How will my baby get milk at nursery?

Starting nursery is a big adjustment to yours and your baby’s daily routine. Whether you are breast feeding, bottle feeding or both, this will mean thinking about how your baby will be fed during the day. Here is a guide to milk at nursery.

Can my baby have breast milk at nursery?

If you are breast feeding your baby, you can provide the nursery with expressed milk for the day when you drop your child off. They will keep it clearly labelled in the fridge.

It’s important that your baby will accept expressed milk from a bottle, so make sure to wean them onto having some of their feeds from bottles in advance if they have only ever fed straight from the breast.

If your child is starting nursery because you are going back to work, you can discuss with your employer where and when you will pump.

Do nurseries provide formula milk?

Some nurseries provide formula milk and some require you to bring in your own, which they label. You should provide your own bottles with each piece individually labelled with your baby’s name. Nurseries can only use one tub of formula for four weeks before you’ll need to replace it. You can still take the old one home and use it.

For nurseries that do provide formula, some include the cost in their fees while at some there is an additional charge.

Speak to the nursery manager about your chosen nursery’s policy.

If your child requires special milk, for example if they are allergic to cow’s milk, your chosen nursery can advise on exactly how they accommodate this.

Free Nursery Milk Scheme

The Free Nursery Milk Scheme offers childcare providers reimbursement for the cost of milk by the Government. It means that children under five years old get a third of a pint of milk a day for free.

Babies aged under a year can receive a third of a pint’s worth of formula for free.

The Government only offers reimbursement for powdered formula made from cow’s milk. If your baby needs a different kind of milk, it unfortunately won’t be covered under the scheme.

Support to buy milk

If you are struggling financially, you may be eligible for support from the Government to buy formula.

England, Wales and Northern Ireland – Healthy Start card

The Healthy Start card is topped up with money by the Government which you can spend in supermarkets on formula and vitamin drops for your baby. You can currently receive £8.50 per week for each child aged under a year.

Scotland – Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods

In Scotland, the Best Start Grant is available. It includes the Pregnancy and Baby Payment for children aged up to six months. It is a one off payment to help with costs, including buying formula.

• You’ll get a Pregnancy and Baby Payment of £754.65 for your first child.
• It is £377.35 for any subsequent children.

The Best Start Foods card is like the Healthy Start card – you get a set amount put on it by the Government every 4 weeks, which you can use to buy formula. It is £42.40 for each child from birth until they are one years old.

How will I know how much milk my baby’s had at nursery?

Your chosen nursery should follow your feeding routine when your child is still a baby.  They will keep a record of the routine you want them to follow, which can be changed whenever you choose.

Staff will keep a written record of how much milk your baby has had and put updates for you to see on apps such as Famly or ParentZone, if the nursery uses one. They will be able to tell you how much milk your baby has had, how their appetite has been and if they have had much gas or reflux when you collect them.

How do nurseries support weaning?

When it is time for your baby to be weaned, nurseries support your baby to move gradually from milk to solid food.

At many nurseries, some or all staff are paediatric first-aid trained in order to keep the children in their care safe, including from choking.

Nurseries tend to be extremely careful about allergies and they can generally accommodate dietary needs. Find out more about how nurseries cater to dietary requirements.