Healthy eating
Pregnancy
- Eat a healthy balanced diet (follow Eat Well Guide), also see Start4Life - pregnancy (opens new window)
- Only eat for one with an extra 200 calories in the last 3 months
- See NHS: Have a healthy diet in pregnancy (opens new window)
Healthy Start (opens new window) pre-paid card can be used to spend on healthy foods and claim free vitamins (from Family Hubs (formerly Children's Centres) during pregnancy and following birth (up until your child's 4th birthday). To check your eligibility and to apply for healthy start see Healthy Start (NHS): How to apply (opens new window). Also speak to your midwife, health visitor, Family Hub or library for more information.
Birth to 6 months
- See Breastfeeding page of this toolkit
- If formula bottle feeding babies need 1st stage formula only (there is no need for babies to have stage 2 hungrier babies or toddler milks)
- See Unicef United Kingdom: Guide to bottle feeding (opens new window) for information on safe preparation of formula, 1st stage milks and responsive paced bottle feeding
6 months (introducing solids)
Introduce solids (also known as weaning) at around 6 months alongside their usual breast milk or infant formula. See NHS Better Health Start for life: What is weaning? (opens new window).
Once solids are established
- children need healthy eating habits to thrive
- eat with your child and encourage them to try different foods
- young children should eat child-sized portions
- aim for 5 portions of different fruits and vegetables a day
- from 1 years of age eat healthy snacks - base meals and snacks around unprocessed and minimally processed foods. This means choose foods in their simplest form. See: Eating well in the early years (firststepsnutrition.org) (opens new window).
- encourage your child to drink plenty of water throughout the day
For support with healthy eating for non-pregnant adults see the Wiltshire Health Improvement Hub.
For support with a healthy lifestyle during pregnancy speak to your midwife or health visitor.
Would you like to train as a Breastfeeding Peer Support Volunteer? If you have breastfed or breast milk fed for six months by the start of training (this doesn't need to be exclusive breastfeeding) and want to find out more about this free, online and flexible training opportunity then contact: Sally.tedstone@nhs.net (opens new window) or Heather.kale@nhs.net (opens new window) - they would love to hear from you!
Other services for support:
- Introduction to Solid Foods session - HCRG Care Group: Healthy Child Drop-Ins (Wiltshire Children's Services) (opens new window)
- Lots of information about healthy eating and related topics can be found on the Growing Well Wiltshire App (wiltshirechildrensservices.co.uk) (opens new window)
- Weaning your premature baby (bliss.org.uk) (opens new window)
- Start4life: NHS - information service for parents (opens new window)
- NHS: Have a healthy diet in pregnancy (opens new window)
- Healthy Start Scheme (opens new window): to check your eligibility and to apply for healthy start see Healthy Start (NHS): How to apply (opens new window). Also speak to your midwife, health visitor, Family Hub or library for more information
Tools and guides which you might also find helpful:
- Eating well in the early years (firststepsnutrition.org) (opens new window)
- Infant and Toddler Forum (opens new window) lots of useful information about early years nutrition and development from pregnancy through to pre-school
- Eat Well Guide (opens new window) - guide to a healthy balanced diet
- See Bath & North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire (BSW) Maternity Voices Partnership: Infant Feeding Padlet BSW MVP (opens new window) for lots of tips and local information
- See Wiltshire Council's pregnancy and healthy weight web page for more information
- NHS Better Health Start for life: What is weaning? (opens new window) - often starting from around 6 months old
- Healthy Start (opens new window) offers a prepaid card to those applying for Healthy Start, this card will be topped up every 4 weeks with your payment