The Eating Disorder Safe First 2000 Days Implementation Plan sets out actions for embedding ED Safe approaches across services and settings for kids, families, kin and communities from preconception to five years of age.

The first 2000 days covers the period from preconception, through pregnancy, to a child's fifth birthday. The ED Safe First 2000 Days Implementation Plan sets out how the Eating Disorder Safe principles can be applied across the services, settings and messages that shape this period for children, parents, carers and kin.

The plan is supported by practice resources for key workforces, available via the coloured boxes on this page.

Why the First 2000 Days?

Children's early relationships with food and bodies develop through the people around them. Research with four-year-olds has found links between parents' attitudes about body size and children's own body image, and weight bias has been found in children as young as three. Feeding is part of this relationship. Responsive feeding supports children to trust their hunger and fullness cues, while pressure to eat, restriction and using food as a reward can make it harder for children to maintain this skill. Children also absorb messages about bodies and food from stories, characters and images, well before they can question what they see. The same applies to the public health messaging that reaches their families. Parents and carers are also going through change of their own: pregnancy and the year after birth are associated with increased risk of the onset or recurrence of eating disorders.

The environments families move through during this period can either add to these risks or reduce them. Weight-centric practices, stigmatising language and routine weighing without informed consent can reinforce eating disorder risk factors, while weight-neutral, respectful and person-centred care can help protect against them. Health, education and family services also shape how families think and talk about food, feeding, growth and bodies. So do the programs children watch and the public health campaigns their families see. When these settings take consistent, ED Safe approaches, families hear the same supportive messages wherever they go.

The relationships children form with food and their bodies in the early years can stay with them for life. This makes the first 2000 days a period of opportunity to build strong protective foundations for children, while also supporting the adults who care for them. Everyone who works with kids, families or families-to-be during this time has a part to play.

About the implementation plan

The plan outlines a coordinated approach to building ED Safe systems and environments across five key settings:

  • Fertility and perinatal healthcare: fertility care, pregnancy, birth and the first year after birth.
  • Child and family healthcare: including child and maternal health nursing, general practice and paediatric care.
  • Early childhood education and care: long day care, family day care, preschool and kindergarten.
  • Family services: parenting programs, community services, disability services, food relief, child protection and more.
  • Children's media and public messaging: children's content, parenting media and public health campaigns.

For each setting, the plan sets out shared goals, actions and initiatives, with lead organisations identified where confirmed. It also highlights existing resources to reduce duplication across sectors.

In addition, NEDC has created supporting resources for professionals working in each of those settings, with practical considerations and suggestions. Access them via the side boxes on this page.

With thanks

NEDC thanks the members of the First 2000 Days Expert Advisory Group and Collaborative Network, and the parents and carers who contributed to the development of the Plan through our national survey.

Development of the plan was funded by the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing.