Little Steps Pediatrics becomes New Mexico’s first Breastfeeding-Friendly Clinic

The BFCI is a statewide initiative focused on improving infant feeding support, education, and resources for families across New Mexico.

Source: N.M. Early Childhood Education & Care Department

A Las Cruces pediatric practice has become the first clinic in New Mexico to earn endorsement under the Breastfeeding Friendly Clinic Initiative (BFCI), a designation jointly recognized by the New Mexico Breastfeeding Task Force (NMBTF) and the Early Childhood Education and Care Department (ECECD).

What the endorsement means

The BFCI endorsement recognizes Little Steps Pediatrics for its commitment to supporting lactating families through:

• Evidence-based clinical practices that prioritize human milk feeding
• On-site lactation support integrated into patient care
• Comprehensive staff training in breastfeeding support and counseling
• A clinic environment that actively promotes and protects breastfeeding

About the Breastfeeding-Friendly Clinic Initiative

The BFCI is a statewide initiative focused on improving infant feeding support, education, and resources for families across New Mexico. Endorsement is granted only after a clinic demonstrates sustained commitment to evidence-based breastfeeding support — meaning the designation reflects practice, not aspiration.

Little Steps has been working with NMBTF and ECECD on this designation since 2025.

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Why this matters

Breastfeeding support is one of the highest-leverage interventions in maternal and infant health — and access to clinical environments that actively support lactating families is uneven across the state. Little Steps becoming the first endorsed clinic establishes both a model and a benchmark: other clinics now have a concrete example of what BFCI endorsement looks like in practice.

For the providers and staff at Little Steps Pediatrics — and for the lactating families in the Las Cruces communities they serve — this is a meaningful recognition of work that’s been ongoing.