Infant Care Food Service

101427

(a) In addition to Section 101227, the following shall apply:

(b) There shall be an individual feeding plan for each infant.

(1) The plan shall be completed and available for use prior to the infant's first day at the center.

(2) The director or the assistant director, and the infant's authorized representative and/or physician, shall develop the plan.

(A) The authorized representative shall sign the plan to verify that he/she has participated in developing and updating it.

(3) The plan shall include the following items:

(A) Instructions from the infant's physician relating to special diet or feeding.

(B) Feeding schedule.

(C) Breast milk or kind of formula.

(D) Schedule for introduction of solid and new foods.

(E) Food consistency.

(F) Food likes and dislikes.

(G) Food allergies.

(H) Schedule for introduction of cups and utensils.

(4) The plan shall be updated as often as the authorized representative wants, or as necessary to reflect changes in any of the areas specified above.

(5) The infant care center director or assistant director shall discuss current feeding theory with the authorized representative. This discussion should cover the dangers of honey.

(A) Authorities recommend that honey not be fed to any infant for the first year of life. Honey may carry botulism spores that can be harmful to young infants and has been known to cause infant botulism.

(B) It is recommended that the discussion include the following "Recommendations for Infant Feeding Practices" by the Department of Human Services concerning the sequence for the introduction of solid foods to infants from birth to 12 months

Age Foods

Birth- 12 months

Breast milk, iron-fortified formula, or evaporated milk formula

At 4-6 months

Infant cereal (dry type)

At 5- 7 months

Vegetables, fruits and their juices

At 6-8 months

Protein foods (cheese, yogurt; cooked beans, meat, fish, and chicken; egg yolk)

At 10-12 months

Whole egg

(c) The infant shall be fed in accordance with the individual plan.

(1) Bottle-fed infants shall be fed at least once every four hours.

(2) The infant care center shall have appropriate food available for the infant.

(A) Where the infant's authorized representative elects to provide food for the infant but forgets to bring it, the center shall provide appropriate food for the infant.

(3) Introduction of solid foods shall be in accordance with the individual plan.

(d) The infant care center shall provide only commercially prepared formulas for infants.

(1) Commercial formulas shall be stored and prepared in accordance with label directions.

(2) The specific brand of formula shall be specified in the feeding plan.

(3) Any change from one formula to another shall be reflected in advance on the feeding plan.

(4) Staff of the infant care center shall not prepare infant formula from basic ingredients

(e) The infant's authorized representative may provide formula or breast/mother's milk.

(1) Such formula or milk shall be bottled before being accepted by the center.

(A) Bottles shall be labeled.

(f) The infant care center may heat formula or breast/mother's milk.

(g) A supply of bottles and nipples shall be maintained at the infant care center. Bottles and nipples used by one infant shall not be shared with or used by another infant unless sterilized.

(h) Infants who are unable to hold a bottle shall be held by a staff person or other adult for bottle feeding. At no time shall a bottle be propped for an infant. An infant shall not be allowed to carry a bottle while ambulatory. A bottle given to an infant able to hold his/her own bottle shall be unbreakable.

(i) High chairs or other appropriate seating equipment shall be used to seat infants during feeding. Infants who are unable to sit unassisted in a high chair or other seating equipment shall be held by a staff person or other adult for feeding.

(j) Bottles, dishes and containers of food brought by the infant's authorized representative shall be labeled with the infant's name and the current date.

(1) Formula in a partially consumed bottle shall be discarded at the end of each day.

(2) Food shall be discarded if not consumed within 72 hours of the date on the container label.

(3) Bottles and dishes provided by the authorized representative shall be rinsed and returned to the authorized representative for sanitizing at the end of each day.

(k) The infant care center shall not serve honey or corn syrup to any infant.

(l) Commercially prepared baby food in jars shall be transferred to a dish before being fed to the infant.

(1) Any food left over in the dish at the end of the meal shall be discarded.

(m) If requested, arrangements for privacy shall be made for any mother who has reached an agreement with the infant care center to nurse her infant in the center.

(n) Bottles and nipples maintained by the infant care center shall be sterilized using any of the following methods after each use:

(1) Boiled for a minimum of five minutes and air-dried; or

(2) Soaked for a minimum of one minute in a sterilizing solution using 1/2 cup of bleach and five gallons of water and air-dried; or

(3) Bottles may be washed and sterilized using a dishwasher.

(o) Infants shall not be bathed in, and diapers or clothing shall not be rinsed in, the food-preparation area.

NOTE: Authority cited: Section 1596.81, Health and Safety Code. Reference: Sections 1596.72, 1596.73, 1596.81 and 1597.05, Health and Safety Code

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