Nurturing Young Children Through Responsive Feeding Thematic Brief

Responsive feeding is part of nurturing care and an essential aspect of adequate childhood nutrition and responsive caregiving. This brief is organized around five key messages and is intended for an audience involved in the design, management, and implementation of maternal and child health and nutrition programmes and services.

The progress report looks back on the five years since the Nurturing care framework was launched. It documents achievements and presents areas for future action. Annotated with stories of change, the report provides a snapshot of progress in relation to each of the five strategic actions of the framework and shows the breadth of activities that have been undertaken.

This guideline will have new recommendations on the prevention of wasting and on the clinical management of moderate wasting. It will also update and consolidate the recommendations in the 2013 WHO guidelines for severe acute malnutrition[1] which covered eight broad areas in identification and treatment of infants and children with severe wasting and oedema and also included a limited number of recommendations for infants under six months of age.

Neurodevelopment begins during pregnancy and accelerates after birth. When cared for in a nurturing environment, babies not only survive, they are also helped to thrive. However, too many infants are deprived of their right to receive nurturing care, particularly when they require inpatient hospital care. This Thematic Brief summarizes why nurturing care is essential for all newborns. It outlines the components of nurturing care and contains examples of practical actions to create and strengthen nurturing environments for all newborns, including those who are born too soon, small or sick.

Globally, the food system and the relationship of the individual to that system, continues to change and grow in complexity. Eating is an everyday event that is part of everyone’s lives. There are many commentaries on the nature of these changes to what, where and how we eat and their socio-cultural, environmental, educational, economic and health consequences. Among this discussion, the term "food literacy" has emerged to acknowledge the broad role food and eating play in our lives and the empowerment that comes from meeting food needs well. In this book, contributors from Australia, China, United Kingdom and North America provide a review of international research on food literacy and how this can be applied in schools, health care settings and public education and communication at the individual, group and population level. These varying perspectives will give the reader an introduction to this emerging concept. The book gathers current insights and provides a platform for discussion to further understanding and application in this field. It stimulates the reader to conceptualise what food literacy means to their practice and to critically review its potential contribution to a range of outcomes.

The authoritative guide to feeding babies and toddlers “responsively”—the no-fuss method that follows your child’s cues and sets the stage for healthy eating! When should I start my baby on solids? Should I offer purees— or try baby-led weaning? What if my toddler rejects new foods? Feeding therapist Melanie Potock has answers to all in Responsive Feeding. The secret? Tune in to your child’s cues, and you’ll know what’s right for her. With Responsive Feeding, you won’t have to choose between the spoon-led and baby-led approach or cajole your baby to “eat up” when he’s fussy. Instead, every meal becomes a fun learning experience that will engage each of your baby’s senses—and strengthen your bond. • Gauge your baby’s readiness for solid foods.• Introduce bold flavors to set the stage for a lifetime of adventurous eating.• Navigate tricky transitions and picky eating—peacefully.• Watch your baby become a confident, independent eater! Potock guides parents along every step of the way, from “to bib or not to bib?” and how to wrangle a “food thrower” to the merits of a “nibble tray” for hangry toddlers and considerations for special needs. Raising a mindful, healthy eater is just a bite away!

Recommendations for feeding infants and young children have changed substantially over time owing to scientific advances, cultural influences, societal trends, and other factors. At the same time, stronger approaches to reviewing and synthesizing scientific evidence have evolved, such that there are now established protocols for developing evidence-based health recommendations. However, not all authoritative bodies have used such approaches for developing infant feeding guidance, and for many feeding questions there is little or no sound evidence available to guide best practices, despite the fact that research on infant and young child feeding has expanded in recent decades. Summarizing the current landscape of feeding recommendations for infants and young children can reveal the level of consistency of existing guidance, shed light on the types of evidence that underpin each recommendation, and provide insight into the feasibility of harmonizing guidelines. Feeding Infants and Children from Birth to 24 Months collects, compares, and summarizes existing recommendations on what and how to feed infants and young children from birth to 24 months of age. This report makes recommendations to stakeholders on strategies for communicating and disseminating feeding recommendations.