I'm going back to work in a couple of weeks, and I'm starting to think through daycare logistics. At home, I mix a pitcher of formula and pour it into bottles so they are ready to heat up and go, but I don't know if that's practical for daycare. Do you just send the powder and water in bottles? Do you premix it?
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We've always kept formula powder at daycare and bring in a gallon of water and they mix it for us. Will your daycare do that?
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I sent formula twice, just in case. It has to be mixed up. They won't mix anything up. Everyone brings their bottles already made and everyone has a tray in the fridge. Then they have a warmer for FF and BM. They keep them separate. BM bottles even have to be in a plastic bag, to avoid cross-contamination.
I would just call and see what their policy is.
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Our daycare does not mix. You need to bring in premade bottles that are labeled with the date and contents. I'd check with your daycare, they can be very specific.
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I still make our pitcher and all the bottles the night before and just send 3 of them in a cooler bag with an ice pack to the babysitter's. She usually sends one back to us at the end of the day.
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whoa, that's strict, @smurfette!
We're doing in-home daycare and she is super lax about this. We can just leave bottles and powder there and they'll mix it up for us, or we can send breastmilk in bottles. I'm hoping to just send supplies and a container of formula and do mostly bm at home so I don't have to worry about her wasting it!
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@blackbird: Ours is the same way. They also won't give BM bottles unless they are wearing gloves.
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daaang. this is probably common with center-style daycares. I had no idea!
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dang I have never heard of this to pp! @blackbird: mine is a NAEYC center and they have no issues mixing!
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I just send a container of formula with him to daycare. They do the mixing. The bottles I sent when he was still breastfed weren't even used. I got two out of the three back from them. If he's running low, they generally tell me, not my husband, and I'll go to Target and get more.
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Our daycare provides formula and mixes the bottles themselves. Better check to see what your provider suggests.
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@kiddosc: Ditto - I just bring an empty bottle each day and they provide the formula (powder and water)
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@blackbird: I have to have a date on every bottle, whether FF or BM. Then I have to have another label that says Breastmilk. I wrote BM and the date on one little dot sticker, and no dice. So I just painter's tape on the bottle and write out breastmilk.
Everything has to have a label or name. I have to put initials on all her bibs, extras clothes are in bags with her name on it, etc. She goes to a Goddard School. -
Check with your daycare, the one we used wasn't allowed to "make/mix" food so everything had to be sent ready to eat (aside from heating up). Everything sent had to be labeled with LO's name; our daycare provided stickers that were awesome because they didn't come off in the wash.
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We always left powder and bottles there and they mixed it up for us.
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@Smurfette: Same!
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Ours didn't allow mixing either so we had to make the bottles and then bring them in. Check with your center!
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Def check with the center. Mine requires to have them mixed. They cant do the mixing. Have to be ready to go.
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17 comments