American Academy of Pediatrics, American Public Health Association, and National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education. Infant Feeding and Mealtime Habits-Source Listġ. Say positive things about foods during meals ( 1, 2, 3, 4).Sit and eat with children at meal time ( 1, 2, 3, 4).Model healthy mealtime behaviors to children Avoid the use of food as a reward or punishment ( 1, 2, 4). Allow children to eat to their own fullness without pressure to overeat ( 1, 2, 3, 4).Ensure that children are seated and undistracted during mealtime (e.g., no television during meals) ( 1, 2, 4).Provide small, age-appropriate portions using child-sized utensils and dishes ( 1, 2, 3, 4).Serve meals family style so older children can serve themselves ( 1, 2, 3, 4).Offer meals and snacks every 2 to 3 hours ( 1, 2, 3, 4).Introduce solids around 6 months of age, unless the child’s healthcare provider recommends earlier, and make sure to use iron-fortified foods for breastfed infants ( 1, 2, 3)Įncourage children to enjoy meals and regulate their own food intake.Create a plan for introducing solids in consultation with child’s parent ( 1, 2).Introduce complementary foods at the appropriate age Bottle feed only one infant at a time ( 1, 2).Position an infant appropriately in a caretaker’s arms or propped up in a caretaker’s lap, and don’t let infants bottle-feed themselves alone ( 1, 2, 3).Pay attention to an infant’s fullness cues to avoid overfeeding (turning away from the nipple, keeping mouth closed) ( 1, 2, 3).Initiate feedings based on an infant’s cue (opening mouth, making suckling sounds) ( 1, 2, 3).Do not bottle feed an infant formula mixed with any cereal, juice, or other foods without documentation from a medical provider ( 1, 2, 3).Do not serve fruit juice to children under 1 year of age ( 1, 2, 3).Serve human milk or infant formula, not cow’s milk, to children until at least 1 year of age unless documentation from a parent/provider indicates otherwise ( 1, 2, 3, 5).Provide a welcoming, private place for mothers to breastfeed on site ( 1, 2, 3, 5).Educate parents on breastfeeding resources and services within the community ( 1, 2, 3, 5).Promote ideal and age-appropriate fluid intake among infants For more detailed guidance on these recommendations and ideas for putting them into practice, explore the source list and the links to other resources. Though these recommendations are designed for early child care providers, parents can follow these feeding and mealtime guidelines at home, too. Here is a summary of infant feeding and mealtime recommendations for obesity prevention, based on a review of expert guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education, the Institute of Medicine, and others. Child care providers can give infants age-appropriate foods and beverages, make mealtimes enjoyable (and television-free), and encourage children to regulate their own food intake. How infants and children are fed can be just as important as what they are fed.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |