Top-level navigation |
Once your baby is six months old you need to start giving them solid foods as well as their usual milk feeds. From nine months old, as your baby gets more used to eating, it’s important to offer a range of different foods to give your baby all the vitamins and minerals they need and to help avoid fussiness later. This is also the time when your baby should be getting used to having the same foods as the rest of the family, either minced or chopped up. If Quorn™ forms part of your family’s diet, you could introduce it gradually when your baby is nine months old by giving a small amount and checking that it doesn’t cause a reaction. But it should only make up a small part of your baby’s diet. Quorn™ is a highly processed food containing mycoprotein, which is a type of fungus. It is a good vegetarian source of protein, low in fat, high in fibre and doesn’t contain many calories. But babies, unlike adults, should generally have foods that provide lots of calories and nutrients in a small amount of food. As Quorn™ isn’t this type of food, it should only make up a small part of your baby’s diet. And because Quorn™ is high in fibre, it could cause flatulence and make a baby feel uncomfortable. High fibre foods can also fill a baby up so they don’t have enough room to get the wide range of nutrients they need. Also, some people have reported allergic reactions to mycoprotein, although this is rare. This is why Quorn™ should only be introduced gradually and you should check that it doesn’t cause a reaction. But remember it’s important for babies to eat different types of food. Each time they try a new food their bodies get a chance to learn how to deal with it. Any foods you buy that haven’t been made specifically for babies can often be high in salt. A young baby’s kidneys can’t cope with salt so it’s important to check food labels for the salt content. Babies under a year old should have less than 1g salt a day. Quorn™ products vary quite widely in their salt content, so remember to check the food labels. If you have any concerns about what to feed your baby, talk to your GP or health visitor.
Before you prepare a feed, it's very important to clean work surfaces and wash your hands. Remember that you also need to sterilise bottles and teats before you use them. To make up a feed using powdered infant formula, boil fresh tap water and leave it to cool for no more than half an hour. Follow the formula manufacturer's instructions about how to make it up. Test the temperature of the formula milk on the inside of your wrist. If it feels too hot, put the cap over the teat and hold the bottle under cold running water. You should make up formula milk freshly for each feed and use it immediately. Don't store made-up formula. If you will need to feed your baby when you're out, boil some water, put it in a vacuum flask and take it with you. Then you can use it to prepare a feed when you need it. If there is any formula milk left after a feed, throw this away.
A breakfast club is a great way to give the children at your school a good start to the day. If they have a nutritious breakfast, this may help their concentration, as well as their health. Here are some tips on what to try. Starchy foods, such as bread, are important to give children energy. Try giving a choice of bread, or offer different types on different days, such as wholemeal, granary and white bread, rolls, baps and bagels. Serve bread with low-fat spreads or different flavours of fruit jam. Or try toasted teacakes, fruit buns (without icing) and slices of malt loaf. It's a good idea to provide fruit or fruit juice at breakfast time because these contain lots of nutrients that are good for children's health, including vitamin C. Foods containing vitamin C might also help children (and adults) to absorb iron from their food. And we should all be aiming to eat at least five portions of fruit and veg each day. A portion is an apple, banana or orange, two plums or satsumas, or a glass of juice. But juice only counts as one portion a day, however much someone drinks. Try to provide a variety of fruit, such as apples, oranges, grapes, satsumas, plums, bananas, raisins and dried apricots. Choose 100% fruit juice, not 'fruit drinks' or 'juice drinks' that contain added sugar. If you have time, you could make your own milkshakes or smoothies by blending fruit with milk or yoghurt. Maybe you could even get the children involved in making their own. Fortified breakfast cereals can be a good choice because they provide energy and some important vitamins and minerals. But some of them are very high in sugar and/or salt. So check the nutritional information on the label and try to choose cereals that contain less sugar and salt. You could also add some slices of fresh fruit to cereal, or some raisins or sultanas, to encourage the children to eat more fruit. Try providing low-fat yoghurts or fromage frais, or mini-cartons of semi-skimmed milk. These are all good sources of calcium, which is especially important for growing children to help build healthy bones and teeth. If you have the facilities to make hot food, you could grill lean bacon, mushrooms and tomatoes, or serve boiled eggs and baked beans. It's better to avoid fried foods, streaky bacon and sausages because these are high in fat. Many schools already run successful breakfast clubs and they do it for as little as 35p a day for each child. It's a really good way to help your pupils eat a healthy diet. Good luck!
You should only give your baby soya-based infant formula if your GP or health visitor advises you to. In almost all cases, breastfeeding or another type of formula will be a better choice. Soya-based infant formula was originally developed for babies who can't have infant formula based on cows' milk, for example, because of a milk allergy. But there are now other types of formula that are more suitable for these babies and your GP or health visitor will be able to advise you about this. Occasionally your GP or health visitor might recommend soya-based infant formula, for example, if your baby can't or won't drink other types of formula, or if you want your baby to eat a vegan diet and you're not breastfeeding. If you're giving your baby soya-based infant formula at the moment, talk to your GP or health visitor about changing to a different formula. Try to breastfeed your baby until they're at least six months old (26 weeks). It's best not to give your baby anything apart from breast milk for the first six months. Breast milk provides all the nutrients that a baby needs for healthy development during this time. You can go on breastfeeding for as long as you and your baby want, but you will need to give your baby solid food (as well as breast milk or infant formula) after 6 months. Some people have raised concerns that drinking soya-based infant formula could affect babies' reproductive development. This is because soya contains phytoestrogens. These are compounds found naturally in some plants, which may mimic or block the action of the human hormone, oestrogen. But they have a much weaker effect in the body than oestrogen. Because they weigh much less, babies who drink soya-based infant formula take in higher levels of phytoestrogens than adults or older children who eat some soya products as part of a mixed diet. And this is at a potentially sensitive time in a baby's development. Studies on animals have shown that large amounts of phytoestrogens affect the development of their reproductive organs and fertility. But there is no evidence from the limited number of studies in humans that there would be similar effects on people. So it's not clear whether or not soya-based infant formula could affect babies' reproductive development.
Don't give honey to your baby until he or she is one year old. This is because, very occasionally, honey can contain a type of bacteria that can produce toxins in a baby's intestines. This can cause serious illness (infant botulism). After a baby is a year old, the intestine has matured and the bacteria can't grow. It isn't possible to remove the bacteria from honey by processing, without caramelising the honey. The British Honey Importers and Packers Association has advised its members to say on honey labels that honey should not be given to babies under 12 months. But this is not compulsory. Remember, you should also avoid adding sugar to food or drinks you give your baby. This is because this could encourage a sweet tooth and lead to tooth decay when your baby's first teeth start to come through. If you give your baby stewed sour fruit, such as rhubarb, you could sweeten it with mashed banana, or breast or formula milk. Because honey is a type of sugar, you should still limit the amount you give to your baby once he or she is one year old.
People generally take fish-oil capsules because of the omega 3 fatty acids they contain. These fatty acids can help protect against heart disease. Some people think that omega 3 fatty acids might help improve concentration in children, but there isn't enough evidence to come to any firm conclusions about this. Some metals and pollutants, such as mercury and dioxins, can build up in fish. Mercury doesn't build up in the oily parts of fish (the parts used to make fish oil), but other pollutants can. A survey by the Ministry for Agriculture Fisheries and Food in 1998 found relatively low levels of mercury in fish-oil supplements. Pollutants such as dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which might cause harmful long-term effects, can build up in the oily parts of fish. A survey by the Food Standards Agency, published in 2002, found that levels of dioxins and PCBs were higher in some fish-oil supplements than others. The Agency has been working with industry and retailers to find ways of ensuring that the levels remain consistently low. European legislation has been introduced to control the levels of dioxins in foods, animal feeds including fish feeds, and fish-oil supplements. The European Commission is considering limits for PCBs in food, including dietary supplements such as fish oils. It's better to eat fish than take fish oil-supplements, because as well as containing omega 3 fatty acids, fish is an excellent source of other nutrients that will help your child grow and be healthy. Talk to your GP before giving your child any supplements. If you do decide to give him or her supplements, check they are suitable for your child's age group and always follow the instructions on the label. We should all try to eat at least two servings of fish a week, including one serving of oily fish, as part of a healthy balanced diet. Oily fish, such as salmon, sardines and mackerel, contain more omega 3 than white fish. Fresh, frozen and canned fish, fish fingers and fish cakes can all count towards our weekly servings of fish. But remember that fish in breadcrumbs can be high in fat, especially if it's fried. You shouldn't give your child shark, swordfish or marlin. This is because mercury can build up in these fish and high levels of mercury can affect a child's developing nervous system. You should also avoid giving more than two portions of oily fish a week to girls, or four portions to boys. This is because of the dioxins and PCBs these fish can contain. There is no need to limit the amount of other fish your children have, apart from avoiding shark, swordfish and marlin.
We don't recommend a specific amount of soft and fizzy drinks that children can have, but it's important for them not to have too much of these drinks, especially between meals. Children who have lots of sugary drinks, such as fizzy drinks and squash, are more likely to put on weight and to be overweight . These drinks contain very few nutrients and the added sugar they contain can also damage teeth. Research shows that children and young people in the UK eat too much sugar, and more of it comes from fizzy drinks than any other type of food or drink. So getting children to drink fewer sugary drinks is a good way to reduce the amount of sugar they eat. If your children have these kinds of drinks, it's better to keep them to mealtimes, because this will help protect their teeth. Pure fruit juice contains lots of vitamins that are good for children's health, especially vitamin C, but it also contains a kind of sugar that can damage teeth, so it's better to drink this at mealtimes too. The best drinks for children to have between meals are water and milk. These don't contain added sugar that can damage teeth. And milk contains important vitamins and minerals, such as calcium. There is also lots of sugar in chocolate, sweets, biscuits and cakes. So, to help children maintain a healthy weight and protect their teeth, they should only eat these foods sparingly, as part of a balanced diet.
There are plenty of healthy options for your son to eat at playtime. By giving him nutritious snacks, you will be helping him get the nutrients he needs to grow and be healthy. Children need a balanced diet that is rich in fruit, vegetables and starchy foods. And it's important for them to eat frequently so they get enough energy. Try giving him small sticks of raw carrot, celery, cucumber and pepper. Or you could give him segments of orange, satsumas, slices of pineapple, or a pot of chopped fruit salad. These will all provide vitamin C and other beneficial nutrients, and will help your son eat more fruit and veg. You could also give your son mini-sandwiches (such as cream cheese and cucumber), bagels, English muffins, crumpets or homemade plain popcorn. These all contain starchy carbohydrate, which will help give him energy. Other options include little cubes of cheese, pots of yoghurt or fromage frais, yoghurt drinks and flavoured milk, which are all good sources of calcium.
Most people, including children, are having a lot more salt than they should. So it's a good idea to watch your daughter's salt intake – and your own. If children have too much salt, this could affect their health in the future. And it could also give them a taste for salty food, which means they're more likely to continue eating too much salt when they grow up. Eating a diet that is high in salt can increase the chances of heart disease and stroke in later life. This is because salt contains sodium and having too much sodium can cause high blood pressure, also called hypertension. The maximum amount of salt a child should have depends on their age:
There are a number of different conditions where people have an abnormal reaction to cows' milk, including cows' milk allergy, cows' milk protein intolerance and lactose intolerance. Symptoms of these conditions include diarrhoea, asthma, eczema, vomiting, bloating and wind. Milk allergy and cows' milk protein intolerance are common in babies and children. Symptoms start from the time cows' milk is introduced into the diet. Many children with these conditions will grow out of them when they get older. If you think your baby is intolerant to cows' milk and dairy products it's important to consult your GP, who will be able to refer her to a specialist for a proper diagnosis and nutritional advice. Milk and dairy products are good sources of nutrients such as calcium, so you shouldn't cut them out of your daughter's diet without medical advice. If your baby is diagnosed with a cows' milk allergy, your GP might prescribe hydrolysed milk formula for her. You shouldn't give her partially hydrolysed formula or soya formula without consulting your GP, because babies with cows' milk allergy might react to these types of formula.
There are lots of things you can do to encourage your son to eat more fruit and veg. For example, you can add vegetables to hot dishes, such as casseroles and curries. Put peas and chopped or grated carrot in shepherd's pie, include pieces of courgette in lasagne, or add slices of pepper and other veg to pizza toppings. If your son likes tomato-based sauces, try mixing these with pasta, or serve some ratatouille with a meal. If he likes mashed potato, you could mix in some mashed carrot, parsnip or swede. Corn on the cob can also be fun to eat and is popular with young children. Remember, fresh, frozen, tinned, dried and juiced fruit and veg all count towards our daily fruit and veg portions (but juice counts as a maximum of one portion a day). So, try serving tinned peaches with ice cream for dessert, add some dried fruit to breakfast cereal and give your son a glass of fruit juice with a meal instead of squash or a fizzy drink. Banana sandwiches can make a good choice for lunch and segments of clementines can be a handy snack. Some children prefer raw vegetables, so try giving your son sticks of raw carrot, cucumber or pepper to nibble on. Often, younger children are put off by the texture of fruit and vegetables, rather than the taste. So try making your own milkshakes and smoothies by blending puréed fruit with milk or yoghurt. Cooked fruit counts towards fruit and veg portions too, so you could serve baked apples with sultanas or fruit crumble for dessert. You might like to get your son involved when you're making a meal, because children are more likely to eat food they've helped prepare. He could help you make red-pepper 'boats' stuffed with rice, cheese and onion, or make faces with slices of veg on top of a quiche or pizza. Often, children need to be shown a food several times before they'll eat it. So, when you're eating some fruit or veg, show it to your son and tell him about it, so he's familiar with it before he tastes it. And if he refuses to eat a food at first, don't worry and don't give up – just try again another time.
'Bio' yoghurts usually claim to contain 'live' bacteria, or 'cultures'. In most products, these will be the same types of bacteria that are found naturally in a healthy person's digestive system. So babies don't need to eat bio yoghurts to get these bacteria. But if you want to give bio yoghurts to your baby after he or she is about six months old, this should be safe, as long as it doesn't say on the label that the product isn't suitable for babies. Your baby needs plenty of energy to grow, so make sure you give him or her full-fat varieties of dairy products such as yoghurts and fromage frais. Remember to avoid using cows' milk as a main drink until your baby is one year old. If you would like more detailed information about a specific product, you can get in touch with the manufacturer.
The best drinks to give children are water, milk and milkshakes without added sugar. Children usually like fruit juice and it contains valuable vitamins and minerals, especially vitamin C. It can also count as one portion a day towards the five daily portions of fruit and veg that children should have reached by the age of five. But when juice is extracted from the whole fruit, this releases sugar that can damage teeth, especially if your children sip it from a bottle or drink it frequently. So try to keep fruit juice to mealtimes, because this is better for teeth than drinking it between meals. Lots of squashes, juice drinks, fizzy drinks, flavoured milks and milkshakes contain added sugar, which is also bad for teeth. Diluting squash well will make it less sugary, but again try to keep it to mealtimes. All fizzy drinks, including 'diet' varieties, contain very few nutrients. And they can also be very filling, so they could reduce your children's appetite for food that contains the nutrients they need. If your children like drinking milk, this is a really good choice, especially if they aren't keen on plain water. Milk isn't bad for teeth, and it contains calcium and other vitamins and minerals. Children should drink whole milk until they are at least two years old because they may not get as many calories as they need from semi-skimmed milk. After the age of two, you can gradually introduce semi-skimmed milk as a main drink, as long as your child is eating well and getting plenty of calories and nutrients from a varied diet. Don't give fully skimmed milk to children until they're at least five years old. You could try making your own milkshakes and smoothies by blending soft fruit, such as banana, strawberries or mango, with milk or yoghurt. This can be a good way to encourage children to eat fruit.
It's OK to give your baby fromage frais or yoghurts every now and then as part of a balanced diet (avoiding low-fat varieties). But these can contain added sugar, so it's better for your baby's teeth if he or she doesn't have them too often. Any foods and drinks that contain added sugar can cause tooth decay, especially if your baby has them frequently. The type of sugar added when food is processed is the worst type of sugar for teeth. When you're buying food, watch out for these words on the ingredients list: sucrose, glucose, fructose, hydrolysed starch and invert sugar. These are all types of sugar that are bad for teeth, so it's better not to give foods that contain them to your baby very often. Honey, golden syrup, treacle, granulated sugar and caster sugar can all cause tooth decay, and so can the sugar in fruit juices. So, when you prepare foods at home, try not to add any sugar – you could use puréed fruit to add sweetness instead. You shouldn't give fruit juice to your baby until he or she is six months old and, after this age, make sure that fruit juice is well diluted (one part juice with ten parts cooled boiled water). Even products labelled 'no added sugar' might be sweetened with concentrated fruit juice, which can damage teeth. You could make your own sugar-free snacks for your baby, such as carrot sticks, pieces of peeled apple and pitta bread, or try adding puréed fruit to plain fromage frais or yoghurt. Teeth are most likely to decay when sugar is in the mouth for a long time. This is why having sweet snacks and drinks between meals or at bedtime is particularly bad for teeth, because the sugar stays in the mouth. Try to avoid giving squash (or other sugary drinks) in a bottle, because the sugar will be in the mouth for a long time while your baby gradually drinks the squash. Remember that infants in their first year need breast milk or about 500ml (about a pint) of formula milk each day as a main drink. Even when teeth first emerge, you should make a start on cleaning them gently with an infant toothbrush and a spot of fluoride toothpaste.
Children of this age need lots of energy and nutrients because they are still growing. There are estimated average requirements of energy and individual nutrients for children of different ages. For children aged 7 to 10, the estimated average requirement of energy is 1970 kilocalories (kcal) a day for boys and 1740 kcal for girls. But remember this is only a guide; many children will need more than these estimates and some will need less, depending on a number of things, including how physically active they are. But of course it's not just how many calories we get that matters. It's important for all of us to have a healthy balanced diet. Try to encourage your child to choose a variety of foods, to help make sure they have all the nutrients they need to grow and be healthy. He or she should eat:
We should all avoid eating too much salt, whatever our age. This is because salt contains sodium, and having too much sodium can cause high blood pressure (sometimes called hypertension), which increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. So, it's a good idea to keep an eye on how much salt your child is having. Children aged one to three shouldn't have more than 2g salt a day (about 0.8g sodium). It's not just the salt we add to food that we need to look out for – lots of the foods we buy can be high in salt, including some products aimed at children. So remember to check the label and try to choose the lower-salt option. Look at the figure for salt per 100g. High is more than 1.5g salt per 100g (or 0.6g sodium) Low is 0.3g salt or less per 100g (or 0.1g sodium) If the amount of salt per 100g is in between these figures, then that is a medium level of salt. Remember that the amount you eat of a particular food affects how much salt you will get from it. It's also a good idea to try to cut down on the number of salty snacks your child has, such as crisps and biscuits. Give them low-salt snacks, such as dried fruit, raw vegetable sticks, grapes and satsumas, instead.
All children between six months and five years old could benefit from taking drops containing vitamins A, C and D. These will help to make sure that they get these important vitamins, particularly if they aren't eating a varied diet. Vitamin drops are free for children under five years from families receiving Income Support or an income-based Job Seekers Allowance. They can also be bought cheaply from child health clinics. Children who have a good appetite and eat a wide variety of foods, including fruit and veg, might not need vitamin drops. As well as eating a healthy balanced diet, children also need sunlight to help them get enough vitamin D. (Remember to be careful not to let their skin burn.) So, if a child doesn't spend much time outdoors, doesn't eat meat or oily fish, or if their skin doesn't get exposed to daylight because they always wear clothes that cover almost all of their skin when they are outdoors, you should give them drops to make sure they get enough vitamin D. If children don't get enough vitamin D, this can cause rickets, which can lead to permanent misshaping of their bones. Iron is also essential for your children's health. But if they are eating some meat or fish every day, then they are probably getting enough iron and so they won't need iron drops or tablets. If your child doesn't eat any meat or fish, make sure they eat plenty of other foods that are rich in iron, such as:
Burgers and chips can be high in fat and salt, so it's better not to give them to your children too often. But you can make healthier versions at home by trying the following things:
Whenever you cook or reheat food, whether it's for a baby or an adult to eat, you should make sure that it's steaming hot all the way through. This is to destroy any bacteria that might be present in the food. As long as the food is thoroughly reheated, it should be safe for your baby. You can leave it to cool a bit (say for five to 10 minutes) so it's not too hot for your baby to eat, but don't leave food standing out at room temperature for hours because that can allow bacteria to grow. You can defrost raw food, cook it, freeze, defrost and reheat, provided you follow these rules:
Adults and children aged five and above are recommended to eat at least five portions of fruit and veg a day. Between the ages of two and five you can gradually start giving children fruit and veg, working up to five portions a day. By the time your child is two years old, it's important to start introducing a variety of foods, including fruit and veg. Research shows that the more frequently different food is offered to children, the more likely they are to eat a varied diet later on. So don't be put off if your child doesn't eat a new food the first time you offer it. Try again several times.
Children need lots of energy and nutrients from food, particularly when they're growing. Try to encourage them to eat a variety of different foods to make sure they get a range of nutrients. A balanced diet is rich in starchy foods, such as bread, pasta and rice and includes:
Here are some ideas you can try to encourage your children to eat different foods:
It's important to make sure that your daughter gets a varied diet that includes iron because iron is an essential component of haemoglobin, the red pigment found in blood. Haemoglobin carries oxygen from the lungs to the tissues and organs of the body. Two-thirds of the iron present in the body is found in haemoglobin; the remainder is stored in the liver, spleen and bone marrow. A small amount is also found in the muscle protein myoglobin. Good non-meat sources of iron include wholegrain cereals and flours, leafy green vegetables such as spinach and watercress, pulses such as lentils, kidney beans and chickpeas, some dried fruits (apricots and figs), and eggs. If food does not provide sufficient iron to replace the body's losses, the stores are gradually depleted and haemoglobin production is inhibited. This can lead to iron deficiency and can cause anaemia. Dietary iron exists in two different forms: haem iron and non-haem iron. Haem iron, which is the form that exists in red meats and offal, is relatively well absorbed (20–30%). Non-haem iron is found in plant foods and is generally less well absorbed (10%), but absorption increases when the body's stores are depleted and when needs are greatest, e.g. in growing children or pregnant women. A breakfast cereal fortified with iron and a glass of orange juice is a good way to start the day. This is because iron absorption might be increased in the presence of vitamin C. If you give your daughter tea to drink, you should think about doing this only between meals, rather than with food, because tannins in tea might inhibit iron absorption.
Milk is an important part of a child's diet. It's a good source of energy and protein, and contains a wide range of vitamins and minerals. Milk and milk products are rich sources of calcium, which growing children and young people need to build healthy bones and teeth. At about one year old, when a baby has been weaned, you can introduce full-fat cows' milk. If you are breastfeeding you can continue to breastfeed. Children under two years old need full-fat milk because it gives them the extra calories and vitamin A that a younger child needs. Children between the ages of one and three need to consume an average of 350mg of calcium a day. About 300ml milk (three–fifths of a pint) would provide this. Semi-skimmed, 1% and skimmed milk contain at least the same amount of protein, B vitamins, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and zinc as full-fat milk, but less fat. Once a child is two years old, he or she can start drinking semi-skimmed milk as long as they are eating a varied and balanced diet and are growing well. However, skimmed milk and 1% fat milk aren't suitable as a main drink for children under five years old, because they don't contain enough vitamin A and skimmed milk is too low in calories, which children need. It's important to note that although milk provides a range of nutrients it doesn't contain a significant amount of iron or vitamin C, both of which are also very important for growing children. It's important they eat a varied diet to make sure they get all the vitamins and minerals they need.
Growing children need to eat a range of foods. Between the ages of two and five, there should be a gradual move to an adult diet. This means that by the age of five, a child should be eating a range of food from the following food groups, and in the sorts of quantities shown:
If you can't find the answer you're looking for, send a new question by clicking on the link below. If Sam can't answer your question, one of her colleagues in the Agency might be able to help.
Click here to email SamWe can't answer every question individually, but we regularly publish answers on a selection of topics.