American Academy of Pediatrics are advocating nutrition in first 1,000 days
The American Academy of Pediatrics advocates for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children.
Recently the American Academy of Pediatrics put out information saying:
“The special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) serves pregnant women, breastfeeding women (up to the child’s first birthday), non-breastfeeding postpartum woman (up to 6 months postpartum), infants (up to their first birthday), and children up to their fifth birthday. As such,it is the most important program providing nutritional support in the first 1,000 days. In the United states, 53% of all infants younger than 1 year are served by WIC. WIC supports breastfeeding prenatally through education and postpartum by helping mothers breastfeed, and they perform screening for anemia in women and children receiving services through the program.
“Published evidence supports the impact of WIC on the heath of children: prenatal WIC participation has been consistently associated with higher birth weight and longer gestation, particularly among mothers at highest risk, and WIC participation has been linked to better infant health and less infant overweight and underweight.
“Despite the impact of WIC, children in many families who do not qualify under current guidelines would benefit from the nutrients and educational support of this program. Children whose families are on the margin of qualification for WIC may, for economic reasons, subsist on cheaper, less nutritionally replete diets. Many families fail to take advantage of the program after the first year of life, in part because of the challenge of access. Keeping families in the program longer (for example, through the elimination of the requirement to re-certify eligibility at 1 year of age and extending eligibility for WIC through 6 years of age) will make supplemental food available to the growing toddler. WIC is a crucial program in providing food and education to support neurodevelopment.”