Nutrition and Development
Why is Nutrition so Important?
Nutrition in children is of such big importance due to it's lasting effects throughout children's lives - it allows children to thrive, grow and stay healthy as they transition throughout their stages of life. Children's relationships to food can be traced back as early as their first years of life, exploring new textures and more! We as a nursery aim to support families with their children's journey with food, growth and development - and ensure all families have access to information and support for their child - from weaning to preparing food for themselves!
Nutrition Guidance
Our nursery adheres to the national nutrition guidance developed by the Department of Education (DoE) in regards to the early years sector. We also offer Vegan/ Vegetarian variations of meals as part of our care.
Follow the links for information regarding nutrition for early years settings, and also information for families regarding nutrition for under 5's.
Preparing Food Safely
As we progress through introducing food to children, we must ensure we prepare food safely for the age groups. Unfortunately, it isn't uncommon for children to choke on foods due to shape and size - especially if they're 5 and under. At every setting we have anti-choking kits for emergency use on hand.
These are common choking hazards under the age of 5:
grapes, cherry tomatoes, blueberries, hot dogs, marshmallows, boiled sweets, cherries (with pits), and nuts.
Introducing Allergen's
During weaning, it can be scary to introduce allergen's into your child's diet - with so many possible outcomes, sometimes you just need some support!
Allergen's can become prevalent as early as the first 6 month's - such as cow's milk during breastfeeding. It is stated that when we start to introduce new foods - especially common allergen's to do this in a controlled, stable environment - and to do this in small proportions.
Attached, there is NHS guidance on introducing allergen's, alongside studies and guidance from Anaphylaxis UK for further information.
What Will We Have For Lunch?
Ideas for a healthy pack lunch
-
A healthy sandwich/pasta/rice/pitta breads.
-
A bottle of water or carton of milk.
-
Fruit and vegetables.
-
Yoghurt/cheese.
-
Crisps/ dry snacks.
-
A sweet treat.
Let's raise our children with a healthy, balanced diet!
We ensure that our hot lunches are healthy, filling and tasty and rotational multi-cultural foods to introduce different tastes, textures, herbs and spices. On special occasions we may change a menu to accommodate holidays or themed days, such as a Lunar New Year, the King's Birthday and Christmas!
Our Hot Lunches
Our meals are provided by Nutribom, a local service who cooks our children's meals from scratch with fresh ingredients.
In the UK, children's dental care is free under the NHS, and every child is entitled to this, including mums-to-be for up to 12 months after their due date (depending on when you apply).
We as a nursery encourage dental care in the setting, with activities, talks and sometimes even nursery visits from dental professionals. This allows the children to have fun learning about their teeth, while gaining the necessary skills to do this themselves - with some help!
Find below some links for further information from the NHS and more regarding children's dental health.
Dental Health
Physical Development
Between the ages of 0-5, children go through the largest physical transformation as they learn to use their bodies for different purposes such as crawling, walking, climbing, painting and more.
Most children love to be active, but sometimes, it can be hard to know if your child is getting the exercise they need. We have attached some links for further information for guidance, ideas for keeping active, and how children develop physically!
