Health Archives - Page 2 of 3 - Little Cedars Day Nursery

Babies, Early Years, Food, Health, Healthy Eating, Milk, Nurseries, Nursery, Parenting, Pre-schools, Preschool, Preschoolers, Streatham, SW16, Under-5s, Vegetarianism

Rough Guide to Raising Children as Vegetarians

In our last post, we asked “is a vegetarian diet safe for your children?” and, in essence, the answer was yes, so long as they get all the nutrients they need. What’s more, we discovered a huge range of benefits of vegetarianism. These included significant benefits to both health and to the planet. In today’s post, we’ll follow up by looking at the types of food groups, vitamins and minerals that are essential for children as part of a well-balanced vegetarian diet.

Infant Milk

While little ones are still drinking milk and haven’t yet moved onto solids, it’s fairly simple. Breast milk will obviously contain just about everything a baby or toddler could want, with one possible exception: Vitamin D. The NHS recommends that breast-fed infants should take a Vitamin D supplement, which is available in easy-to-administer drop form.

For those on dairy-based formula milk, it’s pretty much plain sailing too. Because vegetarians — as opposed to vegans — are OK eating dairy-based food, formula milk is generally fine for them. The most popular types are based on cows’ milk, although several other animal milks are also available. So long as dairy-based formula milk is high quality, given in the right quantities, consumed at the right intervals and is age appropriate for the child, it contains all the nutrients and vitamins needed. That’s without the need to give additional supplements too.

There are an incredible number of different types of formula milk, including specialist varieties and others that are not based on dairy milk at all. Formula milk is a huge topic in its own right, so we have now published our separate Quick Guide to Milk for Babies & Infants here.

The 4 Essential Food Groups After Weaning

Once they’re weaned off milk, a well-balanced diet for children will include food from all four of the main food groups. These are:

1. Dairy

It’s important that dairy products for children are all pasteurised, basically for the good of their health and wellbeing. Infants can have whole (full fat) cow’s milk mixed in with food or added during cooking, but must not use it as a drink until they’re a year old. We’ll go into much more detail in our milk guide next month. Dairy products are wonderful sources of calcium, Vitamin D and other nutrients.

2. Fruit & Vegetables

Fruit and vegetables are really a given because they pack so much goodness, including many vitamins, minerals like potassium and also fibre. Fresh vegetables and fruit are ideal but, failing that, frozen, tinned and even dried varieties are also OK.

3. Starch

Starchy foods provide energy by breaking down glucose as well as providing a range of nutrients like iron, calcium, folate and B vitamins. They are also another source of fibre, which is important for digestive health. Starchy foods include pasta, bread, potato, grains and cereal like oats. Wholegrain varieties are generally best for human health.

4. Protein

Protein is a little more complex for vegetarians, simply because they don’t eat the most obvious sources of it — meat, fish and seafood. However, there are lots of sources of protein, as we’ll see shortly. Protein is essential as a key building block for the body. It builds muscles, bones, hair, nails, tissues and organs as well as providing Omega-3 fatty acids, iron and amino acids. Health professionals recommend that children and adults get protein from a variety of different sources and have at least two portions of protein per day.

Sources of protein that are suitable for vegetarians include:

Tofu, also known as bean curd, which is made from soy.
Lentils and pulses, including peas, beans, chickpeas, sugar snaps etc.
Houmous, made from chickpeas, is also therefore a good source of protein but ensure only the smoothest variety is given to infants, so as to avoid possible choking.
Grains contain protein, but should be served in ground form for very young infants, again so as to avoid possible choking. Examples include oats, barley, rice and quinoa. Quinoa is unique in containing all nine essential amino acids.
Nuts are also a great source of protein but should be served to infants in smooth ‘butter’ form to avoid choking risks. Examples include peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter and walnut butter (a great source of Omega-3).
Seed butters are also great sources of protein.
Lastly, there is also a cross-over between dairy products (see above) and protein because cheese and yoghurt also contain protein.
For vegetarians who are OK eating eggs, these are also an excellent source of protein as well as Vitamin B12.

Please note: although great as a source of protein for adults, Quorn is not recommended as a regular meat replacement for children. While it’s great for protein, fibre and making them feel full, it’s low in fat, so will not offer sufficient energy release to children during their early years.

Special Mention: Iron

Iron is incredibly important as part of a healthy, balanced diet for children as well as adults. However, there are certain foods that block its absorption into the body. These include:

Tea.
Some whole grains and legumes i.e. those that contain ‘phytates’.
Dairy foods that contain ‘casein’.
Eggs and dairy foods containing a specific type of calcium.

In order to counteract this, firstly ensure that the child has a varied diet. In addition to this:

any pulses, seeds or grains should be sprouted, cooked or soaked before consumption (as appropriate);
any foods that block iron absorption should be consumed separately to main meals;
Vitamin C should be included in the meals as this binds to any phytates, thereby neutralising their effect on iron absorption. Citrus fruits, berries and juice (diluted 1 part juice to 10 parts water) are rich in Vitamin C, as are vegetables including broccoli, spinach, greens, asparagus, tomatoes and many others.

We hope that this rough guide to bringing up children as vegetarians has been useful. If so, we recommending reading the NHS’s guidelines for bringing up a healthy child on a vegetarian or vegan diet here. It is also always wise to obtain advice from your child’s health visitor, midwife, doctor or other healthcare professional.

Vegetarian & Vegan Food at Little Cedars Nursery, Streatham

Vegetarians and vegans are well catered for at Little Cedars Nursery. These and any other special diets are supported fully by our in-house chef, who prepares food freshly each day as part of our healthy eating regimen at the setting. Little Cedars is one of the best Streatham nurseries and pre-schools for babies and under-fives. It’s also near Streatham Common, Streatham Hill, Streatham Park, Furzedown, Tooting, Tooting Bec, Tooting Broadway, Tooting Common, Balham, Norbury and Colliers Wood. To register for a nursery place for your child, to arrange a visit or to ask any questions, please contact us and we’ll be happy to help:

Apply for a Place Arrange a Visit or Message Us 020 8677 9675

31 January 2022/by Mark

Babies, Early Years, Early Years Education, Food, Health, Healthy Eating, Learning & Development, Nurseries, Nursery, Parenting, Pre-schools, Preschool, Preschoolers, Streatham, SW16, Under-5s, Vegetarianism

Is a Vegetarian Diet Safe for Children?

This month is often referred to as ‘Veganuary’, which is why vegan and vegetarian food, facts and meal ideas are all over social media at the moment. Parents/carers have many different reasons for raising their children on a plant-based diet. Whether it’s for health reasons, for the protection of animals, to protect the planet, for religious reasons or simply a matter of taste, more and more people are ‘going veggie’. Raising children as vegetarians or vegans is a natural extension of that. Today, we’ll begin to take look at considerations around vegetarianism for under-fives and children in general.

Let’s first take a look at the benefits of vegetarianism …

The Health Benefits of a Vegetarian Diet

Study after study has shown that a well-balanced vegetarian diet is generally a healthy diet. That ‘well-balanced’ element is a crucial one, however, and we’ll come to that later. That said, it’s widely accepted that a vegetarian diet:

- is good for the heart, reducing the risk of getting heart disease;
- usually leads to lower levels of ‘bad’ cholesterol (LDL), which could otherwise cause strokes;
- reduces the risk of developing cancer;
- lowers blood pressure and reduces the risk of developing hypertension;
- is linked to a reduction in symptoms for those with asthma;
- promotes good bone health;
- lowers the likelihood of developing Type 2 diabetes;
- reduces the risk of chronic disease;
- usually results in a lower body mass index compared to that of meat eaters.

Kindness to Animals

What’s more, an obvious benefit of a vegetarian diet is that it does not require the death of any animals. That benefits the animals themselves, of course, but also the planet as a whole as we’ll see below. And, of course, it’s a good lesson in kindness for children as part of nurturing their moral compass.

Protecting the Planet

“Research shows that meat and dairy products are fuelling the climate crisis, while plant-based diets — focused on fruits, vegetables, grains, and beans — help protect the planet.”
_{(Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine)}

Scientific studies conclude that switching to a vegetarian diet will help the planet enormously. That’s because significantly less greenhouse gas is produced in growing crops compared to raising livestock. What’s more, scientists believe that the necessary reduction in green house gas emissions will be achieved far more swiftly through a widespread switch to vegetarianism than through what’s currently just a gradual shift away from the burning of fossil fuels. Growing crops rather than animals also causes far less pollution in waterways and oceans and also uses significantly less water. The benefits of vegetarianism to the planet are simply enormous.

“A global shift to a plant-based diet could reduce mortality and greenhouse gases caused by food production by 10% and 70%, respectively, by 2050.”
_{(Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine)}

Learn much more about the the benefits of a plant-based diet, for the health of both humans and the planet, here.

Is a Vegetarian or Vegan Diet Safe for Children?

Well, it’s good news there too. According to the UK’s National Health Service (NHS), it’s perfectly OK to raise children as vegetarians or vegans, “so long as they get all the nutrients they need.” What’s more, they’ll go on to reap all of those aforementioned benefits and will generally tend to live more caring, greener lifestyles as they grow older. And getting all the requisite nutrients is not at all difficult once parents or carers know what’s required.

The Importance of a Well-Balanced Diet

“Children need plenty of energy and protein to help them grow and develop. It’s also important that vegetarian and vegan children get enough iron, calcium, vitamin B12 and vitamin D.”_{(The NHS)}

In our next post, we’ll go into more detail about the types of food, drink, vitamins and minerals that need to be included in order to achieve a well-balanced vegetarian diet for under-fives. So, come back again on Monday 31 January and you’ll see that a vegetarian diet is perfectly feasible and healthy for your little one(s) when you follow a few simple guidelines.

Healthy Food at Little Cedars Nursery, Streatham

Our own in-house chef always caters for special diets including vegetarians and vegans, as needed. This is all part of a healthy food regime at the setting, where food is freshly prepared using only the highest quality ingredients. Food and drink are, of course, included in our standard fees. Little Cedars is an outstanding nursery and pre-school in Streatham that’s perfect for babies, toddlers and children under five. It’s also conveniently close to Streatham Common, Streatham Hill, Streatham Park, Furzedown, Tooting, Tooting Bec, Tooting Broadway, Tooting Common, Balham, Norbury as well as Colliers Wood. If you’d like to register a place for your child, to arrange a visit or simply have any questions, please get in touch.

Apply for a Place Arrange a Visit or Message Us 020 8677 9675

17 January 2022/by Mark

Childcare, Dysgraphia, Early Years, Early Years Education, Education, Health, Learning & Development, Nurseries, Nursery, Parenting, Pre-schools, Preschool, Special Needs, Streatham, SW16

Rough Guide to Dysgraphia

We previously covered dyslexia, dyspraxia and dyscalculia. Today we’ll take a look at developmental dysgraphia; what it is, what the signs are and how to help children affected by the disorder.

What is Dysgraphia?

Dysgraphia is a learning disorder that adversely affects children’s ability to write coherently and/or spell. That’s in contrast to dyslexia, which affects their ability to read and, indeed, children with dysgraphia may have no trouble reading. As with so many learning disorders, dysgraphia has nothing to do with the level of a child’s intelligence. It affects more males than females and sometimes goes hand-in-hand with other conditions including ADHD.

What Are the 3 Types of Dysgraphia?

Dyslexic dysgraphia results in poor writing legibility specifically when the writing has not been copied from an existing written source. It also gets worse with longer texts. Copied written work, however, may be good although spelling is likely to be bad. This type of dysgraphia is not thought to be the result of poor motor skills nor is it thought to be caused by a neurological issues. Despite the name, dyslexic dysgraphia is unrelated to dyslexia.

Motor dysgraphia is primarily the result of poor fine motor skills and poor dexterity, making the control needed for legible writing or drawings difficult. It may also be the result of poor muscle tone. In contrast to dyslexic dysgraphia, motor dysgraphia may result in poor writing legibility even when the words are copied. Spelling, however, is not adversely affected. Short bursts with unusually high concentration levels may result in better letter and word formation, but the level of concentration needed to achieve this is unsustainable over a longer period.

Spatial dysgraphia also results in mostly illegible writing and drawing, however in this case it’s the result of issues around spatial awareness. So, for example, written work may stray from the lines on lined paper and spacing between words will be poor. Both copied and spontaneous writing is usually illegible but spelling is normal.

Some dysgraphic children have more than one type of dysgraphia and it’s also worth noting that some may exhibit symptoms that do not necessarily fit straight into any of the 3 types above.

There is another type of dysgraphia that’s caused by neurological trauma, e.g. through a brain injury. However, we’ll concentrate here only on developmental dysgraphia.

What Causes Dysgraphia?

Dysgraphia is caused by neurological issues, although the exact cause is unknown. It may, though, be associated with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

What are the Signs of Dysgraphia?

Developmental dysgraphia can usually only be recognised once children start learning to write. For this reason, it’s seldom emerges until around the age of 5. It manifests itself when writing skills are significantly below what’s expected for a person’s intelligence, age and level of education.

Signs of possible dysgraphia include:

In all forms of the disorder, writing will be poor and often largely unintelligible;
Writing is likely to be very slow;
In some cases, spelling is also adversely affected;
Dysgraphic children may also hold their writing instruments in an unusual way or have strange posture when writing;
The grip on the writing instrument may also be unusually tight and the child may also watch their hand when writing;
Pain may be experienced when trying to write or draw and those with the condition may assume this is normal. It may start in the forearm and potentially spread to the entire body. Stress can also bring this on in the dysgraphic;
Dysgraphic children my mix lower case with upper case letters. Numbers may also be difficult (so maths can also be adversely affected);
Sizing and spacing of letters and words will be irregular;
Letters and words may be incomplete, missing or simply wrong;
Communication via the written word will be a struggle;
Those with the condition may talk to themselves while writing, for example saying words out loud when writing them.

Additional Knock-On Effects

Because writing is so challenging, those with the condition may exhibit a reluctance around written tasks, often not completing them. This may be incorrectly construed as laziness to the uninitiated. Those with the disorder may also find writing very tiring, even for short texts. In a classroom situation, dysgraphia also makes the taking of notes extremely difficult and this can lead to additional problems around academic topics, for example keeping up with the curriculum.

Sadly, dysgraphic children’s difficulties around writing may also lead to low self-esteem and even anxiety and mental health issues. With the disorder holding a child back in so many ways, it can also lead to reduced prospects generally. So, the earlier the child is diagnosed, the more likely their challenges can be reduced to a minimum.

Diagnosing Dysgraphia

As with many learning disorders, it’s always wise to first contact a GP to ensure that the issue is not caused by some other condition, for example poor eyesight. If dysgraphia is still suspected thereafter, specialists may need to be involved in order to get a firm diagnosis. They may include a paediatrician, psychologist and occupational therapist who may test the child’s writing, fine motor and academic skills. Whilst doing so, the child’s pencil grip, posture and general approach to writing will also be appraised. If positively diagnosed, an occupational therapist is usually at the forefront of any follow-up treatment.

How to Help Children with Dysgraphia

Like many of the other learning disorders, there is no cure for dysgraphia. However, there are several ways that dysgraphic children can be helped, so the challenges they face are reduced. An occupational therapist may set a plan in motion to strengthen hands, fingers and wrists, for example. They may also recommend specific ways to improve writing.

At education settings, additional bespoke learning strategies and interventions, that all teaching professionals can employ, may include:

Allowing dysgraphic children more time to complete tasks (both classroom assignments and any tests);
Use of special writing instruments that may have different types of grip;
Use of special lined paper that has raised lines. This can help affected children to keep writing within the lines more easily;
Supply of pre-printed lesson notes, so there is less burden on the dysgraphic child to take handwritten notes;
Use of special tools, for example voice-to-text software, dictation machines and proofreading applications;
Bespoke learning and development plans, customised to the strengths and any weaknesses of the child;
Teaching professionals may also be able to offer dysgraphic children different ways to submit assignments, for example non-handwritten submissions.

Childcare/teaching professionals and parents/guardians should always work together and compare notes, so that all parties are fully informed about any challenges the child may have. By doing so, they can share strategies and each work with the child towards the same goals. It’s important to begin such work as early as possible, so that the impact of the disorder on the child’s life is minimised. Early diagnosis is therefore crucial.

Special Educational Needs at Little Cedars Nursery, Streatham

Childcare professionals at Little Cedars Nursery will support children with any learning disorders and disabilities as a matter of course. Although dysgraphia normally only manifests itself once children reach the age of about five, we will nevertheless watch out for possible signs during children’s pre-school years at the setting. If suspected, we’ll put in place a customised learning and development plan that will help them to overcome any challenges they may be facing. Our childcare staff, including our Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCo) will work with parents/guardians to support their children in the best way possible. Our aim is for each child to achieve personal bests in every area possible, so they’re ready and able for school when they leave us to begin their time in Reception year.

One of the Best Nurseries

Would you like your baby or under-five child to attend one of the best nurseries in Streatham, Streatham Common, Streatham Hill, Streatham Park, Furzedown, Tooting, Balham, Norbury & Colliers Wood? If so, contact us for more information about Little Cedars Day Nursery, apply for a place or arrange a nursery/pre-school visit. We’d love to show you and your little one around:

Apply for a Place Arrange a Visit or Message Us 020 8677 9675

30 November 2021/by Mark

Activities, Babies, Childcare, Early Years, Early Years Education, Early Years Foundation Stage, EYFS, Health, Learning & Development, Learning through play, Nurseries, Nursery, Parenting, Parents, Streatham, Under-5s

Adult Interaction Helps Infants for a Lifetime

The Government’s Early Years Foundation Stage (‘EYFS’) framework prescribes how adults should approach the education and development of children under five. As such, it forms the backbone of the curriculum at childcare settings like Little Cedars Nursery in Streatham. The EYFS guidelines were expanded this year (2021) and one aspect of early childhood development discussed therein merits closer exploration: the affect of adult interaction on an infant’s brain development. Here we take a look.

“A baby’s brain forms more than a million new connections every second when you interact with them.”

That’s an incredible statistic and one that was recently revised upwards, from a lower figure, by Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child.

The centre explains that a baby’s brain develops through early experiences, not just because of inherent genetics. They go on to describe how experiences govern the architecture of the developing brain and form the foundation for all future learning, behaviour, and health. Their research suggests that constructive experiences will build on and enhance the structure of the brain, whereas “adverse experiences early in life can impair brain architecture, with negative effects lasting into adulthood.”

It’s rather akin to the building of a house, starting first with the foundations during the early years and building on those gradually, to complete the full structure. The initial foundations of the brain may encompass things like control of motor function, hand-eye coordination etc. Further sub-layers of more complex skills are brought in on top, through billions of new connections generated in the brain, as the child grows and experiences more things. Interactions with adults are key to that.

Although it happens throughout an individual’s life, the growth in these new neural connections is by far the most prolific during the early years. Optimising the structure and depth of those foundations through varied and useful experiences during the early years is therefore incredibly important. Doing so ensures that the foundations for the individual’s future are strong.

How Can Parents Help With Infant Brain Development?

Serve & Return

The Harvard Center on the Developing Child suggests that parents¹ can help babies and toddlers develop their brain architecture in the best way through regular and strategic interaction between adult and infant. They call the process ‘serve and return’. Think of it as a tennis metaphor— we’ll explain. First, the child may indicate an interest in an object or activity. That’s the serve of the tennis ball, if you like. The adult should look out for such indications of interest, recognise them as a kind of invitation from the child and then get involved with that object or activity with the child. Responding in this way is like the ‘return’ of the ball in the tennis metaphor. It’s a great approach because the child is indicating what they are interested in and therefore, when a parent responds through activity involving themselves with the source of interest, the child will naturally get more from the interaction. After all, it was they who first indicated an interest and an adult can now help them to get the most from it.

What Kind of Things are ‘Serves’?

A ‘serve’ by the child could simply be them pointing to an object. Or it could take the form of discarding one toy or game and moving onto another. When they’re older, it could take the form of a question, of course.

The ‘Return’

In each case, the parent should join in and the two begin playing with and exploring the object or activity of interest to the child. With the adult involved, the child is able to get much greater insight about the activity or focus of attention. So, it’s about watching out for signals of interest from the child and interacting with them around that focus of interest. The research suggests that this is very effective compared to forcing other things onto the child that might, at that point in time, be of lesser interest.

It’s about watching out for signals of interest from the child and interacting with them around that focus of interest.

What Else?

Repetition is also important. This helps to reinforce circuits in the brain. Reminding a child several times about something will naturally help them to understand and remember the point under scrutiny.

The ‘serve and return’ approach doesn’t only inform the child about objects and activities around them; such interactions with adults also teach and reinforce good social and language skills. They also nurture appropriate emotional responses in the child. Together these set strong foundations for the child’s growing cognitive abilities along with enhancing their general wellbeing, in readiness to build upon them at pre-school, school and ultimately the workplace.

The responses from parents need to be reliable and appropriate, of course; otherwise it could lead to sub-par learning and brain development and even possible behavioural issues. In the worst cases, where there is regular toxic interaction between parent and child, issues with learning, behaviour and physical/mental health can regrettably instil themselves in the child’s developing brain. Such outcomes can go on to adversely affect the whole life of the unfortunate individual.

Did You Know …

By the time they are 3, an infant’s brain will have developed to over four-fifths of its adult size.

Up to three-quarters of every meal goes towards the building of your baby’s brain.

Conclusion

The research, as well as a good dose of common sense, shows the incredible importance of parents interacting well with children from the moment they are born. Their interaction and guidance will help the developing child to understand themselves, the world around them, and their place within it. Millions of brain connections are built with every interaction, building healthy foundations upon which the baby will grow into a well-rounded individual with the requisite cognitive, physical, social and emotional skills to handle life. It all comes down to love, responsive and responsible care, with parents matching the infant’s signals and needs with positive, insightful responses. The reassurance and tools such interactions give the infant will allow them to confidently, safely and comfortably explore and learn about the world and, going forwards, their place within it.

Outstanding Childcare in Streatham, South West London

If you are looking for a really good pre-school or nursery for your childcare in Streatham, please do consider Little Cedars Day Nursery. We offer high quality childcare in the London SW16 area, so are also convenient for those looking for the best nurseries, pre-schools and childcare services in Streatham Common, Streatham Hill, Streatham Park, Furzedown, Tooting, Tooting Bec, Balham, Norbury & Colliers Wood. Book a visit, register for a place, or get in touch for more information by choosing a button below:

Apply for a Nursery Place Arrange a Visit or Email Us Here Telephone 020 8677 9675

^{1. We refer to parents throughout this piece for the sake of brevity, i.e. to avoid repetition. Parents is our placeholder to mean anything from parents to care-givers and guardians.}

17 October 2021/by Mark

Activities, Babies, Balham, Childcare, Early Years, Health, Learning & Development, Maternity, Milk, Nurseries, Nursery, Pre-schools, Preschool, Sleep for Under-Fives, Streatham, SW16, Tooting

20 Amazing Baby Facts

When preparing articles for this website, we often spot interesting baby facts that may surprise people. So, today, we thought we’d share 20 or so of our most surprising discoveries with you. Many are a reminder of just how amazing babies really are!

1. Twenty Babies Born A Minute

Did you know, one baby is born every three seconds. That’s 20 every minute, 1200 every hour and nearly 29,000 every single day.

2. Rapidly Expanding Brains

A baby’s brain will more than double in size in their first year. By the time they’re five, it will have tripled in size compared to its size at birth. The brain will not finish fully developing, however, until the individual reaches their twenties. The brain of newborn boys may also grow faster in the first 3 months than that of newborn girls. It’s something that’s keenly debated amongst experts, though.

3. Almost 50% More Bones Than Adults

Babies are born with more bones than adults. In time, some will harden and fuse together into just a single bone. Babies’ heads have soft spots when newly born, but which don’t last. That’s because various, separate, bones form their skull at birth. Initially these are connected by something called ‘noggin’, but later the separate skull bones fuse together. Babies are born with around 300 bones. By the time they’re adult’s they will have just 206.

4. But No Kneecaps

Babies do not have kneecaps when they’re born! Had you ever noticed? These finish appearing only once the baby reaches at least 6 months of age.

5. Amazing Taste

Babies have about 30,000 taste buds when they’re born. This is three times as many as adults. This is accounted for by the baby having taste buds not only on their tongue, but also on the sides and roof of their mouths as well as on the tonsils and back of the throat. Despite this, they apparently can’t taste salt until they’re about 4 months old.

6. Not So Hot on Eye Sight

Newborn babies are short sighted, only being able to properly focus on an area 8 to 14 inches in front of them — that’s perfect for seeing mum when being breastfed when you think about it. This area of focus will increase with time, of course, and babies also use their peripheral vision to make up for the lack of deeper focus.

7. Fur, Gills & a Tail — Yes, Really!

According to the experts, foetuses have gills, fur and even a tail during development. All three end up disappearing either before birth or, often in the case of fur, within the first few weeks after being born. The tail will have become the coccyx and the ‘gills’, which are temporary slits (pharyngeal arches) in the neck, will have developed into jaw and ear bones by the time the babies have been born.

8. No Tears for Weeks

Babies don’t cry tears until they’re about a month old. Until then, it’s rather like ‘dry’ crying.

9. Natural Born Swimmers (… Kind of)

Newborns hold their breath underwater automatically and even adapt their heart rate and peripheral blood vessels when doing so. We strongly advise against you testing this, of course, but apparently it’s true. This natural ability does not last past the age of six months, however.

10. Baby Time in the Womb

Some interesting statistics suggest that, on average, female babies remain in the womb a day longer than males, white babies remain there 5 days longer than black babies and Indian babies remain there 6 days longer than white babies. If true and not simply a momentary glitch, the reasons for this are a bit of a mystery.

11. No Memory Before Three

People’s long-term memories go back no earlier, in general, than the age of three. This is believed to be because either memory function hasn’t developed sufficiently until then or because memory may be tied to the ability to understand language.

12. Recognising Day & Night

It can take up to 12 weeks before a baby will recognise the difference between day and night. Hence, the irregular sleep pattern that can last until they’re 5 or so months of age.

13. Eyes to the Right

85% of newborn babies prefer to face to the right when lying on their back. The preference only lasts a few months, but may also be an indicator of whether they’ll turn out to be right-handed or left-handed.

14. Is Breast Really is Best?

As well as protecting against diseases, breastfeeding babies for at least 2 months halves the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) — that’s incredible when you think about it. It also gives greater protection from SIDS the longer you continue.

15. And Breast Milk Adapts Like Magic

Expressed breast milk for a baby should never exceed 4oz per bottle no matter what age they are. While formula-fed infants have bigger bottles as they grow older, babies fed via bottles containing expressed breast milk should stick to 4oz (1 to 1½oz per hour) maximum. That’s because the breast milk adapts itself to their precise needs as they grow; it constantly changes its composition as the child gets older and that includes calorie content contained per ounce. That’s clever!

16. The Only Smiling Primate

Human babies are the only primate babies that smile at their mother or father. That’s quite remarkable, although we wonder whether other primates have a different way of smiling that we don’t recognise or understand.

17. Special Birth Months

According to statistics, the most common date of birth is the 9th of September. This is closely followed by the 19th, 12th and 17th of September, in that order. Interestingly, babies born around this time stand the best chance of being the smartest in the class and going on to have the greatest success in life. We considered whether this could be linked to school starting in September, making these children the oldest, most mature pupils in the class at a time when learning and development is so crucial.

Meanwhile, people born in October seem to live the longest, living on average 160 more days than those born in the Spring.

Scientific evidence also points to the month of birth affecting personality. For example, those born in the summer months having the most optimistic outlooks.

18. And the Not So Special

Meanwhile, December, January and February are the least common months for births, with December 25th and 26th seeing the fewest during the entire year.

19. Outcomes of Being First Born

Children who are first-born are 1.7 times more likely than their younger siblings to live to the age of one hundred. Those with young mothers at birth stand the greatest chance of doing so. The first born is statistically more likely to have better mental health but have a slightly higher propensity to be overweight or have high blood pressure. Firstborns are often natural leaders but younger siblings may experience that simply as bossiness when growing up!

20. The Origins of ‘Infant’

The term ‘infant’ comes from the Latin ‘infans’, which means ‘unable to speak‘ … which makes sense, when you think about it.

We hope that you have found these surprising facts of interest and have perhaps learned something you didn’t know before — we certainly enjoyed putting them together for you.

High Quality Childcare in Streatham

We are Little Cedars, a pre-school and childcare nursery in Streatham. As well as being one of the best nurseries in the London SW16 area, we would also make a convenient choice for anyone requiring childcare nurseries, pre-schools or playgroups in/around Balham, Tooting, Norbury, Colliers Wood, Furzedown, Streatham Common, Streatham Hill and Streatham Park. Why not book a visit, register for a nursery place, or ask any questions — our childcare professionals are here to help:

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30 September 2021/by Mark

While most people have heard of dyslexia (see our recent guide), fewer are aware of a condition called dyspraxia. In this rough guide we give an overview as to what dyspraxia is, how it affects children, how to spot the signs of it and what can be done to mitigate its effects.

Please note: Dyspraxia is a form of Developmental Co-ordination Disorder or ‘DCD’ for short. Indeed, because there are different forms of dyspraxia, medical professionals generally tend to refer to the condition as DCD rather than dyspraxia. For the purpose of this guide, we’ll use either of the terms interchangeably to mean the type of dyspraxia that people are born with or develop naturally (not other types that may be the result of physical trauma like stroke or injury).

What is Dyspraxia/DCD?

In essence, dyspraxia (DCD) is a condition that causes problems with movement and co-ordination. When children have this, they may appear more clumsy than their peers and the condition will adversely affect how well they execute physical activities. For this reason, they may reach some of their key developmental milestones later than expected. There are varying degrees of the condition, so children who have it may exhibit symptoms sooner, later or more/less severely than others.

The condition cannot be cured, so needs to be managed (usually right into adulthood) in order to mitigate its effects.
Dyspraxia affects 3 to 4 times more boys than girls.
It’s not usually possible to get a definitive diagnosis before a child is at least 4 to 5.
The condition is also sometimes referred to as Specific Developmental Disorder of Motor Function (SDDMF).
Children with dyspraxia often have other conditions including ADHD, autism, dyslexia and/or sometimes problems with speech.

How Does it Affect Children?

Although dyspraxia usually has nothing to do with intelligence or the ability to think, the condition can really hold children back. As well as the innate inconvenience of not being good at co-ordinating movements and physical tasks, it can leave children prone to being less fit. This is simply because they’re not naturally co-ordinated enough to be good at sport and physical activities, so are less likely to partake in them.

Children with dyslexia/DCD may also have trouble with concentration, low attention spans, following instructions, copying information and organising themselves or other items. Due to the issues around the condition, they are often slower at picking up new skills. All of this can be very frustrating for them, so sometimes they develop behavioural problems too. Dyspraxia/DCD can make a child feel different, feel isolated, sometimes become the focus for bullying and often have trouble making friends. All of this can lead on to give sufferers a low sense of self-esteem.

Signs to Look Out For

Babies and toddlers with dyspraxia may start to exhibit a delay in starting to crawl, roll or sit. Before they’re one, they may also end up in odd body positions or have strange posture.

As they develop and grow older, they may show difficulty when they eventually walk, feed themselves, dress, draw and/or write. They may have trouble stacking things, playing with certain toys, using pencils, using cutlery, eating and generally co-ordinating their movements. Playground activities like running, jumping, and kicking or catching a ball may be difficult for them to co-ordinate correctly. Trouble with buttoning clothing when they’re older and tying show laces is also a classic sign.

Why Children Develop Dyspraxia

It’s not known why children develop dyspraxia/DCD but children are more likely to develop it …

if they were born prematurely;
if they were low in weight at birth;
if they come from a family with a history of it;
if their mothers drank alcohol or took illegal drugs whilst pregnant.

Diagnosing Dyspraxia/DCD

If you suspect that your baby, toddler or child may exhibiting possible symptoms of dyspraxia/DCD, you should consult your GP, Health Visitor or the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) at your child’s educational setting. Your child may then be referred to a specialist healthcare professional who can assess them. Diagnosis itself is usually undertaken by a paediatrician, often in tandem with an occupational therapist who will later be involved in treatment if the diagnosis turns out to be positive. Much more detail about dyspraxia/DCD diagnosis is available on the NHS website.

How to Help Children with Dyspraxia/DCD

While dyspraxia cannot be cured, there are ways to help children with the condition and indeed they may well require help for the long term. A tailored help plan is usually generated by a combination of healthcare and educational professionals in tandem with parents and the individual concerned. The plan will be designed to mitigate the specific challenges that a child is facing, so will differ from case to case. For example, a child may need help from a paediatric occupational therapist to master use of cutlery, writing, playing and dressing etc. And/or a clinical psychologist may be needed to help with the child’s mental health. An educational psychologist may be able to help the child overcome barriers to them progressing their education … and so on. Learn more about the types of treatment available for children with dyspraxia here.

The following video may also be useful as an illustration of how one family deals with childhood dyspraxia.

Dyspraxia & Special Educational Needs at Little Cedars Nursery, Streatham

It’s important for nursery staff, education professionals and parents to look out for the signs of possible dyspraxia, and any other conditions, in children under their care. The earlier symptoms are spotted, the more likely the child can be helped to best effect. While it’s not possible for children under 4 or 5 to be positively diagnosed with dyspraxia/DCD with full certainty, should a positive diagnosis be suspected, then a tailored learning and development programme can be put in place at the earliest opportunity. In this way, the child will be supported where needed and any adverse effects of the possible condition can be reduced to a minimum. Using this approach means that even children with special educational needs can thrive, achieving personal bests as they progress through their learning and development milestones.

Little Cedars is one of the best nurseries in the area around Streatham, Streatham Common, Streatham Hill, Streatham Park, Furzedown, Tooting and Balham. We’re based at 27 Aldrington Road, Streatham, SW16 1TU and offer outstanding, weekday childcare services for babies, toddlers and preschoolers up to the age of 5. So, if you are looking for a high quality nursery or pre-school in any of these south west London areas, please make contact with us while a few places are still available (please choose a button):

Apply for a Place Arrange a Visit or Message Us 020 8677 9675

15 July 2021/by Mark

Childcare, Dyslexia, Early Years, Early Years Education, Education, Health, Nurseries, Nursery, Pre-schools, Preschool, Reading, Special Needs, Streatham, SW16, Under-5s

Dyslexia – How to Spot the Early Warning Signs

Despite many dyslexic people being highly intelligent, dyslexia makes it difficult for them to recognise words and/or be able to break them down into their smaller components. It is recognised as a Specific Learning Difficulty (‘SpLD’) and can seriously affect their education if not recognised and addressed early.

A dictionary defines dyslexia as “a general term for disorders that involve difficulty in learning to read or interpret words, letters, and other symbols, but that do not affect general intelligence”. When it first came to the attention of doctors in the late 19th Century, it was more commonly referred to as “Word Blindness”, which pretty much sums up how dyslexia affects people afflicted by it.

The Adverse Effects of Dyslexia

Such an affliction can have profound implications for a person. It will adversely affect their reading, writing and comprehension, thereby limiting their overall learning capability and hindering overall literacy. These are particularly critical skills during their early years as that’s at the start of their education, when the knock-on effects of such limiting factors will be at their most significant. It will slow down their progress in many topics and areas of education, also leading potentially to lower self-confidence and possibly even getting them mislabelled as ‘slow’ or ‘lazy’ by the unenlightened. Ultimately, it can severely limit their potential careers and life outcomes.

Those are incredibly unfair ramifications and that’s why we are taking a closer look at how parents, carers and education professionals can learn to spot the signs of dyslexia early, so that dyslexic children can be helped as soon as possible.

“The earlier a child with dyslexia is diagnosed, the more effective educational interventions are likely to be.” (NHS)

Early Warning Signs of Possible Dyslexia

In pre-school children, there are several things to watch out for. These include:

Children finding it difficult to learn the alphabet;
Little interest in attempting to do so;
Difficulty pronouncing multi-syllable words (or phrases) including jumbling the the order of them — ‘flutterby’ instead of ‘butterfly’ for example;
Difficulty with rhyming words and even nursery rhymes;
Slower speech development compared to others in their year group;
Finding it difficult to express themselves verbally, including jumbling word order in sentences and having trouble recalling appropriate word(s) to use;
Slower development of fine motor skills, for example maintaining a regular rhythm on a percussive instrument.

We should add, though, that having any or even all of these problems does not, in itself, definitely mean that the child has dyslexia — they are just possible signs of it. Many children without dyslexia may have some of these symptoms, so it’s important not to jump to incorrect conclusions. The symptoms of dyslexia also vary greatly from person to person, so diagnosis is not easy.

Dyslexia Signs in School-Age Children

It may become easier to diagnose dyslexia in children once they start school, as they will be reading and writing more by that time. Signs of possible dyslexia to add to the list above may then include:

The child describing words and letters as visually jumbling, blurring or even moving around when they try to read them;
Giving poor written answers but good verbal ones;
Difficulty learning common sequences of words like months of the year, days in the week and, as we mentioned before, letters of the alphabet;
Difficulty following a sequence of instructions given at the same time (e.g. ‘put the fork on the plate, then take it to the kitchen’), but being OK if they are given separately;
Inconsistent spelling and incorrect letter order;
Mistaking numbers and letters for one another, for example using p instead of d or 9 instead of 6;
Slow reading and writing speeds, poor quality of handwriting and making mistakes when reading out loud;
A lower-than-average grasp of phonetics, phonology and ‘word attack’ skills, that might otherwise have helped a child to work out the possible meaning of multi-syllable/multi-part words through attention to the individual parts.

Learn more about assessment and diagnosis of dyslexia on the NHS site.

Is There a Cure for Dyslexia?

There is no cure for dyslexia, but measures to mitigate its effects can be taken by education professionals, parents, carers and even those affected by it. It’s incredibly important, though, for both parents and education professionals to try to recognise it early, for example at nursery or pre-school, so that a suitable teaching programme can be introduced as early as possible.

Dyslexia & Special Needs at Little Cedars Nursery

If staff or parents of children at our nursery suspect that a child may be dyslexic — or have any other special needs — it’s important to discuss it together as early as possible in the child’s education. In this way, an appropriate learning and development programme can be agreed; one that is tailored to suit the individual child’s needs, in the best possible way. Doing so as early as possible, ideally starting in their pre-school years, will help to limit any adverse effects caused by the condition. When properly addressed, there is no reason why a child with dyslexia shouldn’t be able to absolutely thrive, despite the condition. It goes without saying that we are always happy to discuss any concerns parents may have about their children — indeed we encourage it so that we can work together to address such concerns.

Little Cedars is an outstanding nursery in Streatham SW16, near Streatham Common, Streatham Hill, Streatham Park, Furzedown, Tooting and Balham. If you are looking for high quality nurseries or pre-schools in any of these areas, please get in touch and we’d be delighted to show you and your child/children around, so you can see the wonderful nursery facilities, happy children and exceptionally professional staff for yourself. Please get in touch, while a few places are still available, via one of the following:

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27 May 2021/by Mark

Early Years, Health, Nursery, Parents, Streatham, Teething, Under-5s

Rough Guide to Teething

Teething can be an uncomfortable and painful stage for babies. As teeth start to come through, gums can become sore. Because of this, the little ones can become irritable and emotional, without really understanding why they’re feeling as they do. Every parent will know that having an irritable, tearful baby can be stressful for parents as well as for the baby. With all of this in mind, our Rough Guide to Teething should help parents to help their babies through this difficult stage.

When Does Teething Start?

Teething is the process of the milk teeth beginning to “erupt” (protrude) through the gums into plain sight. It usually begins when children reach the age of about 6 months. It varies, though, with some children even being born with one or more teeth. Usually, though, teething follows a general pattern, as follows:

First, the central incisors in the lower jaw are usually the first teeth to appear. This normally happens at the age of about 6 to 10 months.
The upper central incisors follow closely behind, at 8 to 12 months on average.
Between 9 and 13 months of age, the top lateral incisors usually come through with the those in the lower jaw appearing between 10 and 16 months of age.
The first upper molars come through between the ages of 13 and 19 months, with the first lower molars appearing from 14 to 18 months of age.
The canine teeth usually appear between 16 and 22 months of age in the upper jaw and between 17 and 23 months in the lower.
Finally, the second molars usually come through between 23 and 31 months of age in the lower jaw and between 25 and 33 months of age in the upper.

For each tooth that erupts, the teething process takes about 8 days, including roughly 4 days before the tooth is visibly protruding through the gum and 4 days where it moves through and into plain sight. During the 8 days, an “eruption cyst” (a bluey-grey colouration) may be visible on the gum in the area concerned. Of course, all of this can be uncomfortable and painful for the baby, particularly when the larger, back teeth come through — but it’s something we all go through. Ultimately, babies will usually end up with 10 milk teeth in the upper jaw and 10 in the lower by the time they’re 2½ to 3 years of age.

What are the Signs of Teething?

Along with the bluish-grey colouration in the gums mentioned above, other signs of a teething baby include drooling, sore-looking gums, red cheeks, the baby being tearful, rubbing their ears or chewing hands/toys more than usual. If the baby does drool, ensure that their faces are regularly wiped so as to avoid painful rashes causing further discomfort.

How Can You Help a Teething Baby?

Parents can help teething babies in several ways. Distraction is a powerful tool, so anything that will distract the baby from their discomfort can help — for example, playing with the infant.

If the baby or toddler is chewing things, giving them a commercially-available teething ring can give you greater control over exactly what they are chewing and allow you to ensure that you are keeping it clean for them. Always follow safety instructions, of course, and buy only from an appropriate, high quality, safe source.

The NHS also suggests giving teething children (6 months to 1 year or older) sticks of apple, carrot, breadsticks or bread crusts to chew on but this must be done under close adult supervision otherwise they could be a potential choking hazard.

Teething can be painful for the baby, so gently massaging affected areas of the baby’s gum with a clean finger can also soothe them to an extent.

Beware Unlicensed Teething Gels

Some parents may be tempted to buy Teething Gel for their infant. The NHS warns parents to be careful if doing so, as there are some dangerous products out there, particularly on the Internet and particularly when it comes to ‘homeopathic’ teething products. They state that there is no known evidence to suggest that teething gels work in any case, whether they’re licensed, unlicensed or homeopathic gels. However, if parents do decide to use them, they should only purchase them from proper UK pharmacies whilst ensuring that the gels are licensed for use in the UK. NHS information about the potential dangers of teething products, particularly homeopathic ones, can be found here.

Teeth Showing? Start Brushing!

Once your baby has one or more teeth showing through the gum, you should start brushing their teeth right away. This typically happens at the age of about 6 months. Take a look at our Ultimate Guide to Brushing Teeth for Babies & Children for much more information, including when to start, how to do it, what fluoride content the toothpaste should have, what to use as a brush — and much more.

Share if you Found This Useful

If you found this Rough Guide to Teething useful, please feel free to share it on social media or on other sites. You can link to this article, bookmark it in your browser or share this link in your social media accounts so more babies can benefit. Thank you.

We are a High Quality Nursery in Streatham

If you are looking for outstanding nurseries in Streatham, please do consider Little Cedars Nursery. We are a nursery and pre-school, offering the very best childcare services in the Streatham, Streatham Hill, Streatham Common, Streatham Park, Tooting, Furzedown and Balham areas around London SW16. For a nursery place for your baby, toddler or child under five, please get in touch via one of the contact options below:

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12 May 2021/by Mark

Childcare, Early Years, Health, Healthy Eating, Milk, Nurseries, Nursery, Parents, Streatham, Under-5s

The Benefits of Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding is nature’s perfect way of giving babies exactly what they need to thrive. Indeed, a mother’s milk is automatically tailored to suit the baby as it gets older, gradually adapting to the baby’s changing needs as they grow. That’s incredible when you think about it.

Breastfeeding has an enormous range of benefits to the baby — perhaps many more than most people realise. What’s more, breastfeeding is hugely beneficial to the mother too. In this article, we’ll explain the many benefits of breastfeeding in detail, so mums are well-informed, enabling easier decisions around breastfeeding and how long to continue it in a child’s early life.

The Benefits of Breastfeeding

Benefits to Baby

Babies benefit enormously from breast milk; from simple, practical considerations to major health benefits, many of which continue to benefit them into adulthood. Let’s take a look:

Virtually every baby loves the taste of breast milk. That’s important.
Breastfeeding newborns passes important antibodies straight to the baby from its earliest age. What better way to counter viruses right from the outset.
Breast milk also contains important vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats and even hormones. All of these help the infant’s development. Of particular note are the polyunsaturated fatty acids, which help with early brain development.
Statistics suggest that babies are less likely to develop asthma and allergic rhinitis if they have been breastfed for at least the first 3 months.
They’re also less likely to develop childhood leukaemia if they have been breastfed for at least 6 months.
Historical data also suggests that children suffer less from food allergies, eczema and wheezing if they have been breastfed.
Incidences of ear, respiratory and gastrointestinal infection are lower amongst breastfed children, as are cases of diarrhoea.
Breastfeeding reduces the incidences of children developing Necrotising Enterocolitis (NEC) or dying from SADS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).
As we mentioned in our introduction, breast milk adapts and changes to suit the precise needs of the baby as it grows older. That’s true tailoring for babies, in its most natural, healthy form.
As its taste also adapts, the infant gets used to more flavours, ready for weaning onto solids, usually at any time from the age of 6 months.

Benefits to Mum

Breastfeeding also has a range of significant health (and other) benefits for mothers. These include:

A lower risk of developing obesity or Type 2 Diabetes;
A lower risk of developing ovarian and breast cancer;
A lower risk of developing osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease;
A faster return of the uterus to its normal size;
A swift and closer bond between mother and baby;
The faster return of the menstrual cycle (potentially useful for family planning considerations).

Additional Benefits of Breastfeeding

Breast milk is free, so is also a money-saver! It can also be given to baby pretty much anywhere, any time, quickly and without the need for special equipment or preparation.

Breastfed milk also helps the planet, of course. After all, there’s no packaging to dispose of, no carbon footprint caused by manufacturing or shipping/delivery pollutants and no greenhouse gas-producing dairy herds involved in its production. It’s the greenest food out there, when you think about it!

Breast milk is as natural as natural gets!

The big one, though, is that breast milk is as natural as natural gets! This unique, tailored infant food is free of added colourings, artificial ingredients, E numbers and dairy products and indeed actively helps children to be more physiologically resistant to allergens and diseases. And there is no formula milk on the planet that adapts itself so perfectly as breast milk, totally naturally and automatically, when it comes to the precise needs of a growing child.

Baby Milk at Little Cedars Nursery

The childcare professionals at Little Cedars Nursery are keen to fall in with the wishes of parents when it comes to baby and infant milk. To that end, parents are free to supply breast milk or formula milk, as preferred, for children under our care. When doing so, we recommend use of cool bags for this purpose, along with clear labelling, so we can match the right milk with the right infant.

If parents elect to supply formula milk instead, they do not need to make it up as our childcare staff can freshly mix and prepare it as needed, at appropriate times during the day.

Nursing mums also have access to a private space in which to feed their child at the nursery, whenever needed.

A Place for your Baby, Toddler or Preschooler in our Streatham Nursery

Little Cedars is an outstanding nursery in Streatham, London SW16. Contact us if you are looking for a high quality nursery near you, close to Furzedown, Tooting or Balham, SW16. To learn more about the childcare setting and to explore the possibility of a place for your baby or child, please select a button below to make contact with us.

Apply for a Place Arrange a Visit Message Us 020 8677 9675

28 April 2021/by Mark

Childcare, Early Years, Education, Food, Health, Healthy Eating, Milk, Nursery, Parents, Streatham, Under-5s, Weaning

Rough Guide to Weaning

The Cambridge Dictionary defines weaning as “the act or process of causing a baby or young animal to stop feeding on its mother’s milk and to start eating other food.” It’s all about babies moving from a liquid, milk-only diet to a more varied diet that includes “solid” foods (albeit usually mashed or blended initially). Also known as complementary feeding, weaning is an important milestone for any parent or baby and usually occurs when the baby reaches the age of about 6 months. Sometimes babies simply tire of milk and weaning thereby comes naturally. In other cases, a baby needs a bit more encouragement to make their transition towards solids. Here, we’ll explore the whole topic of weaning in more detail, including ways parents can help to make the transition smoothly and stress-free for all parties.

How to Help the Weaning Process

First off, parents must realise that weaning is a gradual process i.e. there is a period of overlap where baby continues to drink milk and starts eating other foods. Usually, he or she will gradually eat a greater proportion of solids and less and less milk as time goes by, as opposed to suddenly changing from one to the other in one huge leap. So, weaning is a process, not a single step.

Moving to solid food can be exciting, surprising, confusing, hideous or anything in between for the baby. The world of textured food and new flavours is a whole new experience for baby; each mouthful can represent an explosion of new flavours, textures and adventure. This can be wonderful, or sometimes troubling to the child, depending on the individual and, of course, the tastes and textures involved. Therefore, starting slowly with tiny steps is fine; it’s OK if the baby does not want to eat much at first. They’ll gradually catch on as they get used to this brand new concept.

It’s OK if the baby does not want to eat much solid food at first. They’ll gradually catch on as they get used to this brand new concept.

Weaning should be fun and it’s also the only time in a child’s life where they won’t have any preconceived ideas about what foods they “do or don’t like”. So, parents can experiment, within reason of course. It’s a time when introducing new foods to the baby comes naturally once the baby has caught on to the idea of this new experience.

Remember that the baby will take a few tries before they perfect the art of eating solid foods, so they may unwittingly push some food out again at first. Until now, they have only been used to breastfeeding or drinking from a bottle, so pushing food out their mouths initially may not mean that they don’t like what you’re feeding them. Give it another try. You’ll be able to ‘read’ their facial expressions anyway. Those are the real giveaway as to whether they enjoy a particular food, or find it repulsive. Their reactions can also be the cause of much laughter!

Tips For Weaning Success

There are several additional things parents can do to make weaning a success. Here are a few tips:

Don’t rush it; set aside some time with baby so it’s relaxed, otherwise everyone can get stressed, especially initially.
Don’t try to wean them off breast milk too soon either. It’s the very best food for them during their first 6 months, for sure. You can learn more in our separate article all about the benefits of breastfeeding for both baby and mother.
Don’t try to wean your baby until it’s physiologically ready. That means they need to be able to hold their own head up when in a seated position, they need to be able to swallow food successfully and they need to have good coordination between eyes, hands and mouth.
Is baby tired? Don’t try introducing them to solid foods right now if so. Wait until they’re wide awake and full of energy otherwise they simply won’t want to cooperate.
Purée (i.e. finely blend or mash) the foods, mashing them particularly well at the start of the weaning process. That way the solid foods are more like liquids, so will be less of a surprise to the baby bearing in mind they’ve only had milk up until this point. Try mashing ripe apples, bananas, pears and other soft fruits, then feeding them to baby with a weaning teaspoon (these are softer and more gentle in babies’ mouths). Try mashing cooked vegetables too, for example cauliflower, potato, broccoli, spinach, sweet potato, carrots and so on. Suitably cooled down for safety, of course. All of these can make a very good purée that’ll slip down easily if the baby warms to the taste.
Offer baby just a little initially. They’ll soon let you know if they would like more. If they’re not convinced, demonstrate yourself eating a little bit and showing that you’re enjoying it.
Initially, you can follow a little bit of food up with a milk feed. This is a great way to introduce them slowly to solids.
Once they’re taking food from you, help them feed themselves either by hand or with a teaspoon (let them copy you). The skill of feeding themselves sometimes comes quite quickly but for others it can take more time.
Don’t worry if baby makes a mess. It’s natural at first and not something they should concentrate on initially. The important part is that the baby is beginning to try new foods, so you don’t want to distract from that. Coaching baby to be more tidy with their eating can come a bit later, after they’ve mastered the process of eating purées, mashed food and perhaps gone on to more solid food. A clean, plastic or pelican bib will help in the interim.
You can later move on to whole, (adult) finger-sized pieces of very soft fruits that baby can learn to hold. However, do read the Health & Safety Considerations section below before moving to un-mashed foods.
Remember that babies may need to taste new foods multiple times before they accept them, so don’t give up if they first reject them. Try again another time and don’t ever force them to eat. If they turn their head away or clamp their mouth shut, they’ve had enough for now.
Avoid distractions for the baby at feeding times. So, remove phones, tablets, computers, toys and TVs at meal times. The baby needs to concentrate during this new eating experience.
Don’t expect a regular pattern; sometimes babies will eat more, other times less. A milk bottle will, for many, represent a comforter as well as a source of sustenance, so don’t be surprised if they prefer milk to solids when they’re feeling under-par or tired.

Huge care needs to be taken to avoid giving infants anything that’s going to represent a potential choking hazard.

Health & Safety Considerations

It goes without saying that food should be given to babies and infants at a suitable temperature. So, ensure that boiled vegetables, for example, are sufficiently cooled. Try them first yourself to make sure.
Huge care needs to be taken to avoid giving infants anything that’s going to represent a potential choking hazard. Whole grapes, cherry tomatoes or anything else of a similar size would be examples of this as they are perfectly sized to block a baby’s airway if not first chopped up. Also avoid anything hard like nuts, raw vegetables or un-mashed apple and ensure that any pips/seeds/stones are removed from fruit and bones are removed from fish or meat.
Close adult supervision is always needed when infants are eating, particularly when they’re in the weaning process and don’t yet fully know what they’re doing.
Consult your GP or health visitor about weaning if your child was born prematurely.
Don’t add extra sugar or salt to your baby’s food, including during the cooking process. Avoid salty foods because salt is dangerous to babies. Avoid sugar because it can lead to a sweet tooth and that has many negative implications including tooth decay, weight issues, etc.
Food hygiene is, of course, essential during food preparation and while the child is eating. So ensure that hands, faces, plates, spoons, cups and surfaces (etc.) are clean.
Part of that is ensuring that the food itself is hygienic so, for example, fruit and vegetables must be washed. If serving raw fruit/veg, ensure they’re also peeled. If using eggs within baby foods, ensure they are stamped with the red ‘British Lion Code of Practice’ lion (to denote a low salmonella risk) and it’s safest if they are never served raw.
As babies are weaned off breast or formula milk, parents need to ensure that they are still benefiting from a balanced and varied diet. That’s true whether they are being brought up as meat eaters, vegetarians or vegans. Additional supplements may need to be considered for vegan diets, which may be low in vitamin B12, for example. GPs, health professionals and/or dieticians should certainly be consulted for advice before deciding to cut out dairy products from children’s diets, including milk once they are no longer taking breast milk or the recommended infant formula milk alternative up to the age of one. The NHS has more information about vegetarian and vegan diets for children here.
The NHS recommends that children aged between 6 months and 5 years of age take suitable Vitamin A, C and D supplements daily although babies drinking at least a pint of ‘first infant formula’ milk do not need the supplements as they’re included in the milk already.
Extreme care is needed by parents in relation to possible allergens. For this reason, it’s best to introduce only tiny amounts of possible allergens in the first instance, one at a time, so any adverse reaction can be spotted early. After all, this is the first time the baby is going to have eaten these new foods. The most common allergens are nuts, eggs, gluten, fish and cows’ milk. If in doubt or concerned about allergic reactions, consult your health worker or GP and, of course, call an ambulance immediately if your baby does have an adverse reaction to anything.

Going Forwards

By the age of 7 to 12 months, most babies will have transitioned to taking in 3 meals a day, along with their milk perhaps 4 times a day (reducing to 3 times a day at a year old). The ratio of solids to milk will then gradually decrease as the weeks go by. By the time they’re 12 months or older, they can also have two healthy snacks between meals.

Always try to maintain a varied diet for the infant, so they get all the vitamins and nutrients they need as they intake less and less milk. Ensure the foods contain sufficient iron, which can be sought from fortified cereal, fish, milk, dark green vegetables, lentils and beans. Giving them finger foods to hold and eat themselves is a great way to encourage them to feed themselves (under supervision, of course). As they grow older they can be encouraged to eat at the family table with parents/siblings and eventually upskill to using cutlery, along with eventually learning the rules around good table manners etc.

More information, including the types of food and milk that infants and toddlers can/should be having, can be found here.

We hope that you found our Rough Guide to Weaning useful. If so, please do feel free to share it on social media (copy this link) or to bookmark it for future reference.

A Streatham Nursery, Near Furzedown, Tooting & Balham

Little Cedars is a high quality pre-school and nursery in Streatham. If you’re looking for nurseries near Furzedown, Tooting or Balham, it’s very close by, so may also suit you if you live or work in those areas. To find out more about the nursery and the high quality childcare on offer for babies and children up to 5, please get in touch using one of the buttons below.

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16 April 2021/by Mark