My *almost* 11 month old will be starting daycare on Monday and I'm not sure how much milk I should have for him. He eats lots of table foods as well as drinking about 8 oz of water per day on top of nursing. He still nurses on demand about every hour (he's kinda clingy and likes to comfort nurse lately). The last time he was consistently taking a bottle was in May, and he would take 4-5 oz then. Our friend babysat him about a month ago, and thinking he would still take 4-5 oz, I left 6 just in case...he only drank about 2 oz. I want to make sure I'm leaving enough for him, but I don't have the best pump output, I have tried the Medela harmony manual pump, the PIS, a playtex double elctic (can't remember the name) and the Ameda purely yours, I get the most milk using my APY, which is only about 2-3 oz per pumping session, but it seems like switching pumps wont make a difference as I've now tried 4 so I don't think thats my issue. He will be there from 10-4:30 most days, but 8-4:30 one day a week I plan to nurse him when we drop him off, so I'd think he will only need 1 bottle, maybe 2 while I'm gone on the shorter days, but I'll leave 3 just in case he wants a bottle for comfort since I think he will probably have a tough time. Sorry this got long, but how much do you think I should leave him per feeding?
JessieV
09-23-2009, 09:54 AM
I send everything I pumped the day before with my son to daycare each day and most days it's not enough. I send at least 14 ounces and he ends up wanting about 18 ounces so he is supplemented with around 4 ounces a day. He likes 6 ounce bottles.
Breastfed babies are really supposed to never need over 4 or 5 ounces of breastmilk though so I'd probably send 5 ounce bottles.
Goinatural
09-23-2009, 01:49 PM
I would leave 4 4-5 ounce bottles. If you consistently always have one less then you can stick with 4. I actually send the fourth bottle with less milk in it so that if he does take it he won't be too full when I pick him up.
My ds is younger and take between 3-4 ounces per bottle so I send 3.5 oz in mine. So maybe 4.5 ounces would work for you.
carsonsmommy1108
09-23-2009, 06:13 PM
4 bottles? that seems like a lot for him only being there for 6.5 hours, especially if I nurse him there before I leave. Or am I crazy, should I leave that many bottles? This is SO new to me, the longest I've ever left him was with a friend for like 4 hours, and he was only awake for about an hour of it, after that was bedtime. The longest we've been apart that he has been awake is about 2.5 hours and that was always him being with DH.
Goinatural
09-23-2009, 11:29 PM
Oh no, sorry I was assuming nine hours, missed the times, so you should only need 2, 3 tops. I would send three at first just to be safe but maybe make the third one smaller. On the longer day you may especially need three, babies tend to take more via bottle than they might nursing. Sometimes my ds even takes four bottles while Im gone (6:30-3:00). An ounce per hour is what they are "supposed" to take.
carsonsmommy1108
09-24-2009, 01:10 AM
Oh phew! I was like omg, I'm never going to be able to pump that much, but I feel better now lol.
AmyQ
09-24-2009, 07:39 AM
i leave my son at 6:30 and get home by 4...we nurse before i leave...he takes a 7oz bottle at 10 and another 7oz bottle at 1-2pm...he takes A LOT of milk while i'm gone though...most babies don't take that much...and it's so hard to pump and keep up with him...
do they have a freezer you could keep an extra bag in? my daycare did with my first and i'd just leave them an extra few bags and a bottle- they'd use it if they needed it - otherwise it stayed in the freezer...
