Healthy Toddler Snacks

by Elizabeth
Healthy Eating Made Easy

27 November 2009: With its Start4Life campaign, the UK government is doing its best to get parents to give their kids a healthy start in life.

A new initiative announced today by Health Secretary Andy Burnham is aimed at new mums and dads, and includes tips like breastfeeding for the first six months, not rushing their babies to start on solids too soon, and avoiding sugary toddler snacks.

Although I sometimes get exasperated at the 'Nanny State', telling us how often we can blow our noses, there is some sense to this new scheme, which will encourage professionals new parents trust, like midwives, to teach the foundations of a healthier lifestyle.

Do parents need this kind of information? You might think it obvious that giving small kids sweets and soft drinks is a bad idea, but 9 out of 10 toddlers eat junk food every day.

Judging by the number of toddlers I see in their buggies merrily chomping away on bags of sweeties, or being bribed to stop crying with chocolate or salty snacks, maybe the message that kids need healthy foods right from the very start still hasn't got through.

You can find out more about how to prevent child obesity here.