Santé publique France is helping parents implement the new guidelines on introducing solid foods to infants

CP_campagne_diversification_alimentaire_130921.pdf

Published on 13 September 2021

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Santé publique France
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Stéphanie Champion: 01 41 79 67 48
Marie Delibéros: 01 41 79 69 61
Camille Le Hyaric: 01 41 79 68 64

Santé publique France is releasing new dietary guidelines today for children aged 4 months to 3 years. To best support expectant and new parents, as well as healthcare and early childhood professionals, and to ensure these new dietary guidelines are widely adopted, Santé publique France is launching an information campaign that offers practical tools and educational resources designed to be accessible to as many people as possible.

Nutrition: A Key Health Issue from an Early Age

Introducing solid foods is a foundational stage in a child’s life. Indeed, the educational practices of parents, relatives, and, more broadly, the child’s social circle will contribute to the child’s acceptance of new foods during the weaning period and will influence their eating habits in the long term^{1, 2}. Listening to and observing the child to adapt their diet to their development is essential.

The new recommendations

As part of the PNNS¹, Santé publique France is developing national recommendations on diet, physical activity, and sedentary behavior based on scientific data, drawing on the work of the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES) and the High Council for Public Health (HCSP). Their goal is to help French people change their eating habits for the sake of their health and adopt a more active lifestyle.

In 2021, Santé publique France, with the support of healthcare and early childhood professionals, formulated dietary recommendations for parents of children under 3 years of age. These recommendations were the subject of several studies involving parents and healthcare professionals to ensure they were understandable and accessible:

The option to introduce all food groups, including foods known to be allergens, from the start of weaning, i.e., between 4 and 6 months
Introduce new textures starting at 6–8 months (about 2 months after the start of weaning)
Don’t hesitate to offer a food up to 10 times; a baby may need time to come to like it
Always add fat to homemade preparations or to store-bought ones that do not contain it
Introduce sugary foods as late as possible and in limited amounts
Trust your child’s appetite and watch for signs of fullness
Do not force a child to eat
Pay attention to the mealtime environment, particularly by avoiding screens

New tools to help people better understand the recommendations

From September 6 to October 11, Santé publique France is reaching out to expectant and new parents, as well as professionals—particularly those in healthcare and early childhood education—to share these new recommendations with as many people as possible.

For healthcare and early childhood professionals

As they are closest to families during this period of dietary diversification—which can raise many questions—health and early childhood professionals are key partners in communicating the recommendations to parents and tailoring advice to each child and situation. That is why Santé publique France provides them with all relevant content, easily accessible via the “Recommendations – Professional Resources” section of the mangerbouger.fr website, as well as a summary of the new recommendations to support and advise parents.

All professionals can also order bulk copies of the brochure “Step by Step: Your Child Eats Like a Big Kid. The Little Guide to Introducing Solid Foods” to give to parents during their discussions on the topic.

For parents

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This information campaign is based on the daily lives of Romy, Sacha, Gaby, and Andréa, four babies at different stages of weaning. Watch the four videos on YouTube. They will also be shared on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Snapchat. Additionally, six themed tutorials will be made available to parents.

The brochure “Step by Step: Your Child Eats Like a Big Kid. A Short Guide to Weaning” is available for download on the mangerbouger.fr website. Age-appropriate recipes are provided so you can prepare a single meal for the whole family. Discover all the weaning resources on the website in the dedicated section.

Santé publique France works to create environments that promote healthy eating at all ages. To this end, the agency issues concrete recommendations and has rolled out the supplementary nutritional information system for food products (Nutri-Score) by supporting its implementation; it also advocates for regulations on food marketing and supports certain regulatory measures. More broadly, this campaign is part of Santé publique France’s efforts to promote environments conducive to children’s health from pregnancy through age two—a period known as the “first 1,000 days.”

¹ Pérez-Escamilla R, Segura-Pérez S, Hall Moran V. Dietary guidelines for children under 2 years of age in the context of nurturing care. Matern Child Nutr. 2019;15.
² High Council for Public Health (HCSP). Opinion of June 30, 2020, regarding the revision of dietary guidelines for children aged 0–36 months and 3–17 years.

The First 1,000 Days

A website that provides guidance to expectant parents and parents of children up to two years old on how to create an environment that supports their child’s development.