Course
Paediatric Nutrition: From Preconception to Adolescence
- 7 September – 8 November
- 32 accredited CPD study hours
- 8 weeks to complete
- Expert Faculty
- Online
Develop advanced foundational knowledge and clinical skills in paediatric nutrition that inform personalised and safe management of childhood health presentations.
Why Enrol in this Course?
Deepen your Expertise: enhance and advance your knowledge in a specialist subject area to benefit your practice and business.
Online Learning: a 100% online learning format that is mobile and desktop friendly, flexible and self-paced.
Multimedia: video, live sessions, downloadable course materials including notes and documents.
Engaging Education: progress tracking and quizzes to test knowledge.
Peer-to-Peer Community: be part of a cohort and connect and learn from each other in our members forum.
Accredited Professional Development: 32 hours of accredited hours continuing professional development (CPD) points. Professional certificate of completion.
What’s Included
- On-Demand Video Lectures
- Downloadable Presentation Notes
- Live Educator Q&A Sessions
- Online Clinical Community Forum
- Certificate of Completion
Who is this Course For?
This course is for health professionals who practice clinical nutrition and want to deepen or enhance their knowledge related to the clinical practice of paediatric nutrition. Relevant health providers typically include MD, ND, DC, Nutritional Therapy, Nutritionists, and Dieticians. The course is intended for health professionals who have nutrition in their legal scope of practice and have a strong background in personalised medical nutrition therapy and biochemistry.
What are the Learning Requirements?
This comprehensive 16 module course runs over 8 weeks. Each module is a
minimum of 2 hours of pre-recorded lectures, which are broken down into shorter, 30–40-minute lectures, providing practitioners with all the information and support they need to confidently practise paediatric nutrition, from pre-conception through to late adolescence.
Course Overview
This practitioner-level course provides a comprehensive and evidence-informed foundation in paediatric nutrition, supporting children from preconception through to late adolescence. Delivered over 16 modules, the programme explores the nutritional, gastrointestinal, immune, neurological, metabolic and developmental factors that influence child health, with a strong focus on clinical application and systems-based practice.
The course integrates current research, clinical experience and case-based learning to help practitioners develop confidence in assessing and supporting a wide range of paediatric presentations, including feeding challenges, gut dysfunction, immune dysregulation, neurodiversity, mental health, metabolic conditions and hormone-related concerns. Participants will also explore safe supplementation, testing interpretation, safeguarding, referral pathways and professional practice considerations within paediatric care.
Designed for qualified practitioners, the course combines pre-recorded lectures, live teaching sessions, interactive discussion groups and clinical case studies to support the integration of knowledge into real-world practice. Emphasis is placed on safe, evidence-informed and individualised care, while encouraging practitioners to develop strong clinical reasoning skills and work confidently within professional scope of practice.
Course Subject Synopsis
- Nutrition across development, from preconception and infancy through to adolescence, including growth, feeding and dietary needs.
- Paediatric gut health, covering digestive dysfunction, the microbiome, reflux and feeding-related challenges.
- Immune, neurological and developmental health, including neurodiversity, mental wellbeing and immune dysregulation.
- Metabolic and hormonal concerns, including healthy weight management and other multifactorial childhood presentations.
- Safe clinical practice: individualised nutrition plans, supplements and test interpretation, case assessment, safeguarding, referrals and family communication.
Learning Objectives
- Develop confidence in applying evidence-informed nutritional therapy within paediatric clinical practice.
- Strengthen clinical reasoning skills when assessing complex and multifactorial child health presentations.
- Interpret the interaction between nutrition, physiology, development, environment and lifestyle in child health outcomes.
- Build practitioner confidence in supporting children across different developmental stages, from infancy through to adolescence.
- Evaluate how gastrointestinal, immune, neurological, metabolic and hormonal systems influence paediatric health and wellbeing.
- Apply systems-based and individualised approaches when developing nutritional and lifestyle recommendations for children.
- Recognise red flags, safeguarding concerns and situations requiring referral or multidisciplinary support.
- Develop safe and appropriate clinical decision-making skills within professional scope of practice.
- Strengthen understanding of evidence-informed supplementation and testing considerations in paediatric practice.
- Improve the ability to interpret case histories, identify clinical priorities and develop structured support plans.
- Enhance practitioner communication skills when working with children, adolescents and families in clinical settings.
- Integrate current research, clinical frameworks and practical application into everyday paediatric nutrition practice.
We are an International Organisational Member of the Institute of Functional Medicine (IFM).
Learn more
Curriculum
Module 1
Pre-pregnancy and pregnancy
Lecture 1: Preconception & female fertility
Lecture 2: Male fertility & epigenetic programming
Lecture 3: Pregnancy physiology & nutritional requirements
Lecture 4: The maternal & infant microbiome
Lecturer – Jessica Oldfield
Learning Outcomes: Identify maternal nutritional and lifestyle factors that influence child health outcomes, and apply this knowledge to support preconception and pregnancy. Interpret how maternal nutrient status, metabolic health, microbiome and immune function shape early child development. Recognise the importance of prenatal and preconception history when assessing children in clinical practice.
Module 2
Childbirth to the first 6 months
Lecture 1: Infant nutrition and early developmental foundations
Lecture 2: Birth events and early microbial colonisation
Lecture 3: Breastfeeding and formula feeding
Lecture 4: The newborn gut, microbiome and immune development
Lecturer – Jessica Oldfield
Learning Outcomes: Understand how birth events, early feeding practices and environmental exposures influence infant gut development, microbiome establishment and immune maturation in the first months of life. Apply this understanding when supporting infants and families in clinical practice.
Module 3
The first two years
Lecture 1: Weaning and complementary feeding
Lecture 2: Early years diet and nutrient requirements
Lecture 3: Immune development and the gut–immune link
Lecture 4: The gut–brain axis and early neurodevelopment
Lecturer – Dr Kirstie Lawton
Learning Outcomes: Understand key nutritional, developmental and environmental factors influencing growth, immune maturation and neurodevelopment in the first two years of life. Apply this understanding to support feeding practices, optimise diet quality, and guide early health and developmental outcomes in clinical practice.
Module 4
Gut health
Lecture 1: Constipation in children
Lecture 2: Diarrhoea in children
Lecture 3: Optimising gut health: physiology, microbiome and digestion
Lecture 4: Common gastrointestinal presentations in paediatric practice
Lecturer – Clare Young
Learning Outcomes: Recognise common gastrointestinal presentations in children and interpret underlying digestive, microbial and motility drivers. Apply targeted nutritional and lifestyle strategies to support gut function, while identifying red flags that require referral.
Module 5
Immune regulation and atopy
Lecture 1: Allergy, intolerance and immune responses to food
Lecture 2: Asthma and lung health in children
Lecture 3: Eczema and skin health
Lecture 4: Rebalancing immune function in paediatric practice
Lecturer – Dr Kirstie Lawton
Learning Outcomes: Identify common immune-mediated presentations in children, including food allergy, intolerance, eczema and asthma. Apply an understanding of immune regulation, microbiome interactions and nutritional influences to support immune balance.
Module 6
Infections, viruses and immunity
Lecture 1: The common cold and ear infections
Lecture 2: Respiratory, gastrointestinal and vesicular viral illnesses
Lecture 3: Persistent viruses and post-viral fatigue (EBV, HSV, HPV, COVID)
Lecture 4: Supporting children through vaccination
Lecturer – Dr Kirstie Lawton
Learning Outcomes: Develop a clinical understanding of common infectious illnesses in children, including acute viral infections, persistent viral activity and post-viral fatigue. Apply this knowledge to support immune resilience, recovery, and evidence-informed nutritional support for children undergoing vaccination.
Module 7
Autoimmunity, coeliac disease and NCGS
Lecture 1: Autoimmunity: mechanisms, drivers and genetics
Lecture 2: Autoimmune conditions in children
Lecture 3: Coeliac disease
Lecture 4: Non-coeliac gluten sensitivity
Lecturer – Robyn Puglia
Learning Outcomes: Understand the mechanisms and drivers of autoimmune conditions in children, including genetic, immune and environmental influences. Apply this knowledge to guide dietary assessment, support identification of coeliac disease and non-coeliac gluten sensitivity, and inform appropriate nutritional strategies.
Module 8
Eating challenges
Lecture 1: Understanding typical selective eating patterns & feeding dynamics
Lecture 2: Biological, sensory & environmental drivers of selective eating
Lecture 3: Practical strategies
Lecture 4: ARFID
Lecturer – Jessica Oldfield
Learning Outcomes: Identify common feeding challenges in children and interpret biological, developmental and environmental drivers of selective eating. Apply targeted strategies to support feeding, and identify when presentations may indicate ARFID or require referral.
Module 9
Identifying and referring disordered eating
Lecture 1: Anorexia nervosa
Lecture 2: Bulimia nervosa
Lecture 3: Other eating disorders
Lecture 4: Referrals and safeguarding
Lecturer – Emma Hendricks
Learning Outcomes: Identify signs and presentations of eating disorders and disordered eating in children and adolescents. Understand the limits of nutritional therapy practice, and recognise when referral, safeguarding or multidisciplinary support is required.
Module 10
Mental health
Lecture 1: Anxiety and depression
Lecture 2: Mental illness in children and adolescents
Lecture 3: Stress regulation: breathwork, meditation and exercise
Lecture 4: Screen time and sleep
Lecturer – Dr Kirstie Lawton
Learning Outcomes: Understand common mental health presentations in children and adolescents, and the biological, psychological and environmental mechanisms that contribute to them. Apply nutrition and lifestyle strategies to support emotional wellbeing, stress regulation and healthy sleep patterns.
Module 11
Brain health, neurodiversity & neuroimmune disorders
Lecture 1: Brain health
Lecture 2: Neurodiversity
Lecture 3: Neurodiversity support
Lecture 4: PANS/PANDAS
Lecturer – Jessica Oldfield
Learning Outcomes: Understand brain development and neurodiversity as interconnected processes shaped by genetics, environment, nutrition, and early experiences. Recognise how gut, immune, and metabolic factors influence behaviour, mood, and regulation. Apply nutritional and systems-based strategies to support neurodivergent children and neuroimmune conditions including PANS/PANDAS.
Module 12
Metabolic health
Lecture 1: Overweight and obesity trends and classification
Lecture 2: Causes and consequences of obesity
Lecture 3: Treatment and prevention options
Lecture 4: Comorbidities of obesity
Lecturer – Deborah Allen
Learning Outcomes: Evaluate overweight and obesity presentations in children and adolescents, including classification, trends, causes, consequences, and associated comorbidities. Apply evidence-based nutritional and lifestyle strategies to support the prevention, treatment, and long-term management of paediatric obesity and related health outcomes.
Module 13
Hormonal health
Lecture 1: Female hormone physiology, puberty and the menstrual cycle
Lecture 2: Pubertal variations andhormone-related disorders
Lecture 3: Common hormonal conditions in adolescents
Lecture 4: Nutritional strategies to support hormonal health
Lecturer – Nicola Moore
Learning Outcomes: Understand hormonal changes during adolescence and common related presentations including PMS, PMDD, PCOS, endometriosis and acne. Identify key nutrients and interventions that may support hormonal balance, reproductive health and skin health in clinical practice.
Module 14
Supplements in Practice
Lecture 1: Paediatric supplements: efficacy and safety (Part 1)
Lecture 2: Paediatric supplements: efficacy and safety (Part 2)
Lecture 3: Paediatric supplements: efficacy and safety (Part 3)
Lecture 4: Paediatric supplements: efficacy and safety (Part 4)
Lecturer – Debbie Grayson
Learning Outcomes: Apply evidence-informed decision making when selecting and using supplements in paediatric practice, considering safety, dosing, clinical indications and potential contraindications.
Module 15
Testing in paediatric practice
Lecture 1: Standard testing considerations
Lecture 2: Standard testing interpretation
Lecture 3: Functional testing considerations in children
Lecture 4: Functional testing considerations
Lecturers – Kate Knowler & Kerry Fugard
Learning Outcomes: Evaluate testing considerations in paediatric practice and interpret standard laboratory and functional tests, considering their validity, limitations and clinical relevance. Integrate findings within the clinical picture to support safe and evidence-informed use.
Module 16
Working with children (BANT/NICE/UK guidelines)
Lecture 1: Working with children under 16
Lecture 2: Working with children aged 16–18
Lecture 3: Working with LGBTQ+, Low Socioeconomic status, language barriers and other considerations
Lecture 4: Legal considerations, safety and safeguarding
Lecturers – Dr Kirstie Lawton & Jessica Oldfield
Learning Outcomes: Develop a clear understanding of professional, ethical and legal frameworks underpinning paediatric nutritional therapy practice in the UK, and apply this knowledge to deliver safe, appropriate and inclusive care across different age groups and clinical contexts.
Meet the Expert Lecturers
Our lecturers bring years of experience and expertise to the area of paediatric nutrition, providing foundational knowledge, advances in the subject, clinical insights and learning that will help you apply what you learn in practice with your clients.
Enrolment
NMI Member Benefit:
NMI members receive 10% off the course price, automatically applied at checkout.
Not a member?
Learn more about NMI Membership and start enjoying exclusive benefits today.
Course Cost
- Included:
Video lectures, live session, clinical case studies and discussion groups, accredited continuing professional development (CPD) points, certificate of completion.
How much time does it take to complete?
The course includes 32 hours of content, which is designed to be completed over 8 weeks. That works out to approximately 35 minutes per day or 4 hours per week, making it easy to fit around work and other commitments.
Do I need to attend live online sessions?
No. The course is primarily self-paced, allowing you to study whenever it suits you. There are four optional live online sessions available if you’d like to attend, but these are not required to complete the course.
How do I connect with colleagues in my cohort?
Your enrolment includes complimentary access to our members’ forum, which features a dedicated group chat for your cohort. It’s a great way to connect with fellow participants, ask questions, share experiences, and build a supportive peer network throughout the course.
How long can I access the course, including the notes and video lectures?
Once you’ve purchased the course, you’ll have ongoing access to the version you enrolled in, including all notes and video lectures.
From time to time, we may release a revised or updated version of the course. If you wish to access the new version, you’ll need to enrol separately. However, you’ll continue to have access to the original version you purchased.
Are there any discounts or bursaries?
I still have questions. How can I contact you?
If you can’t find the information you’re looking for, please get in touch via our Contact Us page by submitting an enquiry. A member of our team will be happy to help.