Bottle feeding and weaning policy

(To be read in conjunction with Sandcastles nutrition and mealtimes policy)

Sandcastles staffing team liaise closely with parents/carers to meet the child’s individual needs.  The Starfish suite has a kitchen in which breakfast and snacks are prepared.  The kitchen has the facilities to store milk and heat feeds.  Generally, babies are weaned at around 6 months.  Lunch and tea are delivered to the Starfish kitchen from our main nursery kitchen and staff will serve the food according to the child’s preferred weaning method.

We ensure that:

Bottle feeding

• We make up milk feeds as required throughout the day in-line with the child’s individual routine. It is kept for a maximum of 1 hour in a fridge and if not used is thrown away.
• Formula bought in from home is used for 1 month from opening as per box guidelines. If any remains it is given back to parents.
• Clearly labelled expressed breast milk can be brought in from home and will be stored within a separate area in our fridge.
• Mothers wishing to breast feed are well catered for and are welcome to feed their baby either in the Starfish suite or in a private area.
• All bottles, spoons, dummies etc are sterilised using steam sterilisers or an industrial dishwasher when appropriate

Weaning

• We work with families to implement the preferred weaning process be it Baby Led, Traditional Weaning or a mixture of the two. If you have no preference we will use a mixture of both types depending on the food being served.
• Staff are highly experienced in both methods of weaning and are happy to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each method to establish which is best for the child and family.
• All food is freshly prepared by our chef and can be tailored to suit individual dietary requirements.

Whichever approach is selected, independence is encouraged and staff oversee the babies while allowing them to attempt the feed themselves.