# Infant feeding plan

Source: https://backpr.com/resources/templates/infant-feeding-plan. Last updated: 2026-10-22.

A feeding plan families fill out for each baby: breast milk or formula, amounts, hunger cues, solid foods and allergies, plus your bottle safety rules.

Free download: PDF https://backpr.com/media/templates/backpr-infant-feeding-plan.pdf · Word https://backpr.com/media/templates/backpr-infant-feeding-plan.docx

> Please fill out one plan for each baby and update it whenever your baby's feeding changes. You're welcome to ask your baby's health care provider to help. We'll follow this plan and tell you each day what and how much your baby ate.

**Baby**
- Baby's name: ______
- Date of birth: ______
- Date of this plan: ______

**Milk**
Check all that apply.
- [ ] Breast milk
- [ ] Infant formula
- [ ] Other (only with written instructions from your baby's health care provider)
- Formula brand and type: ______
- Who provides the formula (your family or the program): ______
- Special instructions for preparing formula (we follow the label unless your baby's health care provider gives written instructions): ______

**Breast milk**
You're welcome to come breastfeed your baby here. We have [a comfortable, private place] for you. Please label every bottle or bag with your baby's full name and the date the milk was expressed.
- Best times for you to come breastfeed, if you'd like to: ______
- If we run out of breast milk, what should we do (such as call you or offer formula)?: ______

**Feeding times and amounts**
We feed babies when they show they're hungry and stop when they show they're full, instead of feeding on a strict schedule or asking them to finish a bottle.
- How often your baby usually eats: ______
- Usual amount at each feeding: ______
- How your baby shows they're hungry (such as rooting, sucking on hands or fussing): ______
- How your baby shows they're full (such as turning away or slowing down): ______
- Bottle, nipple or cup your baby uses: ______
- Burping and other tips: ______

**Solid foods**
Please talk with your baby's health care provider about when and how to start solid foods. [We'll offer a new food only after your baby has eaten it at home.]
- [ ] My baby isn't eating solid foods yet
- Foods your baby eats now: ______
- Textures (such as purees, mashed foods or soft small pieces): ______
- Foods to avoid, and why: ______
- Self-feeding (finger foods, spoon or cup): ______

**Allergies and special diets**
If your baby has a food allergy, please give us an allergy action plan from your baby's health care provider. Changes to formula or diet for medical reasons need [written instructions from your baby's health care provider].
- [ ] Allergy action plan attached
- Food allergies or intolerances, and reactions: ______
- Special diet (for medical, cultural or religious reasons): ______

**How we handle bottles and food**
For your baby's safety, we:
- Hold babies for every bottle feeding, and never prop a bottle.
- Never put a baby down to sleep with a bottle.
- Never warm bottles or baby food in a microwave.
- Label and refrigerate bottles. Throw out formula left in a bottle after a feeding, and breast milk left in a bottle [2 hours] after the baby finishes, or sooner if our state's rules say so.
- Feed babies sitting up, with a staff member watching, and serve food in sizes and textures that are safe for your baby.
- Never give babies younger than 12 months honey or food with honey in it, and never give them juice or cow's milk to drink, following AAP and CDC guidance.
- If a baby is ever given another baby's breast milk by mistake, tell both families right away, encourage the baby's family to call their health care provider and follow CDC guidance.

**Baby's health care provider**
Some states ask for a health care provider's input or signature on an infant feeding plan.
- Health care provider's name and phone: ______
- Health care provider signature and date (if required): ______

**Parent or guardian**
I'll update this plan whenever my baby's feeding changes [and at least every (number) months].
- Parent or guardian's printed name: ______
- Parent or guardian signature: ______
- Date: ______

### How to use it
- This plan follows infant feeding guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and Caring for Our Children (CFOC), and CDC guidance on handling breast milk. Ask your health consultant to review your bottle and food rules.
- Check your state's licensing rules, which may require a written feeding plan for each infant, set storage times for breast milk and formula or require a health care provider's signature. Find your state's rules at backpr.com/resources/states.
- If you take part in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), check its infant meal rules too.
- Keep each plan where infant room staff can see it, and ask families to update it as their baby grows, especially when they start solid foods.
- Record every feeding on the infant daily report, so families can see what and how much their baby ate.

**Why does a daycare need an infant feeding plan?**
Every baby eats differently. A written plan tells staff what a baby drinks and eats, how much, how they show hunger and fullness and what to avoid, so every caregiver feeds them the same way. Some states require one for each infant, so check your state's licensing rules.

**Can daycare staff warm bottles in the microwave?**
No. Microwaves heat unevenly and can leave hot spots that burn a baby's mouth. AAP and CFOC advise against it. If a baby prefers warm milk, warm the bottle in a container of warm water or a bottle warmer instead.

Free to use and change, but not legal or medical advice. Check your state's licensing rules and your insurer's requirements, and have a lawyer review any consent or waiver language.