FAQs

• INFANT (INfant Feeding, Active play and NuTrition) is a world first early year’s evidence-based approach to support new mums, dads and carers with feeding, healthy eating and active play in the first 18 months of life. Evidence suggests the first 1000 days are critical for establishing nutrition and physical activity behaviours.
• INFANT was developed by researchers at the Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, Deakin University based on over 15 years of research showing sustained benefits for families.
• The INFANT program consists of four face-to face group sessions for mums, dads and carers, led by a trained professional, delivered when infants are around 3, 6, 9 and 12 months of age.

• Benefits for children – reduces sedentary time and improves dietary patterns, persisting in children aged up to five years.
• Benefits for mums, dads and carers – improves dietary patterns for mothers and improves social support and connections to local services.
• Benefits for professionals – provides the latest evidenced based information on healthy eating and active play.
• Benefits for communities – develops partnerships between early years services and highlights the importance of prevention and early intervention.

• There are four group sessions to take place when infants are around the ages of 3, 6, 9 and 12 months. These sessions last for about 1.5-2 hours.
• There are ideally 8-10 parents and carers in the groups, but this will be dependent on your community and your facilties.
• Group sessions are generally offered through health services and build on existing new parent’s groups, with content reinforced via the My Baby Now app.

Every organisation and area are different, and therefore the implementation of INFANT may need to be sightly different. Fortunately, there is flexibility in how the program can be implemented, including how it is embedded into services, who facilitates it, where it is held and how long it takes to roll out. Here we walk you through what our research has indicated as the important steps, which will help you consider how you might best implement INFANT in your community.

• There are various models for the implementation of INFANT. These may include Maternal and Child Health (MCH), Community Health Services (CHS), Early Parenting Centres and many more. INFANT is an evidence-based program for Communities of Children funding and hence is also being implemented by non-Government organisations.
• Different models wil exist in different states and territories dependant on the workforce and workplace structures.
• Any model is acceptable providing INFANT facilitators have completed the training.

Organisations have been innovative in how they incorporate INFANT into their existing programs and systems. Some examples include:

• Including the first INFANT session, the 3mth session, as one of the sessions within First Time Parents Groups.
• Replacing existing group programs with INFANT, for example, talks about the introduction of solids where the 6 month session could be used.
• Creating partnerships and building on them to share the tasks needed to implement INFANT, such as sharing the facilitation of the INFANT sessions with other health or early years professionals.
• INFANT takes an anticipatory guidance approach aiming to prevent health issues arising. These health issues often result in one-on-one consultations. By running group sessions and providing the opportunity for mums, dads and carers to ask questions, this may result in less one-on-one sessions.
• See case studies for other innovative ways INFANT is being delivered by organisations.

• The INFANT facilitator training informs participants about evidence-based information as well as detailed information and resources on how to facilitate and implement INFANT.
• The training provides an update on the latest evidence on healthy eating, active play and reducing screentime in the early years of life.
• All participants receive a certificate upon completion, which may be used to log CPD points.

• Yes, all professionals who facilitate the INFANT group sessions must complete the INFANT training and complete 1-2 hours of refresher training every 2 years to maintain currency of knowledge.
• Training is online, self-guided, interactive and takes 6-8 hours. It is available over a 6 week period.
• Access to INFANT resources required to run the program are made available upon completion of the training.

Any professionals can complete the INFANT training and facilitate group sessions, individually or jointly, provided they:

1. have skills and experience with group facilitation or are willing to gain them.
2. Know when and how to refer to specialist services/professionals as required.

Many different types of professionals have undertaken INFANT training including:

• Maternal and Child Health Nurses
• Allied health professionals, including dietitians, physiotherapists, speech pathologists, and occupational therapists
• Health promotion officers
• Family support officers
• Midwives
• Welfare officers,
• and a range of others.

If you are unsure about whether you or other team members are well placed to deliver INFANT sessions, please contact the INFANT team (via infant-study@deakin.edu.au) to discuss further.

The INFANT website is full of information and resources, some of these are:

• INFANT booklets – highly visual and suitable for a wide range of audiences
• PowerPoint slides to assist facilitators during group sessions
• INFANT videos – videos on healthy eating and active play for each of the INFANT sessions
• INFANT Implementation Manual
• INFANT Implementation Plan Template
• INFANT Facilitator Guidelines

Most of these resources are available to those who have completed the INFANT training.

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• My Baby Now is an app developed by experts in child nutrition and active play at Deakin University and the University of Sydney, and with input from parents, carers, Maternal and Child Health Nurses and the Raising Children Network.
• The My Baby Now app offers mums, dads and carers with trustworthy and up-to-date information about feeding and active play with their baby.
• Clinicians can also access the app and we ask that clinicians access it via the link here, to not interfere with our research with mums, dads and carers.
• While professionals do not need to have completed the INFANT training to have access to the MBN app and promote it to families, we recommend completing the training to ensure you are up to date with latest evidenced based information on healthy eating and active play.
• Mums, dads and carers with a baby less than 18 months old can access the My Baby Now app here.

For general queries please email: infant-study@deakin.edu.au