NAC432A.385. Snacks and meals.

     1. The staff of each facility shall:

     (a) Provide appropriate and adequate seating for the children at the facility during snacks and meals;

     (b) If a high chair is used, ensure that the chair:

          (1) Is in good condition;

          (2) Has a wide base; and

          (3) Has a safety belt for the child;

     (c) Wash with a detergent and disinfect after each use any chair or table that is used during a snack or meal;

     (d) Allow, encourage and assist each child to feed himself or herself, including, without limitation, encouraging a child to hold and drink from a cup, use a spoon and use his or her fingers to feed himself or herself;

     (e) Offer each child drinking water at times other than during his or her regular feedings;

     (f) Discard any food that is left in a dish after a meal;

     (g) Ensure that bottles and containers of food are not kept in water longer than 5 minutes, and stir, shake and test a bottle or container of food before using the bottle or container to feed an infant;

     (h) Not hold an infant while preparing food;

     (i) On a daily basis, empty, clean and sanitize any pot used to warm a bottle or food;

     (j) Store each bottle of formula and container of food in accordance with the instructions from the manufacturer of the formula or food;

     (k) Label each bottle of formula and container of food with the name of the child to whom it belongs and the date the formula or food was prepared by the facility or was prepared or purchased by the parent;

     (l) Immediately refrigerate and label each container of breast milk provided by a parent;

     (m) Return each bottle to the appropriate parent each day;

     (n) Return any unused, open container of food to the appropriate parent each day if the child was not fed directly from the container of food; and

     (o) Develop with the parents of a child a plan for feeding the child, which must include, without limitation:

          (1) Instructions for feeding;

          (2) Any special dietary restrictions, including, without limitation, any allergies to food;

          (3) A schedule of times for feeding;

          (4) Whether the child will be fed breast milk, formula or solid food;

          (5) If the child will be fed breast milk or formula, when to begin feeding solid food; and

          (6) Likes and dislikes of certain foods.

     2. A child who is fed with a bottle and does not hold his or her own bottle must be held by a caregiver while being fed with a bottle. The bottle must not be propped for feeding. A child who demonstrates a preference for holding a bottle during feeding may hold his or her own bottle and need not be held by a caregiver if the caregiver is directly observing the child.

     3. The staff of a facility may feed a child commercially prepared baby food directly from the jar in which it was packaged or from a separate dish. If the staff feeds the child from the jar, the staff shall discard the jar after it is used.

     (Added to NAC by Bd. for Child Care by R203-97, eff. 4-1-98; A by R047-98, 6-10-98; R072-98, 8-3-98; R112-06, 4-23-2009)