Eating well for 1-5 year olds
Simple whole family approach to give parents and carers a guide to healthy eating for children aged 1 to 5 years.
Note: new guidance published by SACN 2023 states:
- pasteurised whole and semi-skimmed cows’ milk can be given as a main drink from age 1 year (SACN, 2023), as can goats’ and sheep’s milks (SACN, 2023; COMA, 1994)
- pasteurised skimmed and 1% cows’ milk should not be given as a main drink until 5 years of age. These lower-fat milks can be used in cooking (SACN, 2023; COMA, 1994)
Advice requires some explanation from a Health Professional who has basic nutrition knowledge to enable correct implementation.
To support
- Introducing solids, including through milk intolerance
- Healthy eating for children aged 1 - 12
- Weight gain for children who may struggle to eat enough
- Establishing eating patterns for children with eating difficulties
Healthy eating
- Know the health benefits of healthy eating
- Understand how to choose a balanced diet
- Recognise the importance of establishing regular eating patterns
- Be able to address nutritional issues e.g. constipation, and know when/where to get further help
- Be aware of strategies to use to encourage weight gain/loss
- Be aware of benefits of being a healthy weight
- Know practical steps to have healthy meals/snacks
- Be aware of the value of exercise and strategies to achieve guideline amounts
- Be aware of triggers to seek professional advice
- Be aware of reasons for poor growth/weight
- Know how to make meals and snacks more nourishing and how to adapt 5 food groups to increase energy
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Brown et al. Baby-Led Weaning: The Evidence to Date. Curr Nutr Rep. 2017;6(2):148-156. doi: 10.1007/s13668-017-0201-2. Epub 2017 Apr 29. PMID: 28596930; PMCID: PMC5438437.
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Daniels. Feeding Practices and Parenting: A Pathway to Child Health and Family Happiness. Ann Nutr Metab 2019;74(suppl 2):29–42.
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Dinevaet al. Iodine status of consumers of milk-alternative drinks v. cows’ milk: data from the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey, British journal of nutrition, 2021-07-14, Vol.126 (1), p.28-36.
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Ferraro et al. Timing of Food Introduction and the Risk of Food Allergy, Nutrients, 2019-05-21, Vol.11 (5), p.1131
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Jansen et al. Bi-directional associations between child fussy eating and parents’ pressure to eat: who influences whom? Physiol Behav. 2017 Jul;176:101–6.
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Maslin et al, Dietary variety and food group consumption in children consuming a cows' milk exclusion diet, Pediatric allergy and immunology, 2016-08, Vol.27 (5), p.471-477
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Meyer et al. The impact of the elimination diet on growth and nutrient intake in children with food protein induced gastrointestinal allergies, Clinical and translational allergy, 2016, Vol.6 (1), p.25
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Meyer et al. Diagnosis and management of Non?IgE gastrointestinal allergies in breastfed infants—An EAACI Position Paper, Allergy (Copenhagen), 2020-01, Vol.75 (1), p.14-32
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Powell et al. The importance of mealtime structure for reducing child food fussiness, Maternal Childhood Nutrition. 2017; 13(2): e12296.
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Scaglioni S et al. Factors Influencing Children’s Eating Behaviours. Nutrients. 2018, 10(6), 706.
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Scholz-Ahrens et al, Nutritional and health attributes of milk and milk imitations, European journal of nutrition, 2020-02, Vol.59 (1), p.19-3
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Walton et al. Time to re-think picky eating?: a relational approach to understanding picky eating. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2017 May;14(1):6
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Wolstenholme et al. Childhood fussy/picky eating behaviours: a systematic review and synthesis of qualitative studies International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity (2020) 17:2
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Related Resources
Eating Well for 5-12 year olds
- Pack size: 10
- Classification: HP
- NDR-UK ref: 9405
Introducing Solids
- Pack size: 10
- Classification: HP
- NDR-UK ref: 9408