Learning Objectives

After completion of this module students will be able to:

• Explore the role that breastfeeding and pediatric nutrition may play in reducing risk for obesity during childhood.
• Review the importance of good pediatric nutrition in the first two years of life.
• Analyze evidence-based recommendations for pediatric nutrition.

Key Concepts:

• Dietary recommendations are made by government agencies and professional organizations including the United States Department of Agriculture and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
• Recommendations are to breastfeed for the first year of life, with exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months.
• Breastfed infants have better health and reduced risk of disease.
• Many infants in the U.S. are not exclusively breastfed if they are breastfed at all.
• Factors that influence breastfeeding include short maternity leaves, policies, workplace supports, cultural beliefs, and expectations.
• Dietary guidelines for 0 to 5 year olds change over these first five years of life.
• MyPlate provides examples of portion sizes.
• The FIT study found that babies showed similar eating patterns as older children and adults (about 20 to 33% of infants and toddlers 7 to 24 months of age consume no vegetables).
• There are family and environmental influences on breastfeeding and pediatric nutrition.

Video Microlectures

• Video: Pediatric Nutrition
  Dr. Sharon M. Donovan, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Division of Nutritional Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Optional Readings

• Fox, M. K., Pac, S., Devaney, B., & Jankowski, L. (2004). Feeding infants and toddlers study: What foods are infants and toddlers eating? Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 104, 22-30.