WIC Works Resource System
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Promote, Support, and Celebrate National WIC Breastfeeding Week
Each year in the first week of August, National WIC Breastfeeding Week is celebrated in conjunction with World Breastfeeding Week to promote and support breastfeeding as the best source of nutrition for a baby. Use the resources below to strengthen the capacity for individuals and organizations to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding.
new! For this year's National WIC Breastfeeding Week, and to help promote and support breastfeeding all year long, we've added three new features to the WIC Breastfeeding Support website:
- New social media toolkits, messages, videos, and a new image gallery tool on WIC Works.
- The most popular breastfeeding articles have been translated into Spanish.
- A collection page for our breastfeeding quizzes; short exercises for participants to help with common breastfeeding questions and challenges.
In addition, you'll find downloadable resources and materials, videos, and the WIC Breastfeeding Check-In Tool on the WIC Breastfeeding Support site (not to mention articles to share with participants), there are a number of resources to help WIC staff promote and celebrate breastfeeding this August, and year-round to help meet the Healthy People 2030 Breastfeeding Objectives, which includes increasing the proportion of infants:
- Exclusively breastfed through six months of age and
- Breastfed at least two years.
Want to print your own full-sized versions of WIC Breastfeeding Support campaign posters? Send an email to request the design files for sharing with your print team.
National WIC Breastfeeding Week Infographic
Breastfeeding Reassurance Tips (Interactive PDF)
Did you know?
According to the WIC Breastfeeding Data Local Agency Report, the percentage of breastfed infants has increased every year since FY 2010, reflecting the successful efforts of WIC State and local agencies to continue to provide quality breastfeeding services to WIC participants.
Want to see breastfeeding rates for your State? Check out the report to learn more.
New! Social Media Messages
Over the years, digital conversations have become an important communication tool. It is easy to be a part of the breastfeeding conversation, or start your own, with your participants!
Share breastfeeding-related messages, images, and hashtags on your personal or organization's social media accounts. Find messages (that were developed by WIC State agencies as part of their participation in a grant to implement and evaluate the WIC Breastfeeding Support campaign) by topic: Mom Motivation, Thriving Baby, WIC Resources, Breastfeeding Tips, Family and Friends and Breastfeeding Month. The collection will continue to grow as more messages are added.
Let's get #WICbreastfeeding, #MomMotivation, #WICspeaksBF, #WBW2023 and other hashtags trending!
Themed Breastfeeding Week Observations
Week 1 (August 1-7): World Breastfeeding Week
Theme: Enabling Breastfeeding: Making a difference for working parents
Week 2 (August 8-14): Indigenous Milk Medicine Week
Theme: to be announced...
As part of their regular offerings, the Indian Health Services provides a toolkit to assist providers with breastfeeding promotion and support.
Week 3 (August 15-21): Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Breastfeeding Week
Theme: to be announced...
Week 4 (August 25-31): Black Breastfeeding Week
Theme: BBW 2023: We Outside! Celebrating Connection & Our Communities
New Week 5 (September 5-11): Lactancia Latina
Theme: to be announced...
Breastfeeding Myths in the African-American Community
Myth: African-American women today don’t need to breastfeed.
Find answers to this and other myths and other information from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ It’s Only Natural campaign that provides African-American moms the knowledge, help and support they need to breastfeed.
New! Order the Breastfeeding Curriculum online!
The FNS WIC Breastfeeding Curriculum offers an opportunity to learn new skills and refresh what you already know about support and promotion activities. Ready to get started? Order the curriculum on the WIC publications form.
Additional Resources
Find dozens of resources (many of which are available in Spanish) to assist you with your breastfeeding promotion and support efforts, including a wide range of handouts, trainings, information, and much more. Among these are:
Age-Specific Desired Behaviors from AAP's Healthy Active Living (HALF) initiative that provide evidence, conversation starters, and more to inform your counseling.
Interactive HALF tools for parents, such as the Are You Raising a Healthy, Active Child? quiz widget with realistic, evidence-informed action strategies to promote healthy, active living for their infant (as well as toddlers and preschoolers). Then find more information about breastfeeding and feeding babies on Baby Food & Feeding.
Learn the Signs. Act Early campaign resources offering research-based, parent-friendly tools to make it easy and fun to track developmental milestones from age two months through five years.
CDC’s Hear Her campaign resources including posters, palm cards in multiple languages, PSAs and other materials to share information about urgent maternal warning signs and tips with moms.
The latest CDC information on COVID-19 and pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Updated: July 2023
