April 2021
Nutrition plays a key role in helping infants to grow into healthy children and adults. Since the early 1900s, USDA has provided resources for breastfeeding, introducing first foods, building lasting healthy eating habits, and more. Explore how infant nutrition advice has changed over the decades with these resources from the Historical Dietary Guidance Digital Collection.
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1920s-1940s: USDA published posters, leaflets, and radio transcripts to advise parents on feeding nutritious foods and beverages to their infants and toddlers. Good nutrition would give children a healthy start and create habits that last into adulthood. Resources included Proper Food Habits Lay the Foundation for Child Health (1929), Good Food Habits for Children (1929), and Right Start for the Baby (1931).
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1950s-1970s: Nutrition materials focused on feeding the family and adjusting food portions by age. Bulletins included Nutrition, Up to Date, Up to You (1955) and Food for the Family with Young Children (1961). Starting in the 1970s, USDA published the Food and Nutrition magazine, which shared information on food assistance for infants and young children, kid-friendly recipes, and other topics.
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1980s-1990s: Nutrition resources encouraged mothers to eat healthy during pregnancy and feed their infants healthfully after birth. USDA and Cooperative Extensions published a variety of materials, including What Shall I Feed My Baby? A Month-by-Month Guide (1981) and Eating for You & Your Baby (1994).
Follow us on Twitter to discover more resources from Nutrition.gov and the Historical Dietary Guidance Digital Collection.
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