FEEDING YOUNG CHILDREN AGED 1-5 YEARS

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1 FEEDING YOUNG CHILDREN AGED 1-5 YEARS Information Leaflet Your Health. Our Priority.

2 Page 2 of 10 A Healthy Eating Guide Feeding Young Children Aged 1-5 Years By 12 months of age your child should be eating a variety of foods and joining in with family meals. By this age your child will begin to be more active, it is therefore important to ensure your child gets the right amount of energy (calories) and nutrients they need whilst growing rapidly. To ensure your child has a good balance of nutrients it is important to give foods from each of the main food groups. Fruit and Vegetables Offer fruit and vegetables at each meal. Try to offer 5 child size helpings each day. Fruit and vegetables contain lots of essential vitamins, minerals and fibre. This group includes: All vegetables (fresh, frozen and canned) Salad vegetables (such as tomatoes, lettuce, cucumber, celery etc) Fresh fruit Canned fruit (in natural juice or water ) Dried fruit only occasionally as a snack (small child s handful) Fruit and vegetables can help to make meals look more exciting with their bright colours, textures and flavours. Some ideas to try: Give chopped vegetables e.g. carrot, cucumber, peppers as snacks. Try adding a low fat dip too such as hummus or natural yoghurt Mix chopped fruit with yoghurt or low sugar cereal for a tasty treat Serve sliced salad vegetables such as tomatoes, lettuce or beetroot with sandwiches Try adding vegetables to soups, curries, casseroles, pasta dishes great for using up leftovers and if blended can be very well hidden useful for fussy eaters! Add cauliflower to potatoes for a tasty mash topping to cottage pie Top pizzas with chopped tomatoes, onions, peppers and pineapple Make a milk smoothie by blending fruits with milk try banana and strawberry for a creamy version

3 Page 3 of 10 Starchy Foods Starchy foods should be included at each meal. These foods provide energy, various nutrients and fibre. Starchy foods include: Bread (wholemeal, white, granary), pitta bread Potatoes e.g. jacket, mashed, boiled Breakfast cereals e.g. weetabix, shredded wheat, porridge oats Rice, pasta or noodles Chapattis Tortilla wraps Some ideas to try: Use potatoes in different ways such as jacket, mashed, boiled or try cutting into wedges and baking in the oven Try sandwiches or toast on wholemeal or granary bread, which are high in fibre. You can also offer muffins, bagels, crumpets and breadsticks Watch out for the sugar content on a number of breakfast cereals those with frosted or chocolate flavours are likely to be high Breakfast cereals are often fortified with vitamins and minerals so are a good choice. Pasta and rice are a great alternative to potatoes. Meat, Fish, Eggs and Other Non-Dairy Sources of Protein Serve foods from this group twice a day. These foods are important for growth and development. This group includes meat for example beef, lamb, chicken, fish, eggs, TVP, pulses, dhal, beans, tofu, quorn, smooth nuts spreads* such as peanut butter. Some ideas to try: Try lean minced beef, keema, turkey, chicken e.g. in curries, spaghetti bolognaise. Cold meat, tinned fish e.g. tuna, sardines, liver pate, hard boiled eggs are good sandwich fillings Buy lower fat sausages with a high meat content (80%), and look for lean cuts of meat. Try to prepare meals using basic ingredients. Try not to use too many convenience foods as they can be high in salt, fat and sugar. *If you or your child suffers from any allergies, hay fever, asthma or eczema please talk to a health professional e.g. doctor, health visitor, before introducing any nuts. Do not give whole nuts to children under 5 years old.

4 Page 4 of 10 Dairy Foods Your child should be having around 1 pint of milk a day as drinks or in foods. You can continue breast feeding if you wish. Dairy foods are important for growth, healthy bones and teeth. Foods in this group include milk, cheese, yoghurt, and fromage frais. Use full fat milk and dairy products until your child is at least 2 years old. Semi-skimmed milk can be introduced from age 2, if your child is a good eater and growing well. Skimmed milk is not suitable for children under 5 years old. Some ideas to try: Milk can be used in drinks, on breakfast cereals, in puddings or sauces Cheese, fromage frais or yoghurt can be given instead of some of the milk Grated cheese, cheese spreads can be used as sandwich fillers on toast or added to a jacket potato Try yoghurt after meals as a dessert Fatty Foods Young children need the concentrated energy provided by fat in the diet. That is why it is important to give foods such as full fat milk, yoghurt, cheese and oily fish. Foods such as crisps, chips, fried foods and biscuits are popular with children. But they should be limited to keep your family healthy. Consider these foods as extras and only give them very occasionally. Sugary Foods Most young children enjoy sweet foods e.g. biscuits, cakes, sweets, chocolates. A small amount of sugary foods at mealtimes is ok but when teeth are in frequent contact with sugary foods and drinks they will decay. Tips to consider: Try not to give sweet foods and drinks every day. Keep to mealtimes and never give as rewards Beware of sugars you may not recognise, as these can be just as damaging to teeth e.g. sucrose, glucose, honey, dextrose, concentrated fruit juices, syrup

5 Page 5 of 10 Meals and snacks Have regular meals as a family where possible. Make sure you give regular breakfast, lunch and tea so your child is not too hungry or too tired to eat. Breakfast is a very important meal. Ideas for breakfast include low sugar breakfast cereal and milk, toast, crumpets or toasted muffins. Try not to give your child cereal bars as these can be very high in sugar. Young children often need to eat small snacks in between meals to meet their needs for energy and growth. Ideas for healthy snacks between meals are: Fruit such as orange, banana, apple, pear, grapes Vegetable sticks such as carrots, peppers and cucumber with yoghurt of low fat hummus dips Small cubes of cheese with crackers or breadsticks Toast, small sandwiches, crumpets or oat cakes Drinks Milk and water are the best drinks for young children. They are safe for teeth. You can also give your child diluted unsweetened fresh fruit juice at mealtimes. Fruit juice should always be well diluted one part juice to ten parts water. Fizzy drinks and squashes are not recommended for young children. Not only are they bad for teeth (even the diet versions) but their nutrient content is low and children who drink them a lot can feel too full to eat well at mealtimes. Do not give tea or coffee as these reduce iron absorption and can increase the risk of anaemia. Use a cup or beaker for drinks. Drinking from a bottle can slow speech development and damage teeth.

6 Page 6 of 10 Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Breakfast Weetabix and milk and banana slices Grilled mushrooms and tomatoes on toast and diluted fruit juice Cereal and milk and handful of berries Scrambled egg on toast and diluted fruit juice Porridge and milk and chopped apricot Snack Toast fingers Cream cracker with cheese spread Lunch Shepherd s pie and cauliflower Corned beef hash with diced carrots and peas Crumpet Chilli and rice Toasted bagel Salmon sandwich with cucumber Breadstick and grapes Fish fingers with broccoli and mashed potato Rice pudding with raisins Fresh fruit Fruit slices and yoghurt dip Apple crumble and custard Strawberries and low fat natural yoghurt Snack Slice of melon Chopped fruit chunks Pear or apple Carrot sticks and hummus Banana Tea Cheese and ham sandwich and chunks of cucumber Homemade pizza topped with tomatoes, sweet corn, tuna, peppers and cheese Homemade chicken and vegetable soup with bread Pasta bolognaise Baked beans on toast and orange segments Bedtime Cup of milk Cup of milk Cup of milk Cup of milk Cup of milk

7 Page 7 of 10 Portion Sizes The amount toddlers eat varies from day to day and will depend how active they are. Remember that young children need smaller amounts of food than adults. Offer three meals with two or three small snacks per day. Iron Iron is important for your child s health. Lack of iron can lead to anaemia which may hold back your child s development. Children who are poor eaters or on restricted diets are most at risk. It is important to offer iron containing foods daily. Good sources of iron include: Meat e.g. beef, pork, lamb, liver Canned fish e.g. sardines, mackerel, tuna, eggs Fortified low sugar breakfast cereals Dark green vegetables Beans and pulses e.g. lentils Try to give vitamin C containing foods at mealtimes as well such as oranges, tomatoes, broccoli and well diluted fruit juice as these help iron to be absorbed from food. Helping your child to eat well It is very common for young children to go through phases of being faddy about what they eat. Remember, fussy eating is a normal part of growing up. Tips to help: Offer your child the same food you re giving your family and eat your meals together whenever possible Give smaller portions and praise your child for eating even a little food Try to keep calm. It is important not to turn meal times into a battle ground Foods that are rejected on one occasion may well be accepted the next, so keep offering a range of foods Try offering new foods alongside foods they are happy to eat Never force or bribe your child to eat. If your child refuses to eat, just remove the food without any fuss Food Allergy If you think your child is allergic or intolerant to any food, talk to a health professional e.g. your health visitor or GP. You may need referring to a Paediatric Dietitian.

8 Page 8 of 10 Healthy Start Scheme Healthy Start helps you give your children the best start in life. If you re pregnant or have a child under four and you re claiming benefits, you could get vouchers every week to spend on milk, fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, plus a coupon to swap for free vitamins. You can use the vouchers at local shops and supermarkets. You can join Healthy Start at any time- even if you ve already had your baby. It could add up to as much as 700 if you are on the scheme from pregnancy until your child is four. So it s well worth doing! You also get advice on healthy eating and looking after your baby as well as recipes so you can make the most of your vouchers. Healthy Start Vitamins Healthy Start Vitamins can be obtained at local health Clinics. Vitamins can also be bought if a family does not qualify for free ones. Healthy Start vitamins are recommended for: Breastfed infants from age six months (or one month in some cases) Formula-fed infants who are over six months and taking less than 500ml infant formula per day Children up to their fourth Birthday All pregnant women This recommendation is particularly important for children and women who are not eating well, those of Asian, African, Afro-Caribbean or middle eastern origin and those living in northern areas of the UK Healthy Start vitamin vouchers can be exchanged or vitamins purchased from any of the Tameside and Glossop clinics listed below: Albion Drive Clinic Ashton Primary Care Centre Glossop Primary Care Centre Hyde Clinic Stalybridge Clinic Ann Street Clinic Dewsnap Lane Clinic Hattersley Clinic Mossley Clinic For more information please speak to your Health Visitor/Midwife or you can visit Healthy Lifestyle Courses Leap4life A fun and friendly course for families with children aged 18 months to 4 years incorporating healthy eating, oral health and activity sessions. Courses help families make healthier lifestyle changes. Courses are run in Tameside and Glossop please contact us for more information.

9 Page 9 of 10 Contact us Please contact the Children s Nutrition Team if you have any queries Telephone: or from 9am -5pm snt-tr.childrensnutrition@nhs.net Address: Children s Nutrition Team Selbourne House Union Street Hyde Cheshire SK14 1NG If you would like to make any suggestions or complaints please contact our Patient & Customer Services: Tel: Fax: pcs@stockport.nhs.uk Website:

10 Page 10 of 10 If you would like this leaflet in a different format, for example, in large print, or on audiotape, or for people with learning disabilities, please contact: Patient and Customer Services, Poplar Suite, Stepping Hill Hospital. Tel: Information Leaflet. PCS@stockport.nhs.uk. Our smoke free policy Smoking is not allowed anywhere on our sites. Please read our leaflet 'Policy on Smoke Free NHS Premises' to find out more. Leaflet number TG58 Publication date February 2014 Review date February 2015 Department Children's Nutrition Location Community