Values
While our primary mission at Solid Starts is to help you introduce real food to babies and prevent picky eating, our work encompasses much more than that.
Food is cultural. What is totally appropriate to introduce to a baby in one country can be shocking to another. We love that. You will see us regularly encourage you to start your feeding journey in a way that reflects your family's values, food culture, and identity.
Food is also political. We don't shy away from the areas of debate around access and equity, and regularly offer information about environmental and human rights impact to create meaningful dialogue around them. That said, we also realize that not everyone has access to food that is 100% in line with their values. If you do, that is wonderful. Know that it is a privilege. Our goal here will be to present the information and encourage you to balance those findings with reality. Guilt and shame have no place here.
Commitment to Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
Of particular importance to us is that every family have access to our educational resources. That is why our First Foods® database is free, and why we offer complimentary guides to those who cannot afford them. We've yet to decline an application and more than 200,000 families have benefited from free guides. Not sure if you should apply? Please do. If you have to think about whether you can afford the resources, you qualify.
Solid Starts also compensates a revolving group of 40 BIPOC families and families with babies who have disabilities to provide videos and pictures. Our biggest expense, this program serves the purpose to ensure that a diverse range of cultures and ethnicities are represented here.
Lastly, to explore these issues and more fully understand how we, together, could make a meaningful impact, Solid Starts has engaged Nikki Silvestri as a coach with the goal of creating a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive baby food and feeding sector. While we are still learning—and our work ongoing—our commitments to this work include:
Paid Positions for BIPOC Professionals. There are numerous reasons why it’s more difficult for dietitians and feeding therapists of color to advance in their careers. As such, we are committed to recruiting BIPOC professionals and creating paid intern and fellowship programs.
Complimentary Access to Feeding & Nutrition Guides for Low-Income Families. Infant feeding and nutrition information often comes at a price. We are proud to offer complimentary access to any guide or resource to those who need them and have created a free guide called Baby-led Weaning on a Budget for those families receiving WIC benefits.
Advocate for Representation. There are many representation gaps in our industry’s imagery and communications. We are pushing stock image companies to grow the number of assets featuring BIPOC families in baby food, feeding, and child nutrition imagery and videos as well as building up a resource of diverse images and videos ourselves.
We understand that creating a just, equitable, diverse, and inclusive baby food and feeding sector is a tall order. We’re hoping to demonstrate that a systemic and strategic approach—grounded in care and a shame-free environment—is not only possible but the baseline of what’s necessary to make real change. We hope that our commitments inspire you to do your part as we continue to do ours.
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The content offered on SolidStarts.com is for informational purposes only. Solidstarts is not engaged in rendering professional advice, whether medical or otherwise, to individual users or their children or families. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or your medical or health professional, nutritionist, or expert in pediatric feeding and eating. By accessing the content on SolidStarts.com, you acknowledge and agree that you are accepting the responsibility for your child’s health and well-being. In return for providing you with an array of content “baby-led weaning” information, you waive any claims that you or your child may have as a result of utilizing the content on SolidStarts.com.
