Lactation Accommodation in a Child Care Setting
Child care providers play an important role in nurturing successful feeding for infants in their care. Parents can be supported in how they feed their infant when providers partner with them to ensure their child thrives.
Supporting Parents in a Child Care Setting
Have a quiet, private, and comfortable place for mothers to breastfeed when they come to pick up or drop off their child. Create agreements with parents about:
- Their child’s feeding schedule
- Whether or not they take formula or solids yet
- What to do if their child is hungry near arrival time
- What to do if there is no breast milk
Child Care Provider Preparation and Handling of Breast Milk
- Use food preparation areas
- Double check that bottles are appropriately labeled
- Defrost in either:
- The refrigerator, or
- Under warm running water, swirling gently
- Never microwave bottles as a means to thaw
- Don’t leave out any bottles or cups or allow children to carry them around
- Breast milk should be immediately stored in the refrigerator upon the mother’s arrival at the child care program
- Frozen milk should be transported and stored in single-use plastic bags and placed in a freezer, either in a separate drawer or a stand-alone freezer
- Do not re-freeze after thawing
- Fresh bottles should be used for each feeding, parent and caretaker will need to decide who will be cleaning the bottles
- Bottles can be cleaned with soap and warm water or washed on the top shelf of the dishwasher
Child Care Provider Feeding of Breast Milk
- Wash hands before and after feeding
- Use the oldest milk first
- Pay attention to the baby’s early hunger cues; don’t wait until they cry
- Allow time for burping
- Wash bottles after feeding if milk is fully consumed
Child Care Provider Disposal of Breast Milk
- Fresh bottles with more than 1 ounce remaining may be returned to the mother at the end of the day as long as the child has not fed directly from the bottle
- Do not save milk from a used bottle
- Any milk that appears to be rotten or in an unsanitary bottle should be returned to the mother
Resources
- Lactation Accommodation for Child Care Providers - lactation accommodation specific to Child Care Providers
- Support Breast Feeding in Child Care Settings - one-page handout on Breast Milk Storage & Handling, Feeding, and Support
- Infant Formula Preparation and Storage - steps on how to prepare and store infant formula
- Proper Storage and Preparation of Breast Milk - recommended techniques on the storage/preparation, thawing and feeding of breast milk
- Feeding My Baby - breastfeeding, formula feeding, and starting solid foods
- Be a Champion for New Mothers - more about the benefits of breastfeeding and best practices for family child care or early education centers
- How to Bottle Feed the Breastfed Baby - tips and resources for bottle feeding of breastmilk
- Tips for Freezing & Refrigerating Breast Milk - Rule of 4's Guideline Table: Countertop, Refrigerator, Freezer, and Deep Freezer
(Credit to Santa Clara County for content on this page.)