• Parent/guardian providing breastmilk, formula or solid foods
• Vegetable and Fruit changes
• Grains
• Documenting breastfed infant on-site
• Contact information for CACFP

Parent/guardian providing breastmilk, formula or solid foods

• If the infant is only consuming a creditable infant formula provided by you, you are able to claim the meals/snacks. If a mother directly breastfeeds her child on site you are able to claim that meal/snack, even if the infant is only consuming breast milk at the time.

• If an infant is consuming solids and the parent wants to provide breast milk (expressed or breastfed on-site) or a creditable infant formula AND solid foods, you are not able to claim the meals/snacks for reimbursement. This is because the parent/guardian can only provide one food component and the center/provider must supply the other required components. In this example the parent is providing two or more components breast milk/creditable infant formula and one or more solid food items.
• Reason behind the change: Parents/guardians used to be able to supply all but one of the required components of a reimbursable meal. The new requirement allows parents/guardian to provide only one component of a meal/snack and still be reimbursable. USDA did not want centers/providers to encourage parents/guardian to supply food in order to reduce cost. 

Solid Foods

• The updated CACFP infant meal pattern includes two infant age groups:
  • Birth through the end of 5 months.
  • Beginning of 6 months through the end of 11 months.
  • Click here for the updated Infant Meal Pattern
• These updated age groups will help delay the introduction of solid foods until around 6 months of age. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), 6 to 8 months of age is a critical window to introduce solids. By 7 to 8 months of age, infants should be eating all solid foods from all foods groups (vegetables, fruits, grains, meat/meat alternates, and dairy products.)
• Starting October 1, 2017, solid foods must be served to infants around 6 months of age, as it is developmentally appropriate for the infant. You are required to offer solid foods to the infant when they are ready to accept them. It is okay for solid foods to be introduced one at a time and gradually. Infant’s eating patterns change frequently and you must follow these eating habits. Solid foods served to infants must be of a texture and consistency that is appropriate for the age and development of that infant being fed.  
• Because there is no direct signal from an infant to show when they are ready for solid foods, the readiness depends on their development. You should be in direct communication with infants’ parents/guardians about when and what solid foods should be served.  
• Below are the AAP guidelines to help determine if an infant is developmentally ready to begin eating solid foods:
  • The infant is able to sit in a high chair, feeding seat, or infant seat with good head control;
  • The infant opens his or her mouth when food comes his or her way. He or she may watch others eat, reach for food, and seem eager to be fed;
  • The infant can move food from a spoon into his or her throat; and
  • The infant had doubled his or her weight and weighs about 13 pounds or more.
• Allowing solid foods to be served to an infant around 6 months of age that is developmentally ready will accommodate to an infants’ growth. It allows you to work together with the infant’s parents/guardians to determine when solid foods should be served.  

• Yes, meals with solid foods are reimbursable when the infant is developmentally ready to accept them, even if they are younger than 6 months. A note from the parent or guardian stating their infant should receive solid foods is recommended as best practice, but is not required. You are required to serve infants solid foods when they are developmentally ready to accept them.

Vegetable and Fruit changes

• Pureed,
• Mashed,
• Cooked or
• Diced in small pieces.

Meat and meat alternate changes

• Yogurt.
  • Must contain no more than 23 grams of sugar per 6 ounces (applies to all age groups).
  • Soy yogurt is not allowable for children younger than 12 months old.
• Whole egg.
  • Previously only egg yolk was allowed.
• Natural cheeses and cottage cheese.

Meat/meat alternates which are not allowed on the updated infant meal pattern:

• Cheese food.
• Cheese spread.
• Tofu is not allowable for children less than 12 months old.

Grains

• The requirement to serve at least one whole grain-rich item a day is only required to children and adults, it does not apply to infants.
• The updated infant meal pattern now allows ready-to-eat cereals to be served at snack for infants that are developmentally ready to accept them.
• Ready-to-eat cereals served to infants will be required to follow the same sugar limit as breakfast cereals (no more than 6 grams of sugar per dry ounce) served to children and adults.

 

 

• We have created a Breakfast Cereal Sugar Limit Guide for your use.

Documenting breastfed infant on-site

"We are so excited to allow reimbursement for mother's directly breastfeeding their infant in a child care setting.
Breastfeeding provides so many health benefits for infants, such as a lower risk for respiratory infections, pneumonia and ear infections.
We are hopeful this new provision encourages breastfeeding moms to breastfeed their infant on site. 
Examples of how to document a breast fed infant while in care.

These examples are only a suggestion.  If you have an easier system, please use that as long as it's documented. 

Q&A: Solid Foods  

• If a center or daycare home thinks that an infant is ready to start accepting solid foods, a conversation is needed with the parents/guardians. The provider can inform the parents/guardians about the signs they’ve seen indicating the infant is developmentally ready. If the parents/guardians does not want their infant to be served solid foods while in care, the center or daycare home should respect that decision and not serve solid foods. In this situation, as long as the center or daycare home continues to serve the infant the required amount of breast milk or iron-fortified formula, then the meals are still reimbursable.

• No. Serving infant cereal in a bottle to infants is not allowed. When they are served the same bottle, the infant cereal and breast milk or iron-fortified formula would not be able to be claimed for reimbursement. The only exception to this rule is if the infant has a special diet statement stating to serve infant cereal in a bottle.

• Foods that contain one or more of the eight major food allergens (milk, egg, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soybeans) are appropriate for infants and can be a part of a reimbursable meal. The AAP recently stated there is no current evidence that shows that delaying the introductions of these food allergens has a positive effect on the development of food allergies.
• This is why whole eggs (yolk and white) can credit towards the meat alternate component for the updated infant meal patterns. The whole egg must be served to the infant in order to be creditable. With the old CACFP infant meal patterns, only egg yolk was allowed to be served due to concerns with developing food allergies when infants are exposed to the protein in egg whites.

• Commercially prepared infant foods that contain one food component and are packaged in a jar, plastic container, pouch, or any other packaging are creditable. You should serve food from a pouch in the same way that it is served in a jar or plastic container, which is by using a spoon. Spoon-feeding is the most appropriate way to feed pureed or mashed foods to an infant. There are different tongue and lip motions used for sucking and for eating off of a spoon. The AAP warns that sucking on baby food pouches may have the same negative effect as prolonged sucking of juice from bottles or sippy cups.

Expect to see monthly emails blasts which will let you know what we are working on. The email blasts will feature a few new rules each month that you can begin implementing once you feel ready. Over time, you will be introduced to all the new rules. We encourage all participants to get ahead of the game by training staff members on the monthly featured rules.

DON’T FORGET you must comply with all new rules by October 1, 2017. The good news is you can start incorporating new rules today at a pace that you feel is right for you and your organization. Keep reading to find out which rules you can adopt now.  

If you choose to wait until October 2017 to train staff or implement the new meal pattern rules, you are allowed to do so.  But why wait?  We suggest getting ahead of the game and starting now!

When will training be available?

We plan to slowly release guidance and training materials beginning now through winter/early spring of 2017. This will allow you to train staff members on new program rules bit by bit, rather than adopting all the new rules at once. We will begin releasing the easiest rules first, followed by more challenging rules, when we receive more guidance from USDA.

We expect to teach the new nutrition rules at the CACFP monthly in-person training starting in the winter of 2016/2017. And watch for training webinars specific to the meal pattern changes.

Read more about the USDA policy guiding Colorado’s early implementation plan here.

Got Questions?

Contact information for CACFP