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ARS Home » Plains Area » Houston, Texas » Children's Nutrition Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #165908
Title: THE START HEALTHY FEEDING GUIDELINES FOR INFANTS AND TODDLERS

Author
item Butte, Nancy
item COBB, KATHLEEN - CTR DISEASE CONTROL PREV
item DWYER, JOHANNA - TUFTS UNIVERSITY
item GRANEY, LAURA - SHEBOYGAN COUNTY, WIS
item Heird, William
item RICKARD, KARYL - INDIANA U SCH HLTH REHAB

Submitted to: Journal Of The American Dietetic Association
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/20/2003
Publication Date: 3/15/2004
Citation: Butte, N.F., Cobb, K., Dwyer, J., Graney, L., Heird, W.C., Rickard, K. 2004. The start healthy feeding guidelines for infants and toddlers. Journal Of The American Dietetic Association. 104(3):442-454.

Interpretive Summary: Dietary and feeding recommendations are needed for infants and toddlers under 2 years of age. Because of the rise in childhood obesity, it is especially important to pay attention to what infants and toddlers are eating and to develop healthy eating habits in childhood. This paper describes the Start Healthy Infant and Toddler Feeding Guidelines for healthy American children 6-24 months of age. The Start Healthy guidelines provide a scientifically sound foundation for communicating feeding and dietary advice for infants and toddlers to dietetic and pediatric professionals, as well as parents and caregivers. The objective of the Start Healthy Feeding Guidelines is to provide parents and caregivers with practical, actionable information about feeding infants and toddlers. The development of these guidelines focused on answering parents' and caregivers' common infant and toddler feeding questions - What should I feed my baby? When is my baby ready? How do I feed my baby?

Technical Abstract: Dietary and feeding recommendations are needed for infants and toddlers under 2 years of age, since the Dietary Guidelines for Americans provide nutrition and health guidance only for Americans over the age of 2 years. The current increase in childhood obesity brings on a new urgency to pay attention to what infants and toddlers are eating and the need to develop healthy eating habits in childhood. In order to lay the groundwork for healthy eating habits parents and caregivers need practical guidance on how to feed infants and toddlers. This paper describes the Start Healthy Infant and Toddler Feeding Guidelines for healthy American children 6-24 months of age. The Start Healthy guidelines provide a scientifically sound foundation for communicating feeding and dietary advice for infants and toddlers to dietetic and pediatric professionals, as well as parents and caregivers. The objective of the Start Healthy Feeding Guidelines is to provide parents and caregivers with practical, actionable information about feeding infants and toddlers. A modified evidence-based approach was used to develop the guidelines which focused on answering parents' and caregivers' common infant and toddler feeding questions - What should I feed my baby? When is my baby ready? How do I feed my baby?