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Early Years Nutrition

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KitchenOur Health Improvement Team working in maternal, infant and early years nutrition develop resources, provide information and support a variety of staff to deliver key nutritional messages. We work closely with:

  • Healthcare Staff
  • Children Services
  • Community Learning and Development Teams
  • Community/ Voluntary Organisations

We also provide training on how to promote nutritional requirements during pregnancy and breastfeeding, as well as for infants from birth to managing a balanced food intake for pre-school children.

Downloadable Information Leaflets

Nutrition in the News

Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods – Help for Low Income Families

The Best Start Grant is a new Scottish benefit to help parents and carers on low incomes with the costs of looking after children.
Best Start Grant has three one -0ff cash payments that can be applied for:

  • The Pregnancy and Baby Payment
  • The Early Learning Payment
  • The School Age Payment

Find out if you’re eligible and for further information visit Best Start Grant.

Best Start Foods

Best Start Foods is a new payment that will replace UK Government’s Healthy Start Vouchers in Scotland. The new payment will replace the paper vouchers with a new payment card, giving you more flexibility in how you use it.

Best Start Foods is paid to help you buy healthy foods for you and your baby. These foods are:

  • Milk – plain cow’s milk and first infant formula
  • Fruit and Vegetables – fresh, frozen or tinned fruit or vegetables (those with added sugar and salt are excluded)
  • Pulses – fresh, frozen, tinned or dried pulses like lentils, beans, peas and barley.
  • Fresh eggs

These foods are also listed on the back of the Best Start Foods card.
The Best Start Foods card is a Mastercard and can be used in a similar way to a normal bank card using contactless or Chip & Pin. It can be used in supermarkets and local shops that sell the healthy foods listed on the cards and takes bank card payments.

You can apply for Best Start Foods if you live in Scotland and get certain benefits or tax credits and are pregnant or the parent or carer of a child.  Find out if you are eligible and for further information visit Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods.

You can apply online or if you’d prefer to apply by phone, you can call 0800 182 2222.

Scottish Breastfeeding Awareness Week – 3 – 7th June 2019
‘Together we can build a breastfeeding friendly Scotland’

This year Scottish Breastfeeding Awareness Week focuses on the new national Breastfeeding Friendly Scotland scheme which supports women to breastfeed when out and about in public spaces.  You can show your support of the scheme by posting a photo of yourself breastfeeding wherever you are during #ScottishBreastfeedingAwarenessWeek #SBAW2019 #BreastfeedingFriendlyScotland

Find out more about breastfeeding support groups running throughout Forth Valley:

  • Local Breastfeeding Groups – NHS Forth Valley
  • Parent Club – This website is full of helpful tips and advice on breastfeeding and common problems.
  • Breastfeeding – BDA Factsheet.
  • National Breastfeeding Helpline – 0300 100 0212 – Open 9.30am – 9.30pm every day of the year.

For further information on the Breastfeeding Friendly Scheme email Lesley Hetherington Community Dietitian / Infant Feeding Co-ordinator.

Thinking about breastfeeding your baby?

Find out more about breastfeeding support groups running throughout Forth Valley:

Free ‘Healthy Start’ Vitamins For ALL Pregnant Women!

Every pregnant women living in Scotland are now entitled to FREE healthy start vitamin tablets throughout the duration of their pregnancy.
The Healthy Start vitamins contain:

  • Folic acid, which reduces the chances of babies having spina bifida
  • Vitamin D, which helps mothers’ bodies absorb calcium, allowing babies’ bones to develop properly
  • Vitamin C, which helps maintain healthy tissue in the body

More Information:-

  • Ask your midwife for more information.
  • Visit Healthy Start for more information on the Healthy Start Scheme.
  • Pregnancy Factsheet, British Dietetic Association, Food Factsheet.

Vitamin D Recommendations In Scotland

New vitamin D recommendations have been developed by the Scottish Government for parents and healthcare professionals.

It is recommended that EVERYONE (all adults and children) age 5 years and above in the UK should take a 10 microgram vitamin D supplement daily, particularly during the winter months (October – March).

However there are groups who should take a vitamin D supplement all year round.

These groups include:

  • breastfed babies.
  • children aged 1 – 4 years.
  • pregnant and breastfeeding mothers.
  • People from minority ethnic groups with dark skin as those of African, African – Carribean and South Asian origin.
  • People who are not exposed to much sunlight , such as frail or housebound individuals or those that cover their skin for cultural reasons.
  • People over 65 years.

Read more about Vitamin D – Scottish Government.

Vitamin D recommendations – information for new parents

Breastfed babies from birth up to one year of age should be given a supplement of 8.5 to 10 micrograms vitamin D per day.

Babies who are fed infant formula do not require vitamin D if they are having 500ml/day of infant formula or more, as infant formula already has added vitamin D.

Vitamin D – Are you getting enough?
Find out more:

Vitamin D – Are you getting enough? NHS Forth Valley Infographic Poster
Vitamin D – Are you getting enough? NHS Forth Valley Postcard
Vitamin D – British Dietetic Association Factsheet
Vitamin D – NHS

Breastfeeding booklet and posters from Health Scotland

The Off to A Good Start (OTAGS) booklet aims to help pregnant women, new mums and their families make decisions about how they will feed their baby. It gives practical advice, including: information about developing a close and loving relationship with your baby; the benefits of breastfeeding; the difference between breast milk and formula and how breastfeeding works (including positioning and attachment). Access the posters and new materials on Health Scotland’s website.

A Guide for Early Years Settings – Eating Well Sustainably

Eating Well Sustainably – A Guide for Early Years Settings – First Steps Nutrition Trust – Introducing sustainable food to Early Years settings is an opportunity to connect children, staff and families to more environmentally friendly habits and to nurture a sustainable food culture. The guide provides simple guidance on: planning sustainable menus, shopping for food, waste and storing food, cooking and preparing food and growing food.

Accessing Healthy Start Vitamins in Forth Valley

  • Healthy Start Leaflet – Leaflet highlights where families that are eligible for Healthy Start can access free vitamin supplements throughout Forth Valley.
  • Healthy Start Issuing Unit / Helpline 0345 607 6823.
  • Find out more about Healthy Start

Health Improvement Staff

Lesley Hetherington Community Dietitian / Infant Feeding Co-ordinator
Based at Admin Offices, Falkirk Community Hospital, Westburn Avenue, Falkirk, FK1 5SU.

Useful Helplines and Websites

Helplines

Websites

In an Emergency call 999 for health advice and reassurance call NHS24 on 111.
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