Let’s get started

The arrival of a new baby is an amazing and very exciting time, but it can also be stressful and confusing.

At Deakin University, our research work with parents tells us that many parents find feeding infants is not always as simple as they’d thought it would be. For example, parents tell us that:

• establishing breastfeeding is often not easy and that they needed more support
• they’re confused about when it’s okay to introduce solid foods and about what foods they should be offering
• they didn’t know their child would spit food out, fuss about food and have distinct likes and dislikes
• they get stuck in a rut preparing only foods they know their child will enjoy.

What will I be learning?

In this course we’ll address all of these issues and more as we walk you through a baby’s first year of life, from breast and/or bottle to the highchair and dining table.

With this in mind, we ask you to be aware that many of the materials in this course have been sourced from our research and higher-degree programs at Deakin University.

So while we intend to primarily focus on providing helpful and up-to-date information for new parents, we’ll also be drawing on information equally relevant to professional healthcare practitioners.

As a result, you’ll notice that this course has a three-pronged focus on the practical, cultural and scientific aspects of early infant nutrition.

Your learning outcomes

By the end of this course, you should be able to:

• explain the importance of breastfeeding and formula in meeting the nutritional requirements of infants
• outline the method for introducing solid foods to the diets of infants
• describe the significance of feeding infants during family meals.

Meet the team

Your Lead Educator for this course is Professor Karen Campbell, a leading, internationally renowned practice-based research and teaching academic specialising in childhood nutrition.

You’ll also hear from other subject matter experts in the field of nutrition at Deakin, including:

• Dr Rachel Laws
• Dr Alison Spence
• Dr Jazzmin Zheng
• Dr Katie Lacy
• Dr Carley Grimes
• Dr Paige van der Pligt
• Dr Adam Walsh
• Inger Neylon.

If you haven’t already, view your team’s profiles and follow them for course updates, feedback and discussions.

Your task

Watch the video to find out more from Karen about what you’ll be covering in this course.

When you’re done, use the comments to introduce yourself and share why you’re taking this online course and what you hope to get out of it.

Next, select the mark as complete button and move on to Step 1.2.