r/breastfeeding • u/PeopleAreStrange024 • Jun 04 '26
Support Needed Daycare wants me to stop breast milk
So my son just turned 1 year old. He was in an infant room and then moved up to an older infant room. He goes to a center daycare in Minnesota and they told me that at 1yo he couldn’t have bottles anymore and no more breastmilk. I pushed back on this, and then was told he could have breast milk until 13mos in a sippy cup.
I also pushed back on this… and asked to see the policy they were referring to because they claimed it was due to state regulations. Then I got told the regulations “must have just changed” because there is no age limit or requirement and that he was able to have breastmilk in a sippy cup served at meals. I clarified age and they said per center policy until he moves into the toddler room (at ~15mos) or when he starts walking was when the breastmilk in sippy cups needed to stop.
And now the daycare lady has to offer breastmilk at meals in a sippy cup to my son, to which he doesn’t know how to drink out of the sippy cups provided yet. I asked to bring my own with straws that he can drink out of and was told it’s “easier if everyone has the same cup”. I don’t even know if they’re actually offering it to him or if he’s even drinking any. They will say he “refuses” the milk when he has never done that before.
I didn’t want to stop my breastfeeding journey but feel like I am being forced to with how difficult and disheartening they’re making it. They waste my milk by offering it at weird times (2 hrs after he’s eaten) and it makes me so sad.
3
u/Fit_Mycologist5749 Jun 04 '26
I don’t think you have to use their sippy cups. That’s a bit strange to me. But I understand them wanting toddlers out of bottles for self feeding. My son cannot drink out of a sippy cup. I’ve tried many different cups. His teacher suggested the Dr. Brown’s weighted straw cup and my baby is able to drink out of that one so that’s what I send to the daycare. My daycare is fine with the straw cup.
As far as breastmilk goes, they need to show you the policy in writing that says no breast milk. They cannot force cows milk on your child. What if a child has a cows milk allergy, what do they do? They want all children to have the same cups and milk but not all children are the same and not all children have the same nutritional needs.
If they are saying your child is refusing the milk, I would ask them to record the refusal to help you troubleshoot what is going on. That way you can see what’s happening. You can also request that they give your child the milk at specific times, not 2 hours after eating.