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Packing Breastmilk for Daycare 

Is your baby starting daycare soon? If so, you may find it to be a very emotional experience to send your little one off to daycare for the first time, especially when breastfeeding. Are you unsure of the appropriate amount of breast milk to send to their daycare? You are in the right place. Knowing how much breast milk to add to each bottle for the infant is difficult. A little preparation can make you feel a lot more at ease. Here is your guide to packing breastmilk for daycare.

Packing Breastmilk for Daycare

Prepping the Bottles

If you are nursing, it is possible and common only to pump a half-ounce to two ounces during each session. Express twice daily for seven days at an average rate of one ounce every session, and you will have fourteen ounces in the freezer. Fourteen ounces should last the entire day on their first day of daycare. Defrost the frozen milk in the fridge the night before the baby’s first day in daycare. Pour the milk into bottles for the next day once the milk has softened.

Packing the Bottles

Clean and dry the bottles before putting breast milk in them for daycare. Fill the bottles with breast milk the previous evening or, if you want, the same morning. Write the baby’s name on the bottles. If you prepped the bottle the night before, place the filled bottles in a cooler in the fridge. Then add an ice pack to the cooler in the morning. Pack the milk into bottles because daycare workers might accidentally spill some milk you worked so hard to pump.

Transporting the Bottles

Breast milk transportation is simple if you have the correct equipment. Look for an insulated lunch bag or buy a bag designed especially for breast milk bottles. To keep your milk chilled, you’ll also need an ice pack you can store in your bag. Using a cooler is quite effective whether you use milk bags or bottles. Check for leaks and remember to tighten each cover. You can also use a small cooler to keep the breast milk you pump while you work.

Providing Breastmilk for Baby at Daycare

Share concerns with your daycare. Ensure your baby stays on schedule by providing mealtimes with the caregiver. Pack extra feeding bottles and note whether the baby prefers them to the feeding bottles. Inform your caregiver of any more special details about your child, such as favorite feeding positions. When a baby experiences a growth spurt, you might be concerned about what will happen if you bring less milk for the day. Don’t worry. Ask your daycare to let you drop off a few milk bags to keep in the freezer for future usage if needed.

Sources

How much Breastmilk to Send to Daycare (the complete guide) – Baby Food Avenue

How to Prep Bottles for Daycare – Exclusive Pumping

https://onewillow.com/blog/how-to-store-breast-milk-for-daycare/