Appropriate nutrition during the first 1000 days

M. Sulemana, RNutri
 Presentation Outline
• What does the first 1000 days mean?
• Why does nutrition matter?
• Nutrition during the first 1000 days
• Nutrition during pregnancy
• The first 6 months
• 6 months and beyond
• Conclusion

M. Sulemana, RNutri
 What does the first 1000 days mean?
• The first 1000 days refers to the period beginning right from a
baby’s conception through to two years of age. Which
research has shown to be a critical period in their
development.
• It’s a period of time when children are growing and
developing both physically and emotionally at a faster rate
than at any other time in their life.
• 270 days (pregnancy)
+ 365 days (0-12 months)
+ 365 days (13-23 months)
1000 days

M. Sulemana, RNutri
 Why does nutrition matter?
• One of the most important aspects of growth during the
first 1000 days, is the developing brain. Throughout the
third trimester of pregnancy and the first two years of
life, a child’s brain is developing rapidly and plasticity is
highest during this period – meaning its ability to modify
and rewire itself.
• Pregnancy and particularly early childhood can also have
an important influence on developing food preferences
and eating behaviours. Establishing positive eating
behaviours during this early period can provide a good
foundation for adult life.
M. Sulemana, RNutri
• Ensuring that your growing baby has the right mix of nutrients
is extremely beneficial to their long-term health. A lack of key
nutrients can lead to poor growth and insufficient brain
development. Whilst a poorly balanced diet may result in an
increased risk of conditions including obesity, cardiovascular
disease and diabetes.
• Example of these nutrients are iron, protein, zinc, iodine and
folate.
• That is not to say other nutrients are not important.

M. Sulemana, RNutri
M. Sulemana, RNutri
Nutrition during the first 1000 days
• This period is broken into 3 phase ie.
Pregnancy, first 6 months, and 6 months and
beyond.

M. Sulemana, RNutri
 Nutrition during pregnancy
• Pregnancy can be an overwhelming time for many women – your body is
going through huge changes and often nutrition may be the last thing on your
mind – particularly during the first few months. However, eating well during
this time is important – not only for you but also your baby’s development.
There’s also really fascinating research to show that what you eat during
pregnancy can have an impact on their taste preferences later on in life.
• There’s no need to follow any special diet during pregnancy and there’s also
no need to eat for two – eating a varied, balanced diet is the best way to
ensure both you and your baby are getting everything you need. There are,
however, a few foods that you should limit or avoid during pregnancy. Check
out my blogs below for more detail and the NHS website also has some
helpful information on what foods to avoid when you’re pregnant.
• When it comes to supplements during pregnancy, there are a couple that are
recommended to all pregnant women – Folic Acid & Vitamin D.

M. Sulemana, RNutri
 The first 6 months
• For the first 6 months, your child will get all of their
nutrition entirely via breast milk or infant formula.
• Breastfeeding has a huge number of benefits both for
mum and baby; it is the way nature intended for us to
feed our babies.
• However, it’s not always possible or chosen by all
women and in that case, infant formula is a suitable
alternative and will give your baby everything they
need nutritionally during the first 6 months of life.
• For further info on this, contact a nutritionist/dietitian.

M. Sulemana, RNutri
 6 months and beyond
Food should always be fun! CF should start at the 6th month of the baby.
Giving your child other foods aside breastmilk, will

• Help close nutrition gap

• Helping babies to learn about food, mealtimes and the importance of eating
• Promoting the development of eating skills such as munching and chewing,
which are important for babies developmentally before 1 year of age
• Learning how to self-feed, develop hand eye coordination & the pincer grip
as well as learning how to use the utensils needed for feeding
• Preference development around foods and importantly encouraging babies
to experience and taste a wide variety of flavours in the early years, which
helps to shape food preferences later in life

M. Sulemana, RNutri
M. Sulemana, RNutri
 Complementary feeding
• After 6 months of age, it becomes increasingly difficult for
breastfed infants to meet their nutrient needs from human milk
alone.
• Furthermore most infants are developmentally ready for other
foods at about 6 months.
• In settings where environmental sanitation is very poor, waiting
until even later than 6 months to introduce complementary foods
might reduce exposure to food-borne diseases.
• However, because infants are beginning to actively explore their
environment at this age, they will be exposed to microbial
contaminants through soil and objects even if they are not given
complementary foods.

M. Sulemana, RNutri
 CF con’t
• During the period of complementary feeding,
children are at high risk of undernutrition.
Complementary foods are often of inadequate
nutritional quality, or they are given too early
or too late, in too small amounts, or not
frequently enough.

M. Sulemana, RNutri
• Practice exclusive breastfeeding from birth to 6 months of age and introduce complementary foods at 6 months of
age (180 days) while continuing to breastfeed

• Continue frequent on-demand breastfeeding until 2 years of age or beyond

• Practice responsive feeding applying the principles of psychosocial care

• Practice good hygiene and proper food handling

• Start at 6 months of age with small amounts of food and increase the quantity as the child gets older, while
maintaining frequent breastfeeding

• Gradually increase food consistency and variety as the infant grows older, adapting to the infant's requirements and
abilities

• Increase the number of times that the child is fed complementary foods as the child gets older

• Feed a variety of nutrient-rich foods to ensure that all nutrient needs are met

• Use fortified complementary foods or vitamin-mineral supplements for the infant as needed

• Increase fluid intake during illness, including more frequent breastfeeding, and encourage the child to eat soft,
favorite foods. After illness, give food more often than usual and encourage the child to eat more

M. Sulemana, RNutri
CF con’t

M. Sulemana, RNutri
CF con’t

M. Sulemana, RNutri
 Conclusion
• A well nourished future depends on our
advocacy levels.
• Nutrition is an everyday thing.
• Investing in early childhood nutrition is a
surefire strategy. The returns are incredibly
high. ~ Anne M. Mulcahy

M. Sulemana, RNutri
 References
• https://www.unicef-irc.org/article/958-the-first-
1000-days-of-life-the-brains-window-of-
opportunity.html
• https://www.rcpch.ac.uk/sites/default/files/201
8-09/first_1000_days_-_rcpch_response_-_
final.pdf
• PAHO/WHO. Guiding principles for
complementary feeding of the breastfed child.
Washington DC: Pan American Health
Organization/World Health Organization; 2002.
M. Sulemana, RNutri