Standard

• No teats or dummies to be given to breastfeeding infants during the establishment of breastfeeding.

NB: Breastfeeding mothers may choose to give their baby a feed using a bottle and teat or may choose to use a dummy. It is the trust’s responsibility to ensure that mothers are informed of the risks and alternatives to teat and dummy use so that they can make a fully informed choice. For the mother to be in a position to do so, the trust must offer an alternative method of feeding breastfed babies other than from a bottle and teat when supplements are required. Staff should be trained to use this alternative method safely.

Assessment
Requirements at Stage 1:

• The method used for recording whether breastfeeding mothers have been informed of the importance of avoiding teats and dummies during the establishment of breastfeeding.

Requirements at Stage 3:

• Breastfeeding mothers to confirm that their baby has not been given a teat or dummy except in cases where the mother has made a fully informed choice.