The first 1,000 days

The first 1,000 days refers to a child's life from conception (the beginning of pregnancy) until they reach 2 years of age (24 months). Your baby’s brain, body and immune system grow and develop significantly during this time. 

During pregnancy, your health, nutrition and stress levels can affect your baby. After your baby is born, their physical environment, nutrition and relationships can impact their lifelong health and wellbeing.

In their first 1,000 days, your baby needs:

• healthy food
• loving relationships
• safety and security
• time to play
• a healthy environment — including in the womb

Your baby's brain develops quickly during the first 1,000 days. The way their brain adapts to its environment contributes to the sort of person they will grow into.

The right diet during pregnancy and early childhood helps support your baby's learning, physical skills and emotional development.

Being hungry or exposed to stress or abuse during the first 1,000 days can have a lifelong impact on your child's development and physical health. 

Good nutrition during pregnancy and in early life is important for your child's future health. 

When you are pregnant, your weight and lifestyle habits can influence how your baby's metabolism (Opens in new tab), immune system (Opens in new tab) and organs develop. Poor nutrition during pregnancy and early life may increase your baby’s chances of living with obesity (Opens in new tab), heart disease or stroke later on.

To give your baby the best possible start in life, aim to eat a healthy diet while you are pregnant and breastfeed them if possible. Once your baby starts solids, you can help them develop healthy eating habits for life.

A lot of stress while pregnant may affect your baby's nervous system (Opens in new tab) and growth. This can increase their chance of health problems later in life, including heart disease (Opens in new tab), high blood pressure (Opens in new tab), obesity (Opens in new tab) and diabetes (Opens in new tab).

Sometimes you cannot avoid stress and trauma in your life. It is not your fault if you experience trauma. Help is available. If you are facing a very stressful situation when you are pregnant or you have a young child, speak to your doctor or child health nurse.

Loving, secure relationships are important for your child's development. Babies learn to think, understand, communicate, show their emotions and behave from their relationships. Relationships affect how they see the world and help them understand how they fit into society.

Playing, singing, reading and talking to your baby are all important ways to help them to feel safe and loved.

Stress caused by violence in the home can affect babies. Parents experiencing family (domestic) violence may find it harder to form a secure attachment with their baby.

Poverty in infancy is connected to negative health and wellbeing outcomes later in life. This may be partly because the stress on parents caused by financial hardship can make it harder for parents to provide the care their baby needs.

If you are experiencing poverty, there are things you can do to help your baby in the first 1,000 days:

• Ask for help and accep practical support. Learn about government-funded financial benefits for families here.
• Manage your own stress (Opens in new tab) — find healthy ways to cope, and avoid unhealthy coping strategies such as using drugs or alcohol (Opens in new tab).
• Help your baby feel secure and loved.
• Do fun, low-cost activities together as a family.

If you want to give your baby the best start in the first 1,000 days, here are some things you can do:

• Eat a healthy diet when you are pregnant.
• Avoid smoking, alcohol or drugs.
• Seek help if you are experiencing violence or trauma.
• Breastfeed (Opens in new tab) for around 6 months, if you can.
• Make sure your baby has a healthy diet as they grow.
• Give your baby lots of love and attention so they feel secure.

Every family’s situation is different, and there is no single ‘right’ way to care for your baby. Small, everyday actions can make a meaningful difference over time. If you are finding things challenging, remember that support is available, and you do not have to manage on your own.

For more information about the first 1,000 days, visit the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY) (Opens in new tab) website.

Looking for information for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people?

Visit First 1,000 Days Australia (Opens in new tab) — with resources and support for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander families.