10 ways to be a First 1,000 Days advocate
Empower parents and caregivers with an understanding of the importance of early nutrition and knowledge of best practices for infant and young child feeding.
Parents and caregivers are the most influential actors in shaping a child’s development. Along with the right support and encouragement, parents need the right information at the right time in order to make the best decisions about feeding their children. As parents increasingly turn to the internet and to other parents via social media and online forums for nutritional and feeding advice, there is a significant opportunity to provide consistent, evidence-based information through the online sources they trust and rely on.
2. Educate and train medical and health care professionals, child care workers and others working with expectant mothers, babies and toddlers on the importance of early 8 nutrition and optimal infant and young child feeding practices.
Those who work with mothers, infants and toddlers are in a position to empower parents and caregivers with the knowledge and skills they need to nourish young children. It is essential that these professionals understand the importance of good nutrition in the first 1,000 days and can help share best practices with parents around infant and young child feeding.
3. Establish evidence-based dietary guidelines for pregnant women and children under two.
Currently, the U.S. has no national dietary guidelines for children under 2 or for pregnant women. USDA and the Department of Health and Human Services have begun the development of the first-ever set of dietary guide- lines for this population which will be released with the new set of dietary guidelines for all Americans in 2020. These guidelines will take into account the unique nutritional needs, eating patterns and developmental stages of infants and toddlers from birth to 2 years of age as well as the nutritional needs of pregnant women.
4. Invest in the research, monitoring and surveillance of the nutritional status of pregnant women and children under two.
In order to develop policies and programs that measurably improve early nutrition, more data on the eating habits and nutritional status of pregnant women and young children is needed. Currently, little, if any, population wide data exist on micronutrient deficiencies in young children and pregnant women, including no current national level data on iron status and anemia prevalence among pregnant women in the U.S.
5. Support healthy pregnancies by ensuring access to high quality preconception and prenatal care, nutrition education and obesity prevention programs.
Millions more American women have access to health insurance, including coverage of preconception and prenatal care, as a result of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). But there are still gaps in access to health insurance in some states. Medicaid, a source of comprehensive health insurance for millions of pregnant women and low-income families, is poised to fill in these gaps.
6. Improve support for mothers to breastfeed by creating breastfeeding-friendly communities, workplaces and healthcare facilities.
Improving rates of breastfeeding in the U.S. will require action on the part of many stakeholders, including communities, employers, hospitals, healthcare systems and health providers. In 2011 the U.S. Surgeon General issued a Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding that laid out clear action steps to support mothers and make breastfeeding easier. As part of its Healthy People 2020 strategy, the CDC also set goals for breastfeeding, including increasing the proportion of babies who are exclusively breastfed from 18.8% to 25.5%.
7. Invest in paid parental leave and family-friendly work place policies to support parents to give their children the strongest start to life.
In the absence of a federal law covering all Americans, many states have taken the lead on implementing family-friendly paid leave policies. Currently, California, New York, New Jersey and Rhode Island mandate paid family leave for new parents. Five states and the District of Columbia require employers to allow workers to earn paid sick days that can be used to care for a spouse or partner recovering from childbirth and to attend prenatal and postnatal medical appointments. Additionally, 16 states and the District of Columbia guarantee some pregnant women reasonable accommodations on the job. These and other states can serve as models for how to implement policies that support parents.
8. Encourage companies to follow the World Health Organization’s International Code of Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes which provides guidelines for the ethical marketing and promotion of infant formulas and foods and beverages for young children.
The negative association between the marketing of infant formulas and breastfeeding rates was the basis of the World Health Organization’s International Code of Marketing of Breast milk Substitutes (the Code). Developed together with manufacturers of infant formula, the Code provides guidelines for the marketing and distribution of formula and limits direct marketing to pregnant women and new mothers. It is important to note that infant formula marketing in the U.S. is a relatively recent phenomenon—until the late 1980s, infant formula was not marketed directly to American consumers.
9. Strengthen programs that reach low-income babies, toddlers and their families.
Federal and state programs targeted at low-income families are essential to ensuring the nutritional health of millions of young children in America. These programs range in size and scope but there is a significant opportunity to strengthen and expand these public programs to ensure that all eligible families receive services and that the services offered provide the necessary support for a healthy first 1,000 days.
10. Ensure that healthy, nutritious foods are the afford- able, available and desired choice for all families.
Healthier diets are an essential com- ponent to ensuring that children in the U.S. have the best start to life. Nutritious foods must be made more available and affordable to all families. This could be done through policies or practices that make nutritious foods like fruits and vegetables more affordable for everyone. Ensuring that parents and caregivers of young children are better able to provide for the nutritional needs of young children is also vital.
