 24 hours, for example, if baby usually nurses 8 times per day, baby may need about 3 oz per feeding)
To minimize waste, send milk in 2-4 oz portions and have some in smaller amounts of 1-2 oz incase baby needs more before you arrive
Store extra feedings in hard plastic bottles or plastic bags that are used to store breast milk
Label all bottles or storage containers with your baby’s name and date the breast milk was
pumped
Ask your child care provider about what your baby did for the day, including how much and
when your baby ate and how many wet and dirty diapers your baby had during the day
Promote breast milk as the only food offered until baby is 6 months of age unless otherwise
directed by a health professional
Request a quiet place to nurse at child care if needed
Created by Holly Prestegaard, RD, LRD. Approved by the Minnesota Breastfeeding Coalition and the Minnesota Department of Health. October, 2012
Supporting Breastfeeding in Child Care Settings…..for Parents (pdf)