Section 960. Feeding infants

A. Infants shall be fed on demand unless the parent provides other written instructions.

B. Infants who cannot hold their own bottles shall be picked up and held for bottle feeding. Bottles shall not be propped.

C. High chairs, infant carrier seats, or feeding tables with safety waist and crotch straps fastened according to the manufacturer's instructions shall be used for children under 12 months of age who are not held while being fed.

D. Infant formula shall be prepared according to the manufacturer's or physician's instructions.

E. Bottles shall be refrigerated and labeled with the child's full name and the date, if more than one infant is in care.

F. Refrigerated bottles of prepared formula and breast milk shall be discarded after 48 hours if not used.

G. Bottles shall not be heated in a microwave oven.

H. To avoid burns, heated formula and baby food shall be stirred or shaken and tested for temperature before being served to children.

I. A child's mother shall be granted access to a private area of the family day home to facilitate breast feeding.

J. Solid foods shall:

1. Not be fed to infants less than four months of age without parental consent; and

2. Be fed with a spoon, with the exception of finger foods.

K. Baby food shall be served from a dish and not from the container.

L. Baby food remaining in:

1. A serving dish shall be discarded;

2. Opened containers, from which a portion has been removed, shall be refrigerated and labeled with the child's full name and the date, if more than one infant is in care; and

3. Opened containers stored in the refrigerator shall be discarded if not consumed within 24 hours of storage.

Historical Notes

Derived from Volume 26, Issue 07, eff. July 1, 2010.

Statutory Authority

§§ 63.2-217, 63.2-1701, and 63.2-1734 of the Code of Virginia.