Considering "spiking" DD's school sippy w/ BM
We hung out w/ DD at the school where she will start attending three days a week this morning. We had been told that they do not allow sippies so I figured BM was out of the equation while at school. We brought a box of rice milk for her to have with her snack today. (She has a milk allergy and I prefer to avoid milk alternatives) However both kids in her class had thermos sippies w/ milk.
I asked the director about the sippies and she said it was fine and asked what Harper drinks. I said she nurses at home but that we had brought her rice milk. I didn't ask if she could bring BM but I assume it is not o.k. I would like to send her w/ a thermos sippy of BM and not give soy/rice milk etc. I'm just not sure if this is a good idea since in theory another kid could try to drink out of her cup. The kids don't run free w/ their cups and have to sit where they are being watched at structured times during the day, it is not chaotic but kids that age like to "share".
Thoughts? I feel like this is a moral dillema...what is best for DD vs. what may be best for the other kids. I mean unless the teacher or director drank out of her sippy they would never no the difference...
Re: Considering "spiking" DD's school sippy w/ BM
I'm very suprised that they have a no sippy rule for the under 2yo class. DD's 2yo class last year all used sippies. Maybe they mean no spout sippies and they're just trying to move the kids to straw cups? So straw sippies might be ok?
If I send milk I send 2 cups. One with milk and one with water or watered juice. They refill the kids cups with water as needed and no one likes to drink watered milk.
Honestly I wouldn't even think twice about sending whatever you want her to drink, even BM. If they are only drinking at snack times and meal times then the teachers should be watching closely. I doubt there is that much drink sharing.
My only concern is that other parents may not appreciate learning that their child drank a stranger's BM if their child decided to drink from DD's sippy. Again, they are supervised and sitting down. I think it is fine I just think I will keep the contents of her sippy to myself.
I say let her take the BM.
If I were a parent and I found out that my child drank someone else's BM, I'd be a lot less upset than if she drank sugary juice, soda, etc. In fact, I think other kids should be so lucky as to get your BM.
I hate that our society finds it weird to drink someone else's breast milk, yet we have no problem drinking cow or other types of animal milk. "Human milk" makes a lot more sense to me!
I totally agree and am laughing about the juice comment. I'm just not sure if the world outside of our extended breastfeeding bubble feels the same way.
I'm pretty sure the rest of the world doesn't! My daycare center accidentally gave DD a bottle of another baby's BM one day and they made a huge deal out of it. I had to sign all these forms and they contacted the other mom to ask her if she'd undergo medical testing...it was crazy, IMO. I told them that I'd actually be more upset if they gave her formula! I could tell by their reaction, though, that I'm in the minority on that one. They consider BM a "biohazard" (which I think is probably just corporate CYA, but annoys me). I'd go the don't-ask-don't-tell route if I were you.
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This is one of the reasons I am leaning towards sending the BM. I know they will be watching the food/drink situation closely (hopefully),
The only reason I would ever think of letting a daycare know about BM is if a caretaker is going to be handling it (eg: pouring it from a thermos into a sippy). And I only say that because BM is a bodily fluid (that isn't pasteurized or irradiated) and can theoretically contain many viruses. YES, I agree human milk is superior to cow milk for babies - but that doesn't eliminate the fact that some women DO have HIV and other viruses that can be transported through BM and the worker has a right to know what s/he is handling.
I sent BM to daycare with my DD from day one. My babysitter knew it and was totally 100% fine with it (she happens to be a good friend of mine too so maybe she just trusted I was disease-free). But I would have never sent it under the guise that it was pasteurized cow milk or something else.
All daycares and preschools get dropped in on by the state agencies. If they found a bottle of "bodily fluid" that wasn't labeled as such, the center would get written up. Also, even though you feel another child drinking your breast milk is not a big deal, not every parent feels that way. I know of several babies on the bump who got another baby's breastmilk bottle, and the mother of the other baby had to get tested for HIV. Some parents aren't cool with it. I say to send it, but let them know.
I'm not trying to be a *** here--my daughter was nursed by another mom, and drank donated BM exclusively from 10.5 months until 12 months, and then part time until 15 months. I'm just saying that not everyone is okay with it.
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PLEASE tell the center. As a previous poster mentioned, they could get in big trouble for having unlabeled BM in the classroom. They probably won't care (they shouldn't- and if they do, get a pedi's note and it will be fine) and it will make them be extra cautious so your DD doesn't drink anybody else's cup because of her allergy and also that nobody else grabs her cup.
I BF, I have donated milk.. but I would NOT be happy if I found out that Emmy took a swig of another babies sippy of BM. It's one thing to SELECT another person to provide BM for your child, another for it to happen by accident and find out after the fact.
be honest with the school. talk to them about it.
definitely send the EBM if you want her to have it, but tell them about it. it would suck if they got in trouble. i wouldn't have thought of that aspect, but PPs make a good point there.
i send about 7-10 oz of EBM to school daily, and they give it to sprout in her straw cup with seated snacks +/or lunch. easy peasy, and no big deal at all. we send a different cup for water. i can guarantee you the teachers think i'm weird for sending it for such a "big kid", but i don't mind that as long as it doesn't change the way they care for DD. (it hasn't. they are nuts about her despite her weirdo mama.)
1 kiddo in her class drinks rice milk bc of a milk allergy. the others are drinking cow's milk i think. they watch the sharing as closely as is possible.
You seriously don't see why that would be a problem? The OP knows she doesn't have any diseases, but the other kiddo's mother doesn't know ANYTHING about her. I would not at all even a little bit be okay with Emmy drinking a stranger's BM, even if they do give it to their own kid.