Free Resources for Clinicians and Champions of First Foods
For anyone involved in feeding little ones — whether that’s a parent, caregiver, family member, or friend — timely guidance can make it easier to navigate the ups and downs of each child’s feeding journey.
Clinicians can play an important role in providing families with credible education on feeding development but often lack the resources to do so.
That’s why Partnership for a Healthier America, in collaboration with the Dr. Yum Project and a multidisciplinary team of child experts, teamed up to create free patient education handouts for clinicians with stage-by-stage anticipatory guidance on feeding development during pregnancy and from 0-24 months of age.
These Raising Adventurous Eaters with First Foods guides include proactive tips and practical activities to boost feeding development and build healthy habits at every stage of a child’s feeding journey.
Prenatal and Postnatal Guide | Guía Prenatal y Posnatal
This guide includes tips to help parents and caregivers understand how food choices can support a healthy pregnancy and impact the short and long-term health of themselves and their child.
1-4 Months Guide | Guía de 1 a 4 meses
This guide explains the responsive feeding model and provides families with guidance on how to boost developmental skills that will be helpful when their child starts eating solid foods around 6 months.
4-6 Months Guide | Guía de 4-6 meses
While breast milk and/or iron-fortified formula are still the main food in a baby’s diet, it is almost time to introduce new flavors and textures. This guide highlights the signs of readiness to begin solid foods.
6-9 Months Guide | Guía de 6 a 9 meses
This guide provides information for families on how to safely introduce babies to a variety of new tastes and textures alongside the important nutrients in breast milk and/or iron-fortified formula.
9-12 Months Guide | Guía de 9 a 12 meses
This guide provides tips for families on how to offer a wide variety of textures and flavor combinations by enjoying modified family meals and building self-feeding skills.
Supplemental: Safe Eating Tips | Consejos para una Alimentación Segura
Use these tips to help make food introduction even more safe for your baby including in-depth information on introducing the top 9 food allergens, ways to serve a variety of foods safely, and more.
12-24 Months Guide | Guía de 12 a 24 meses
Starting around one year, children may be less hungry and not as interested in foods they once liked. This guide offers toddler feeding tips to create a positive mealtime environment for the whole family.
Raising Adventurous Eaters with First Foods is an initiative of PHA’s Veggies Early & Often campaign, in collaboration with the Dr. Yum Project, which aims to raise a generation of adventurous eaters in partnership with health professionals, food manufacturers, and early childhood educators.
Resources were authored by:
- Nimali Fernando, MD, MPH, Founder of The Dr. Yum Project, creator of “Touchpoints” and Co-author of “Raising a Healthy, Happy Eater”
- Carmen Berry, MPH, RD, LD, Public Health Registered Dietitian
- Kofi Essel, MD, MPH, FAAP, Food as Medicine Program Director at Elevance Health; Community Pediatrician at Children’s National Hospital; Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics at The George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences
- Rupa Mahadevan, MD, FAAP, ABOIM, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Texas Health Science Center, Department of Pediatrics, Director of Culinary Medicine at Nourish UT School of Public Health
- Melanie Potock, MA, CCC-SLP, Pediatric Feeding Specialist, Author of “Responsive Feeding,” and Co-author of “Raising a Healthy, Happy Eater”
- Emily Rydbom, CN, BCHN, CNP Owner and CEO of GrowBaby Health
- Amy Warne, MBA, RD/LD, Nutrition and Health Programs Manager, Partnership for a Healthier America
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