Infant and Newborn Nutrition

Infant and newborn nutrition encompasses the feeding practices, dietary guidelines, and health outcomes associated with nourishing babies from birth through the first year of life, with particular focus on breastfeeding, formula use, and the introduction of solid foods. Current U.S. Dietary Guidelines, along with recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization, advise exclusive breastfeeding for approximately the first six months, followed by continued breastfeeding alongside complementary foods for one to two years or longer. While initiation rates are relatively high, sustained exclusive breastfeeding remains a challenge — among infants born in 2022, 85.7% were ever breastfed, but only 27.9% were exclusively breastfed through six months, and just 40.8% were still breastfeeding at one year. Low rates of breastfeeding add more than $3 billion a year to U.S. medical costs for mothers and children. Infant formula serves as a safe and important alternative or supplement when breastfeeding is not possible, and solid foods are recommended beginning around six months. Disparities in breastfeeding rates persist across race, income, and geography, with infants in the Southeast United States significantly less likely to be breastfed at six months than those in other regions.