Category Archives: Nutrition

Which vitamin and mineral supplements does my child need?

Vitamins all children should take The UK government recommends all children aged 6 months to 5 years (except those who drink more than 500ml of infant formula a day) are given vitamin supplements containing vitamins A, C and D every day.  Babies who are being breastfed should be given a daily vitamin D supplement fromContinue reading “Which vitamin and mineral supplements does my child need?”

Does my baby need pudding?

This is a really common question. As with all nutrition, there is no one-size fits all approach. That’s not me ducking the question. Let me explain. When does my baby need pudding? You baby, or toddler, or older child needs pudding when you are not sure they have had enough variety of fruit or vegetable,Continue reading “Does my baby need pudding?”

Toddler snacks – everything you need to know

Do toddlers need snacks? How many should they have? What should they have? Are bought snacks ok? There are so many questions. Let’s take those 4 questions in turn. Do toddlers need snacks? Yes! Babies under 1 do not need snacks but from 1 it is recommended that children have snacks. Why? Because their needContinue reading “Toddler snacks – everything you need to know”

Should my baby have processed food?

What is processed food? Processed food is food which has been changed from it’s natural state. That’s most of our food. What is ultra processed food? These are foods that are highly altered and often have lots of additional ingredients which we might not recognise in our kitchen cupboards. Ultra processed foods are also oftenContinue reading “Should my baby have processed food?”

New advice for feeding 1-4 year olds

This week the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition published a report which reviewed the scientific evidence around children’s food in the 1-5 year old age group. As you might expect they found that children are eating on average: So, no surprises there but here are the recommendations which you may find interesting. Fibre The recommendationContinue reading “New advice for feeding 1-4 year olds”

Simple snacks for babies and toddlers

Snacks are foods in between meals. That’s important because sometimes snacks become replacements for meals but that’s not what they are for. Ideally snacks are given at set times of day between meals (usually 90 minutes minimum between feeding times) rather than constantly available. Why is it important to have set times? Because it allowsContinue reading “Simple snacks for babies and toddlers”

Iron: an essential nutrient for your baby

Iron is a nutrient we hear quite a bit about but it’s not one which most of us actively think about in our diets. Pregnant women have their iron levels checked. Why? Low iron in pregnancy can increase the risk of pre term birth and of having a baby with a low birth weight. Mum’sContinue reading “Iron: an essential nutrient for your baby”

Is processed meat really that bad for my baby?

You may have seen the headlines ‘processed meat causes cancer’ and been concerned. As a parent our natural instinct is to protect our children so a headline like this causes anxiety. But what’s the problem with processed meat and what is it? What is processed meat? Processed meat is meat that has been through someContinue reading “Is processed meat really that bad for my baby?”