Formula-Feeding Charge

[nannybosshelp]

Hi, I've NCed for this as I'm quite identifiable on my other name. Just wondering if anyone has any wise words...

I'm a nanny and work for a really lovely family, no issues with that. There is a small baby and then older children.
Mum is still on maternity leave but we are sharing the care of all the children, so I have baby quite a lot which is fine (very nice, in fact!)
Baby is now FF but hasn't been taking her bottle at certain times. We've tried a few different strategies and then just came to the conclusion she maybe just wasn't hungry enough on those particular feeds.
Anyway, yesterday I happened to be watching when mum made up a bottle, and she makes them up slightly differently to me -
I make a heaped scoop and then swipe it off with a flat surface, whereas mum scoops a bit of powder in and then shakes it off so it's about half a scoop when it goes in.
I then realised the bottles that baby was refusing were the ones made up by mum.

Should I mention to the mum that I've noticed this pattern, and show her how I've been making up the bottles? I really don't want to sound patronising and she may have a very good reason for making up the bottles how she does, but I'm just worried that baby is refusing milk when we could solve the problem quite easily...

Baby is under 3 months

That's a difficult one. Could you suggest to mum that as the baby is refusing bottles, you think it might be worth trying ready made? Alternatively you you offer to make up the bottles for the day and store them at the back of the fridge?

You are right to worry though, it's effectively putting a very small baby on a diet.

Would a baby of 3mths know the diff. Yes would taste a bit weaker but I wouldn't have thought baby would refuse them iyswim

Tho obv if made this way then it's not getting the right quantity of milk

You could advise using ready made milk to see if makes a diff or get those pots and scoop out enough powder to make feeds up and section it so all she has to do is tip pot into water

I once knew a mum who wasn't very good at feeding her baby as baby struggled to feed and she wouldn't hold baby properly and not hold
Bottle properly and tried to feed in noisy situations and baby wouldn't take milk. Nanny would feed in quiet area and would take it iyswim

Blondes that's a great idea about pots, we have those so maybe I will just say I've made those up to make her life easier.
She feeds well with both of us but just won't take those bottles that have less formula.
We had ready made for a while which baby loved but mum says they are too expensive (fair enough)
Funnily enough a nanny friend said last week 'it's like she's hungry but doesn't like it when she tries it' when we were all struggling to get baby to feed and I couldn't work out how she could dislike it so much and then gobble it down at another feed!

I have the odd brainwave - think sitting in temps of 35*+ on the beach helps

Ready made milk is exspensive so try measuring out milk for mb

Also wondering if mb has the right temp? If too hot or cold bubs may refuse

You have to tell her. I'd be blunt and say "I noticed you weren't using a full scoop". Don't beat around the bush, I mean it beggars belief that she can't be arsed to read the instructions properly.

She would be pretty bloody unreasonable to get offended. The baby is very young still and giving her incorrectly-made formula will be affecting her health and her weight gain.

One thought: she's not trying to make the formula last longer, is she?

Oh it's alright for some Blondes!! :)

The mum is good at temp and everything else. I think what's happened is that she's just tried to remember how to make a bottle from when the last child was a baby a few years ago, and has just not quite remembered right. Whereas I haven't had a break in making formula so I haven't had chance to forget how iyswim...

Hopefully it's not a money saving tactic diving!! I'm a bit of a wimp with telling boss things, scared she will feel rubbish if I tell her she's doing it wrong

It's a hardship but a perk of being se at the moment :)

You have to speak to mb as it's not in bubs interests to have weak formula

What formula does the baby get? Cow & Gate has the leveler on the tub so if all formulas do, you could point it out.

My 15yr old told me she had to show her gran how to measure scoops correctly as she was also just shaking the scoop for my baby

I think you need to talk to your boss. If it is just MB's feeds that baby doesn't take, what happens at the weekend when she has to make them all up? Does baby refuse all of them or just drink in desperation? Also ready made is expensive but it's less than 60p per meal! That's how my boss has come to terms with it because she hates the faff of making up formula!! He's moving on to cows milk this week and she's very happy (and a little bit sad!)

Callaird baby didn't take much milk from bottle at the weekend apparently.

WeeClype, the tub does have a built-in leveller. Maybe I will make a comment that the leveller makes life so much easier now we don't have to use the back of a knife! She might wonder what I'm on about then ask/read the directions again.

If mum makes the bottle and you give it does the bb drink as much? How about if you make the milk and mum gives it will baby drink as much?

I recommend the little tubs to my clients partly because I forget how much I've counted in the depths of the night so having it already measured is easier.

Yep so if I make bottle, baby takes it with whoever gives it (me, MB, friend, she's not fussy!) and if MB makes the bottle baby won't take it with anyone. She has bits but never a substantial amount iyswim.

Maybe pre-scoop / pre-prepare some bottles with the right measure - and when the Mum notices the changes, comment on the reason why (if you don't want to be direct with her). Or even say that ou notice you're using a bit more formula than her and that seems to be working (if you don't want to say outright 'you're doing it wrong')

I think as a professional you will have to sit down and talk to her, because it's really important the feeds are made up correctly.

Exactly Crowen85. This is serious, and all the suggestions to tiptoe around the boss for fear of causing offence are worrying me. Honestly, what is the worst that can happen from being totally matter-of-fact with the boss?

Do talk about it (for baby & mum's sake) but obviously be subtle and kind.

You need to tell her as a nanny your boss will expect you to know more than her about certain stuff. Bottles is one of those things. You have to tell her. what happens if you are away for any reason for a week or more the baby could get sick.

How about "oh, I read about X" or "another nanny friend told me X" as a way of introducing the topic.

But... Shouldn't you be adding the formula to the water just before use anyway so there wouldn't be any bottles MB had made up that you are using?