The Importance of Nutrition in the Early Years
What is more important than our little ones growing up healthy and strong? Nutrition is of the most importance due to its lasting effects in children's lives as they grow and develop throughout their different milestones and stages of life. A child's relationship with food can be traced back as far as their early years experiences, and is a large part of developing their senses, likes and even dislikes! A good introduction to food and nutrition sets up children for life with knowledge of health and development, ensuring children understand its importance in their everyday lives. We as a nursery aim to promote to all children and their families the importance of healthy eating and development in the early years, and to ensure they have access to all the information they may need, all the way from bottle feeding to trying new meals!
Nutrition Guidance
The Department of Education (DoE)'s nutrition guidance encompasses the early years sector, ensuring that childcare provider's supply healthy, nutritious meals to children, and that meals hit specific criteria to encourage children's growth and a healthy relationship with their food. We also offer Vegan/ Vegetarian variations of meals as part of our care, ensuring all children get their required nutrients on their own diets.
Follow the links for information regarding nutrition for early years settings, and also information for families regarding nutrition for under 5's.
How to Prepare Food Safely
When introducing food to babies, it can be nerve-wracking to introduce foods that are prone to cause choking under the age of 5. Unfortunately there are some high risk foods that due to their size and shape, may be more dangerous than others, this is why we at Scribbles only prepare these foods cut length ways, and never circular.
These common choking hazards for under 5's can include foods such as; grapes, cherry tomatoes, marshmallows, blueberries, hot dogs, boiled sweets, cherries (with pits), and any kind of nuts.
How to Prepare Food Safely
When introducing food to babies, it can be nerve-wracking to introduce foods that are prone to cause choking under the age of 5. Unfortunately there are some high risk foods that due to their size and shape, may be more dangerous than others, this is why we at Scribbles only prepare these foods cut length ways, and never circular.
These common choking hazards for under 5's can include foods such as; grapes, cherry tomatoes, marshmallows, blueberries, hot dogs, boiled sweets, cherries (with pits), and any kind of nuts.
Nutrition Guidance
The Department of Education (DoE)'s nutrition guidance encompasses the early years sector, ensuring that childcare provider's supply healthy, nutritious meals to children, and that meals hit specific criteria to encourage children's growth and a healthy relationship with their food. We also offer Vegan/ Vegetarian variations of meals as part of our care, ensuring all children get their required nutrients on their own diets.
Follow the links for information regarding nutrition for early years settings, and also information for families regarding nutrition for under 5's.
Nutrition Guidance
The Department of Education (DoE)'s nutrition guidance encompasses the early years sector, ensuring that childcare provider's supply healthy, nutritious meals to children, and that meals hit specific criteria to encourage children's growth and a healthy relationship with their food. We also offer Vegan/ Vegetarian variations of meals as part of our care, ensuring all children get their required nutrients on their own diets.
Follow the links for information regarding nutrition for early years settings, and also information for families regarding nutrition for under 5's.
Healthy Lunches
At Scribbles Pre-School, we encourage our families to provide healthy packed lunches, and we prioritise healthy, filling meals for our hot lunch children. Children who have hot lunch at the nursery are provided with home-made, nutritious meals to help them grow strong and healthy, as we offer a varied and seasonal diet at our setting. We offer both vegan and vegetarian options, and ensure our food is allergen free for those who need it!
But what does a healthy packed lunch look like? Well, children should have a varied diet regardless of whether the food is from home, or the nursery, to encourage healthy development and exposure to different foods. A healthy packed lunch can look like;
-
Sandwiches, pitta breads, rice, or pasta.
-
Fruits and vegetables.
-
Water or milk.
-
Yogurt or cheese
-
Dry snacks or crisps.
-
A sweet treat.
If children choose to have a packed lunch, they must adhere to our banned foods, and ensure that all choking hazards are cut appropriately, for example fruits like grapes and blueberries. In addition to this, if a child's own snacks are provided, they must be healthy snacks for both the morning and afternoon, and be one of their 5 a day such as fruit or veggie snacks.
The NHS Healthy Start Scheme
The 'Healthy Start' scheme is ran by the NHS for parents of children under the age of 4 (including during pregnancy), allowing low income parents access to funds to provide milk, fruits, and vegetables. You may also qualify for specific free vitamins.
If you qualify, you could receive;
-
£4.25 each week of your pregnancy from the 10th week.
-
£8.50 each week for children from birth to 1 year old.
-
£4.25 each week for children from 1 and 4 years old.
Who could qualify for the scheme?
-
Anyone pregnant and under the age of 18, until the date the baby is born.
-
People receiving qualifying benefits (see eligibility requirements).
-
Your family's take-home pay is £408 or less from employment.
If you are not a British citizen, but your child is - you may still qualify for the Healthy Start Scheme, providing you hit the required criteria.
The NHS Healthy Start Scheme
The 'Healthy Start' scheme is ran by the NHS for parents of children under the age of 4 (including during pregnancy), allowing low income parents access to funds to provide milk, fruits, and vegetables. You may also qualify for specific free vitamins.
If you qualify, you could receive;
-
£4.25 each week of your pregnancy from the 10th week.
-
£8.50 each week for children from birth to 1 year old.
-
£4.25 each week for children from 1 and 4 years old.
Who could qualify for the scheme?
-
Anyone pregnant and under the age of 18, until the date the baby is born.
-
People receiving qualifying benefits (see eligibility requirements).
-
Your family's take-home pay is £408 or less from employment.
If you are not a British citizen, but your child is - you may still qualify for the Healthy Start Scheme, providing you hit the required criteria.
Healthy Lunches
At Scribbles Pre-School, we encourage our families to provide healthy packed lunches, and we prioritise healthy, filling meals for our hot lunch children. Children who have hot lunch at the nursery are provided with home-made, nutritious meals to help them grow strong and healthy, as we offer a varied and seasonal diet at our setting. We offer both vegan and vegetarian options, and ensure our food is allergen free for those who need it!
But what does a healthy packed lunch look like? Well, children should have a varied diet regardless of whether the food is from home, or the nursery, to encourage healthy development and exposure to different foods. A healthy packed lunch can look like;
-
Sandwiches, pitta breads, rice, or pasta.
-
Fruits and vegetables.
-
Water or milk.
-
Yogurt or cheese
-
Dry snacks or crisps.
-
A sweet treat.
If children choose to have a packed lunch, they must adhere to our banned foods, and ensure that all choking hazards are cut appropriately, for example fruits like grapes and blueberries. In addition to this, if a child's own snacks are provided, they must be healthy snacks for both the morning and afternoon, and be one of their 5 a day such as fruit or veggie snacks.
The NHS Healthy Start Scheme
The 'Healthy Start' scheme is ran by the NHS for parents of children under the age of 4 (including during pregnancy), allowing low income parents access to funds to provide milk, fruits, and vegetables. You may also qualify for specific free vitamins.
If you qualify, you could receive;
-
£4.25 each week of your pregnancy from the 10th week.
-
£8.50 each week for children from birth to 1 year old.
-
£4.25 each week for children from 1 and 4 years old.
Who could qualify for the scheme?
-
Anyone pregnant and under the age of 18, until the date the baby is born.
-
People receiving qualifying benefits (see eligibility requirements).
-
Your family's take-home pay is £408 or less from employment.
If you are not a British citizen, but your child is - you may still qualify for the Healthy Start Scheme, providing you hit the required criteria.