A new mum asks for your advice. She has been at home for the first few days since giving birth to her son, but wants to take the baby out on a day trip next week. What does she do about feeding him?

You are likely to meet parents who have such issues in the pharmacy. As well as days out and holidays, a significant number of mums work outside of the home and need to entrust the care, including the feeding, of their baby to other people. 

• What advice would you give to this customer if she is breastfeeding?
• What advice would you give to this customer if she is bottle feeding?

To help improve the advice that you offer, take some time to think about what is involved in either leaving a baby in someone else's care or taking a baby outside of the home. 

Consider the following:

• What concerns do you think parents may have about feeding their baby themselves?
• What concerns do you think parents will have about feeding their baby when they are away from home?

Draw up a list of possible concerns. This could include:

• Making up feeds and how long to keep them for
• How many bottles will be needed for a day-long outing?
• How can feeding equipment be sterilised on a camping trip?
• How to express breast milk €“ what is the best breast pump and how should milk be stored?
• How to give sensible instructions to a carer without appearing over-anxious
• How to avoid transmitting anxiety to the baby when an unfamiliar routine is planned.

Consider how you would address these issues with a customer in the pharmacy. Consider developing a checklist of feeding equipment that parents would need to take on holiday. Keep this in the pharmacy for the whole team to refer to.