The BC Pediatric Nutrition Guidelines (Birth to Six Years) for Health Professionals are evidence-informed nutrition and feeding guidelines for healthy full-term infants and children from birth to six years of age. Health professionals can use the guidelines to provide high-quality care related to feeding and to identify potential nutrition risk. The BC Pediatric Nutrition Guidelines (Birth to Six Years) for Health Professionals were updated December 2022.

The document covers food and fluid guidelines as well as other nutrition topics such as:

• Informed decision making about infant feeding
• Parental influences on eating habits
• Iron and iron deficiency anemia
• Vitamin D
• Food allergy prevention for infants and toddlers at increased risk
• Childhood tooth decay prevention
• Choking prevention
• Fish consumption and methylmercury
• Food safety
• Commercial formula
• Growth monitoring
• Feeding during emergencies

The guidelines take into consideration the social determinants of health and use a strength-based, wellness-centred approach. They encourage health professionals to provide compassionate care that is family-centred, culturally safe and relevant, gender affirming, trauma informed, and inclusive.

New to the 2022 guidelines

The guidelines were updated after an extensive provincial consultation. Key changes in the 2022 version include:

• Addition of recommendations for infants (birth to 6 months)
• Content updates to align with provincial nutrition policy and messaging, latest evidence and best practice
• Emphasis on responsive feeding and positive feeding relationship between parent and child, as promoted by the Satter Division of Responsibility in Feeding
• New content under Additional Information on food insecurity, childhood tooth decay prevention, vitamin D, sugar substitutes, caffeine, energy drinks and feeding during emergencies

BC Pediatric Nutrition Guidelines (PDF)

Summary of Recommendations for Fluids and Foods (PDF)

Take the online course

For an interactive overview of the guidelines, and additional information and support for applying the guidelines in practice, a free 2-hour online course is available through the University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine Continuing Professional Development platform.

Pediatric Nutrition Guidelines Online Course