Infant Nutrition

Starting from birth, good nutrition helps build the foundation of a healthy life. Meeting the nutritional needs of infants is essential for their healthy growth and development. Health Canada promotes breastfeeding as the best way to provide optimal nutritional, immunological and emotional nurturing of infants.

Learn about the benefits of breastfeeding, and how to make breastfeeding a successful experience for both mother and baby by reading the following:

• Breastfeeding -- Canadian Paediatric Society
• The Family-Centred Maternity and Newborn Care: National Guidelines, 4th Edition -- Chapter 7 - Breastfeeding

Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada also provide resources to health professionals and educators in order to promote optimal nutritional care to both infants and pregnant women.

• Infant Feeding
• A Multicultural Perspective of Breastfeeding in Canada
• Nutrition for a Healthy Pregnancy

Canada Prenatal Nutrition Program (CPNP) funds community groups to support pregnant women facing circumstances that threaten their health and the development of their babies (poverty, teen pregnancy, isolation, etc.). Services provided include food supplements, nutrition counseling, breastfeeding support, social support, and education and referral on health and social issues.

Related Resources

• Canada's Food Guide for Healthy Eating
• A Practical Workbook to Protect, Promote and Support Breastfeeding in Community Based Projects
• La Leche League Canada