Infant Nutrition: from Breastfeeding to Baby's First Solids Course - Deakin University

Learn what good infant nutrition looks like, how and what to feed a baby, and how to start weaning.

Explore the principles of good nutrition in the first 12 months of a baby’s life

In this insightful course led by nutritional experts from Deakin University, you’ll trace the milestones in a baby’s first year of life to learn about the principles of good infant nutrition and how you can apply them.

You’ll explore the nutritional requirements of young children, as well as why healthy food for babies is so essential.

Discover the benefits of breastfeeding and the role of infant formula

Both breastfeeding and formula can form an essential part of a young child’s nutrition, and you’ll explore how and why this is. You’ll learn about the benefits of breastfeeding and why formula can be so useful.

This course also gives you the opportunity to get to grips with some of the global infant nutrition guidelines and best practices.

Learn how to develop an infant feeding schedule and how to start weaning

You’ll learn what and how much to feed babies, how and when to start weaning onto baby’s first solids, and practical strategies for dealing with fussy eaters.

This course also gives you the chance to understand why an infant feeding schedule is important. As babies move from milk and mushy stuff to take their place at the family table, you’ll learn why this step is so important.

Understand and identify what foods babies need

By the end of the course, as well as understanding the principles behind infant feeding guidelines, you’ll also know about what types of foods are healthy and nutritious for infants.

When would you like to start?

Most FutureLearn courses run multiple times. Every run of a course has a set start date but you can join it and work through it after it starts.

• Available now

Who will you learn with?

Karen Campbell

Karen Campbell is a Professor at the Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition at Deakin University. Her work focuses on improving maternal and child health by achieving optimal nutrition.

Who developed the course?

Deakin University

Deakin University is one of Australia’s largest universities with more than 61,000 students and over 15,000 online.

What topics will you cover

• Infants’ nutritional requirements and the importance of both breastfeeding and formula in meeting them.
• Comparison of global nutritional guidelines, best practices and evidence-based research to find out what foods babies need, and how much and how often to feed them.
• When and how to introduce solid foods.
• Why participating in family meals is important for promoting food acceptance and preferences for lifelong health and wellbeing.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to:

• Identify the key principles of good infant nutrition.
• Explain the importance of breastfeeding and what role infant formula may play.
• Describe methods for introducing solid foods into the diet of infants.
• Identify a range of healthy nutritious foods for infants.
• Describe the significance of feeding infants during family meals.

Who is the course for

This course has been specially created for parents of new infants and healthcare practitioners with an interest in early childhood nutrition, including those wanting to undertake further study.