Nutrition

Call on manufacturers and distributors of breast-milk substitutes, investors and governments to uphold the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes to help millions of children get the healthiest start in life.

This groundbreaking DVD From bump to breastfeeding: following real mothers’ stories to find out how shows parents how to get started breastfeeding and provide practical answers to the common problems.

Healthcare professionals and mothers knowledge of, attitudes to and experiences with, Baby-Led Weaning: A content analysis study

First Steps Nutrition Trust provides free, practical, evidence based information on good nutrition from pregnancy to five years www.firststepsnutrition.org

A new product to solve the dilemma of parents exasperated by their fussy kids at mealtimes has been launched by the charity Weight Concern, based on research from psychologists at UCL.

This guidance addresses disparities in the nutrition of low-income and other disadvantaged groups compared with the general population.

A great resource of online  nutritional information for children.

Unicef UK produces statements on a number of topics, in response to demand from our supporters and to reflect any updates in policies and directives.

There are many different recommendations for the prevention, detection and treatment of Vitamin D deficiency in the UK.

This guideline covers recognition, assessment and monitoring of faltering growth in infants and children. It includes a definition of growth thresholds for concern and identifying the risk factors for, and possible causes of, faltering growth. It also covers interventions, when to refer, service design, and information and support.

This guideline includes recommendations on:

• weight loss in the early days of life
• faltering growth after the early days of life
• organisation of care
• information and support for parents and carers

Also see NICE Quality Standard NG197

Like other mammal babies, it is natural for a human baby to be breastfed, but many people in the UK have lost confidence and skills in breastfeeding.
It is a body skill, like learning to swim or drive, so takes time to learn! In a few weeks, you will develop your skills! The close, loving relationship between parent/carer and baby usually begins to develop before birth and is helped immediately afterwards by skin-to-skin contact, however you feed your baby.

The principles of a healthy diet are the same for all infants, toddlers and young children. It’s important to encourage families to continue with good habits developed in the first year of life and beyond as the child gets older.

Current guidelines from all UK health departments suggest that infants do not need food other than milk until about 6 months of age.

Babies at about 6-months old are physiologically ready to eat solid foods. It is a myth that babies who wake in the night, chew their fists or look interested in food before the age of about 6 months need solids, they may just need more frequent milk feeds.

Your baby needs only breastmilk or formula for the first 6 months of life. If your baby seems hungrier after 4 months, be aware that giving them solids this early won’t help them to sleep better and recommended guidance is to give more milk feeds until your child is developmentally ready for solids (at around 6 months)

Be a good role model. Children copy the behaviour of those around them so if they see their parents and other grown-ups eating lots of vegetables, then they are more likely to follow suit. Siblings and friends can also be effective role models.

Once children are eating solid foods, they need to be eating independently and a range of foods throughout the day which are ideally 3 meals and 2 nutritious snacks. Making meal times a happy,  social and family occasion is recommended.

This parent tip will look at each of vitamins A, C and D, explaining why they are important for babies and children.

Health visitors have a key role to play in promoting the importance of vitamin D. The aim of this GPP is to highlight the important role health visitors have in improving vitamin D uptake in communities.

These Good Practice Points set out what health visitors need to know about food insecurity and some tips to support families.