A quick bilingual reference for volunteers in the field — enough to open a conversation, explain the sanitation kit, and follow up. It’s a starting point, not a substitute for a fluent speaker: at a site where most people speak Spanish, send a team with at least one conversationally-proficient volunteer, and lean on a local of the same language and culture whenever you can.
Before you explain formula preparation at a site, read Preparing powdered formula safely in an emergency. The water has to be at least 158°F (70°C) when the powder goes in, and that is the step most often missed.
Pairs with the Rapid Needs Assessment and New Volunteer Orientation. Words for common items vary by country — where that matters, a few options are noted.
Rapid needs assessment
| English | Español |
|---|---|
| Hi, do you have a baby at home? | Hola, ¿Tienes bebé en casa? |
| (If yes) How many years or months? | ¿Cuántos años o meses? |
| Are you pregnant? How many months? | ¿Estás embarazada? ¿Cuántos meses? |
| Have you thought about how you are going to feed your baby? | ¿Has pensado cómo alimentarás a tu bebé? |
| How are you feeding your baby? Breast or formula? | ¿Cómo estás alimentando al bebé? ¿Pecho o fórmula? |
| Are you just breastfeeding, or are you using formula too? | ¿Das solo pecho? ¿O también fórmula? |
| Do you use bottles or cups? (words for “bottle” vary: biberón, botella, mamila, pacha, tetero, pepe) | ¿Usas biberones o vasitos para la leche? |
| What water are you using at home? (answers may be: well/pozo, city/de la ciudad, bottled/de botella, water trucks/de la pipa) | ¿Qué agua usan en casa? |
| How are you cleaning your bottles at home? | ¿Cómo limpias los biberones en casa? |
| Are you able to boil water at home? | ¿Puedes hervir agua en tu casa? |
| If breastfeeding: Do you express milk? Do you use a breast pump? | ¿Te sacas leche? ¿Usas bomba o extractor para sacar leche? |
| Would you like a manual or electric pump? | ¿Te gustaría un extractor manual o eléctrico? |
| We can get you a breast pump! | ¡Nosotros podemos darle un extractor! |
| You are giving the best to your baby. Breastfeeding is a gift for a lifetime. | ¡Estás dando lo mejor a tu bebé! Dar pecho es un regalo para toda la vida. |
Explaining the kit & formula preparation
| English | Español |
|---|---|
| This kit is to clean and disinfect without having to boil the pump parts and bottles. | Este kit es para limpiar y desinfectar sin tener que hervir las partes del extractor y los biberones. |
| This kit includes chlorine to disinfect. After washing your parts, you can put two liters of water and 5 ml / one teaspoon of chlorine in this box. Soak everything for 2 minutes and that will disinfect it. | El kit incluye cloro para desinfectar. Después de lavar tu equipo, puedes poner dos litros de agua y 5 ml / una cucharadita de cloro en este recipiente. Deje todo remojar por 2 minutos y ya queda desinfectado. |
| After disinfecting, don’t rinse — let everything air dry before use. | Después de desinfectar, no lo enjuagues — se deja secar todo al aire antes de usarlo. |
| When preparing powdered formula, use potable water that has been boiled, and mix while still hot. | Al preparar la fórmula en polvo, hay que usar agua potable que ha hervido, mientras está caliente. |
| If you use liquid formula in large bottles, place it in the refrigerator between uses. | Si usas fórmula líquida en las botellas grandes, guarda la botella en el refrigerador entre usos. |
| Discard the big bottle after 48 hours even if there’s formula left over. | Deshecha la botella grande después de 48 horas aunque todavía sobre fórmula. |
| If you do not have potable water, it is better to use ready-to-feed formula. | Si no hay agua potable, es mejor usar la fórmula que ya viene lista para usar. |
If follow-up is needed
| English | Español |
|---|---|
| If you need more infant feeding support, donor milk, or pump supplies, please call us at this number. | Si necesitas más ayuda para dar pecho, leche donada o cosas para tu extractor, por favor llama a este número. |
| Can I get your number so we can reach out to you in the future? | ¿Me puedes dar tu número para poder llamarte en el futuro? |
| What is your name? My name is ________. | ¿Cómo te llamas? Yo me llamo _________. |
| What is your phone number? Do you prefer a text or a call? Regular or by WhatsApp? | ¿Cuál es tu número de teléfono? ¿Prefieres una llamada o un texto? ¿Normal o por WhatsApp? |