It is best to choose a child care provider who is ready to support your breast or chestfeeding goals. Ask if their staff has been trained in supporting breast or chestfeeding and safely storing, handling and preparing human milk.
All of your baby's care providers should know:
How to know when they are hungry
How to know when they are finished eating
How to comfort them when they are crying
How to store pumped human milk
How to warm human milk
what about friends and family?
Will a friend or family member be caring for your baby while you work (instead of a professional child care provider)? If so, make sure they know the best ways to support your breast or chestfeeding efforts. Another resource in this lesson will share ideas on how to talk to your baby’s caregivers about caring for your breast or chestfed child.
It would be helpful if you can find a child care provider who is breast or chestfeeding friendly and is close to your work. When you are looking for a child care provider, be sure to ask what guidelines they have in place to support mothers who choose to breast or chestfeed. You should also ask if they are familiar with paced bottle feeding.
Once you have decided on your child care provider, use these tips to make the transition easier:
Visit your child care center a few times before your baby’s first day there.
Make a backup plan. Be sure that you know what to do if your baby is sick or their caregiver is not available on a day you have to work.
Before you go back to work, take your baby to your child care provider to practice your routine. Do at least one practice run where you leave them with a caregiver who will feed them a bottle of human milk.
If your baby needs to be fed with formula, be sure to teach your caretaker how to properly and safely prepare formula.
Breast or chestfeeding are both ways to describe a parent feeding a baby human milk from their breast or chest.