A varied and nutritious diet and regular physical activity are very important to ensure healthy growth and development in young children. In the short term, they not only improve growth but also improve concentration and support children’s learning. There are longer term health benefits to a good diet in childhood and can help to prevent the risk of serious diseases common in later in life, such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and osteoporosis. 

Breastfeeding

The Scottish Government aims to increase breastfeeding rates in our communities and support babies to be breastfed for longer. Breastfeeding can protect against obesity and a range of other conditions.  

'A healthier future: Scotland's diet and healthy weight delivery plan' (see Strategy and Policy) identifies breastfeeding as one of the key things a mum can do to give her children the best start in life.  

More information on infant feeding can be found here

Introducing solid foods to infants from around 6 months old (weaning)  

It is recommended that infants are introduced to solids foods at around 6 months of age because they are developmentally ready at this time. This is a key stage in an infant's development and allows the family to introduce a range of tastes and textures, which will enable an infant to progress onto eating a healthy diet as they grow.  

Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding has many benefits for both parent and child. For further breastfeeding resources and Information please see below: 

• Barriers to Breastfeeding: find out about some of the barriers to breastfeeding in our communities by clicking here
• Breastfeeding data: find information on Breastfeeding rates which shows increases in breastfeeding in our SIMD 1 neighbourhood areas by clicking here 
• UNICEF Infant Feeding Research: find an overview of recent studies relevant to infant feeding and parent-infant relationship building by clicking here 

Starting Solids

Starting solids means gradually introducing a variety of foods to a baby alongside breast milk or infant formula until they are eating the same healthy foods as the rest of the family. Sometimes this is called weaning, introducing solids or complementary feeding. We have included some useful information on starting solids below:

• NHS GGC has developed a range of videos, cooking demonstrations and information to help families on their weaning journey.  These are available to watch by clicking here  
• Public Health Scotland have shared an easy guide to introducing solid foods 'Fun first foods'. Click here  to access.

HENRY

Planning and cooking healthy family meals can be difficult for some families. Simple recipes are available to help families prepare quick, balanced meals via the HENRY Website. Click here to view.

The HENRY website also offer resources on:

• Eating well for less. Click here to view.
• Fussy eaters. Click here to view.
• Top Tips for Parents and Carers. Click here to view.

First Steps Nutrition Trust

The First Steps Nutrition Trust website has a wide range of nutrition information including resources to support eating well in the early years. Click here to access it.  

Community Food and Health Scotland 

Community Food and Health (Scotland) or CFHS aims to ensure that everyone in Scotland has the opportunity, ability and confidence to access a healthy and acceptable diet for themselves, their families and their communities. Find out more via the CFHS website by clicking here 

Eatwell Guide

The Eatwell Guide helps us eat a healthy, balanced diet with plenty of fruit, vegetables and starchy carbohydrates plus some dairy, meat, fish, pulses and other kinds of protein. It replaced Eatwell plate as the main tool showing you a healthy balanced diet. It no longer represents a ‘plate’ but still shows the proportions of the foods and drinks that make up a healthy diet. The proportions of food groups been updated to take into account the new dietary recommendations for more fibre and less sugar. Click here to access it.  

Food a fact of life

'Food a fact of life' is a comprehensive, progressive education programme which communicates up-to-date, evidence-based, consistent and accurate messages around ‘food’ to all those involved in education. Click here to access it  

Food Standards Scotland 

The Food Standards Scotland website has tips on healthy eating, meal plans and interactive educational games for children and young people. Click here to access it. 

Breastfeeding Friendly Scotland Early Learning Scheme

A national programme which aims is to contribute to social and cultural change by promoting an environment where breastfeeding is seen as the biological norm for feeding infants and young children.  

Early Years Establishments wishing to join the scheme appoint a champion who ensures at least 80% of staff complete the 4 the self-directed Breastfeeding modules via TURAS. 

For more information or enquire about joining please contact:  Pollok.HIAdmin@ggc.scot.nhs.uk or NEHIT.Admin@ggc.scot.nhs.uk for more information.  

HENRY

The HENRY approach enacts a unique and highly effective way of working with parents/carers which supports them to help change family lifestyle habits and behaviours and support a healthy start in life for their children.  Practitioners working with families in Glasgow are currently receiving training in this area in a phased approach.  This approach complements Thrive Under 5 (TU5) and Health Improvement child health programmes. Find out more here

Setting the Table

The Setting The Table resource provides nutritional guidance and food standards for early years childcare providers in Scotland is a guidance publication for food provision in early years childcare provision. Click here to access the resource. 

Please note, an update version of this document is expected in early 2025.

Food Matters

The Food Matters resource was developed by the Care Inspectorate and showcases examples of how Early Learning and Childcare settings are supporting children to enjoy healthy nutritious food. Click here to access the resource

The Milk and Healthy Snack Scheme (Scotland)  Regulations 2021

Also known as the Scottish Milk and Healthy Snack Scheme, the scheme is delivered by local authorities who will provide direct and upfront funding for all pre-school day care and childminders (Settings) which are registered with the Care Inspectorate; where children spend 2 or more hours per day; and where the settings have registered with their local authority to be part of the Scheme. Click here for more information on the scheme.

Thrive Under 5  

Thrive Under 5 (TU5) is a project funded by Scottish Government monies and delivered by Health Improvement staff from NHSGCC. Through a whole systems approach to tackling child poverty in selected places, the programme aims to support children under the age of five to achieve a healthy weight. The project works in partnership with others to tackle the issue of food insecurity by providing families with the resources and knowledge to make healthier choices. Funding has helped to support a range of actions and interventions in each community. The project has been evolving since 2021. You can find more information via the website by clicking here 

HENRY 

HENRY is a holistic approach to tackling child healthy weight and obesity by focusing on not only healthy eating, but also the significance of wider influences on children’s lifestyles. Parenting efficacy, emotional wellbeing and daily family routines all play a part in determining what a child eats and how active they are. HENRY adopts a unique and highly effective way of working with parents which supports them to change family lifestyle habits and behaviours and provide a healthy start in life for their children – this is the ‘HENRY approach’. Visit the HENRY Website by clicking here .

Professional (public sector and third sector) and self-referrals can be made to the HENRY programme. Click here to make a referral via the NHSGGC website. 

Breastfeeding support

Information and support on breastfeeding is available for pregnant and new parents and family members from the National Breastfeeding Helpline website which can be accessed 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Click here to view the website.

You can find breastfeeding and infant feeding support in your local area via the Parent Club website by clicking here

Feeding. nutrition and healthy eating

Eating a healthy balanced diet can help to prevent diet-related illness and will give you all the energy and nutrients you need keep active and maintain a healthy weight. Find out how much of the different food groups you should eat and how they can benefit your health on the NHS Inform website by clicking here 

Find information on different feeding options, advice on how to know when your baby needs feeding, and how to manage the challenges if things don’t go entirely to plan via the Parent Club Website by clicking here

First Steps Nutrition Trust website has a wide range of nutrition information including resources to support eating well in the early years. Click here  to access it.  

The Food Standards Scotland website has tips on healthy eating, meal plans and interactive educational games for children and young people. Click here to access it. 

Starting Solids

NHS GGC has developed a range of videos, cooking demonstrations and information to help families on their weaning journey.  These are available to watch by clicking here  

Public Health Scotland have shared an easy guide to introducing solid foods 'Fun first foods'. Click here  to access.

Parent Club have shared some useful tips to help make mealtimes easier as well as, some advice on planning meals in advance to help save money while enjoying a healthy, balanced diet. Click here  to view via the website.

Families can also speak to their Health Visitor of Family Nurse to enquire if there are any local Starting Solids sessions taking place.  

Vitamin D  

In NHS GG&C free vitamin D is provided to:    

• Pregnant and breastfeeding women   
• Breastfed babies from birth – 1 year of age    
• Formula-fed babies once they take less than 500ml/about 1 pint) of infant formula a day. This is because infant formula contains added vitamin D.   
• All children aged 1 to 4 years old should be given a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms of vitamin D.  

Find out more about Vitamin D via the NHSGGC website by clicking here .  Further advice for all age groups about vitamin D can be found by clicking here . 

The Glasgow City HSCP Health Improvement Team have pulled together a list of key strategy and policy links regarding Nutrition and Early Years. These documents should be used to inform planning and delivery within your establishment and school community. 

These documents are a useful resource to build a knowledge base around current priorities and work around Nutrition and Early Years in Glasgow and across Scotland. Please note that clicking on these documents will take you to external websites. 

A healthier future: Scotland's diet and healthy weight delivery plan

A national strategy that sets out how we can work with partners in the public and private sector to help people make healthier choices about food. 

Breastfeeding Friendly Scotland Scheme

A national scheme supported by Scottish Government and local Health Boards. This scheme aims to encourage businesses and organisations to sign up and display a sticker to show families that the establishment will be welcoming and supportive of their feeding choice.

The Glasgow City food plan (2021– 2031) 

The Glasgow City Food Plan (2021– 2031) aims for Glasgow to be a city where tasty, healthy, affordable food is accessible to everyone. Where local food enterprises are supported and celebrated. Where we produce, provide, purchase and consume food that is good for the planet, good for animal welfare, and for good for those involved in growing, making and selling it. In doing this, we will work towards an inclusive, sustainable, resilient and fair economy for our whole community. You can access the food plan here    

UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative

Glasgow City HSCP and Maternity Hospitals are signed up to this accreditation programme enabling support for families with feeding and building close and loving relationships with their baby.