Making a good start

From breastfeeding your baby through to tempting your toddler, a healthy and varied diet will give your child the best start in life. Directgov offers this advice . . .

Healthy eating for breastfeeding

A healthy, varied and balanced diet will help you and your baby thrive during breastfeeding. Knowing what to eat, how much to eat, what vitamins to take and what to avoid is of paramount importance, as whatever goes into your body will also go into your baby’s.

Vitamins and food A supplement containing 10 micrograms (mcg) of vitamin D each day is recommended. If you receive Income Support or Jobseeker’s Allowance, you are entitled to free vitamin A, C and D supplements from maternity and child health clinics.

As part of a healthy diet you should try and eat the following foods:

• At least five portions of a variety of fruits and vegetables a day
• Starchy foods such as bread and potatoes
• Wholemeal bread, pasta and breakfast cereals, which all contain plenty of fibre
• Protein-rich foods such as lean meat and chicken, pulses, eggs and fish (see below)
• Dairy products such as milk, cheese and yoghurt.

While you are breastfeeding you should avoid:

• More than one portion of shark, swordfish or marlin each week
• More than two portions of oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, sardines, trout and fresh tuna each week (tinned tuna does not qualify as oily fish)
• Peanuts and peanut products if you or your baby’s father, brother or sister suffers certain allergic conditions, such as hay fever, asthma or eczema
• Any significant weight loss.
• Drinks containing caffeine can unsettle your baby, so keep your intake of tea, coffee and cola drinks low. Consuming alcohol in large amounts will affect your baby: try to limit your intake, drink only occasionally and avoid drinking before you feed your baby.
• There’s lots of information on healthy eating in the book Birth to Five, available free from your GP, midwife or health visitor if you are a first-time parent.

Healthy eating for babies

Breast milk provides all the nutrients your baby needs for healthy development in the first stages of their life, and also gives your baby long-term health advantages. Even breastfeeding for just a few weeks can make a difference.

Breast milk and alternatives

Infant formula is the only alternative to breast milk. Cows’ milk is not suitable as a main drink in the first year. Infant formula at reduced prices is available for babies under one year old in families on a low income.

It is recommended that you breastfeed your baby for the first six months of their life, after which they will start to need more than just milk. This is the time to begin gradually introducing non-milk foods, a process called ‘weaning’. Some babies adapt to solids early, some later, so it is worth considering the following pieces of advice:

• Make the transition to non-milk foods gradual
• Go at your baby’s pace to allow them to get used to the different tastes and consistencies
• Always be close by while your baby is eating so as to eliminate the risk of choking
• Do not worry if your baby refuses to take food – they know when they have had enough
• Let your baby eat at a time of day that experience tells you they are normally relaxed
• Involve your baby in the process by encouraging them to use a spoon and feed themselves.

It is a good idea to try and introduce your baby to a variety of tastes at an early age.

However, there are certain foods you should ensure do not make it into their diet:

• Salty foods (for example, bacon, cheese, sausages)
• Sugary foods
• Honey.

Your health visitor can advise you on this. By the time your baby is one year old, they will be able to enjoy most of the same foods as the rest of the family.

Healthy eating for the under fives

Between being weaned off milk to the age of five years old, children grow extremely quickly and are very active. Because of this, it is important to ensure that their diet is healthy, which means monitoring calorie, food and nutrient intake.

Milk and food

It is important that your child has a diet that provides an adequate amount of calories and nutrients. Young children, especially those under two years old, need full-fat milk, yoghurt and cheese rather than lowfat varieties.

Up to the age of three, your child needs at least half a pint (250-300ml) of milk a day (breast milk/formula for children under one year old and full-fat cows’ milk or a combination for one year and above). In terms of food, you should include the following in your child’s diet. By doing this you will be providing them with the vitamins, protein, fibre and minerals they require:

• Dairy products
• Bread, cereals, rice, pasta and potatoes
• Meat, eggs, beans and lentils
• Oily fish such as fresh tuna, mackerel, sardines and salmon (no more than four portions a week for boys and two for girls) Fruit and vegetables.

By the time your child reaches the age of five years old, they should be eating family food. However, you should ensure that their diet doesn’t contain too much saturated fat, which is found in butter, spreads, fatty meat products, biscuits and cakes. Other things you should avoid are:

• Raw eggs and foods that contain partially cooked eggs
• Whole or chopped nuts (to eliminate the risk of choking)
• Shark, swordfish or marlin (they contain high levels of mercury)
• Raw shellfish
• Food containing high levels of salt, and food and drink containing high levels of sugar.

Vitamin drops containing vitamins A, C and D are also recommended for children up to the age of five. You can get these from a chemist or from child health centres. If you qualify for help under the Welfare Food Scheme you may be able to get them for free.

Welfare milk and vitamins are available for under-fives. For more information about Welfare Food benefits (including infant formula, milk and vitamins), call the Welfare Food Scheme helpline on 0800 056 2665.

To find out more on this and other parenting issues, visit: www.direct.gov.uk/parents

 

 

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