Whether you need a full-time nanny or your mother-in-law has offered to watch the baby for date night, make sure your babysitter knows the eight basic principles for watching breastfed babies.

1. Your baby does not need water. The babysitter shouldn’t give water to a breastfed baby, even on hot days. This also applies to juice or any liquid other than breastmilk.
2. Do not add cornmeal or rice cereal to the baby’s bottle. It’s unnecessary and creates a choking hazard and contrary to myths, will not necessarily make baby sleep for longer stretches at a time.
3. Lansinoh Breastmilk Storage Bags are designed to thaw quickly. Lay the bag flat in a glass bowl with warm water, then transfer the milk into a bottle.
4. Don’t shake breastmilk! When you pour the breastmilk from bag to bottle, the watery layer will separate from the creamy layer. Gently swirl the bottle to mix the two.
5. Don’t microwave breastmilk! Not only can microwaves create unsafe hot spots, they also kill important nutrients. Use a bottle warmer according to the instructions or place the bottle of breastmilk in a bowl of hot water and let it warm up to a safe temperature.
6. Test the heat of the breastmilk by squirting a little on your inner wrist. The milk should be warm or room temperature, not hot.
7. Once thawed, breastmilk can’t be refrozen, so use the breastmilk in smaller increments and add to it if baby is still hungry.
8. Don’t overfill the bottle with too much breastmilk if you are unsure how much baby will drink.Once a bottle has been used, it needs to be finished within the hour as bacteria can grow. Start with smaller increments of breastmilk and add more if baby is still hungry.

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