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Feeding and eating

Eating is a essential part of our daily lives. Making sure that your baby, child or teenager is eating healthily is important for their development.

Mum sitting on sofa holding her baby whilst breastfeeding Mum and daughter preparing food while laughing together in the kitchen Mum sitting on sofa breastfeeding her baby with the dad sitting next to her with his arm round her. Dad and young girl preparing food in a kitchen Family Preparing Food Around Laptop

If your child has additional needs visit our specific section for more support

Infant feeding

Mum sitting on sofa holding her baby whilst breastfeeding

Breastfeeding advice

There are many benefits to breastfeeding your baby. Any amount of breastfeeding is beneficial to your baby. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends to breastfeed for at least the first 2 years. Find information on the benefits of breastfeeding, how long to breastfeed for and restarting breastfeeding.

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Baby swaddled in sling on the chest of parent

Bottle feeding advice

Bottle feeding refers to feeding baby milk with a bottle. Formula feeding refers to feeding a baby using formula feed milk. Find information on how much to feed your baby, the equipment needed to formula feed and how long to formula feed for.

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baby asleep in blanket in arms of an adult

Feeding cues and signs of getting enough milk

Learn about your baby's feeding cues and the signs they've had enough milk. Each baby has their own feeding cues and escalation of feeding cues.

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A woman sitting down and smiling whilst looking down at the baby she is holding, which is wrapped in a blanket, in her arms

Responsive feeding

Responsive feeding is when a parent responds to their baby’s feeding cues as well as their own want to feed their baby. Learn more about the differences between responsive breastfeeding and responsive bottle feeding.

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Baby in high chair playing with pink bowl with orange spoon

Weaning and introducing solid foods

Weaning is when you steadily introduce solid foods (also known as family foods) to your baby. The two main types of weaning are traditional weaning and baby-led weaning. Find out more information on the common weaning concerns and understand the signs your baby is ready to wean.

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Mum and daughter preparing food while laughing together in the kitchen

Feeding and eating for additional needs

On this page you will find information and advice for children with additional needs.

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Find other pages on feeding and eating

Young girl brushing their teeth with their mum looking into the bathroom mirror
  • 0-1 Years
  • 1-5 Years
  • 5-11 Years
  • 11-19 Years
  • SEND

Dental health

It's important to take care of your child's teeth. The best way to take care of their teeth is to brush them for 2 minutes, twice a day. They should also visit a dentist for regular check-ups and try limiting sugary drinks and sweets to mealtimes only. 

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Boy sitting at table and using knife and fork to eat their food off their plate.
  • 1-5 Years
  • 5-11 Years

Developing your child's cutlery skills

Some cultures may choose not to use cutlery, but if you do wish to use cutlery, around 2 years old may be a good time to introduce cutlery. We recommend introducing a spoon and fork first. It often takes until around the age of 7 years old for a child to be able to independently use a knife and fork together.

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Mum and daughter preparing food while laughing together in the kitchen
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Feeding and eating for additional needs

On this page you will find information and advice for children with additional needs.

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Information

Who can help

If you have any questions or concerns about your child's eating habits, a health professional in our team will be able to offer advice and support.

You can Call Us on 0300 029 50 50 or Text Us on 07520 649887 to start a conversation.

Open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm (excluding bank holidays).

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