Healthy Eating Guidelines for Early Years Settings: Consultation Feedback

The Healthy Eating Guidelines for Early Years Settings were put out for consultation from 21st June to 2nd August (6 weeks). The draft document was sent out to the following:

Children’s Centres: Hasneen Choudhury, Children's Centre Strategic Lead; Dianne Borien, Early Years Manager; as well as Redbridge Children’s Centre Mangers, Deputy Managers and Head Teachers of Schools with Children’s Centres attached.

Redbridge Obesity Strategy Group: SultanaChoudhury, Public Health Specialist; Claire Homeyard, Consultant Midwife; Debbie Cook, Specialist Nurse Practitioner/Clinical Nurse Manager, Rydal Practice Group; Hasneen Choudhury, Children's Centre Strategic Lead; Gillian Mills, Director of Universal Services Children; Jacqueline Da'Prato, Head of Nutrition & Dietetics; Julie Fanning, Executive Policy Advisor, Adult Social Care, London Borough of Redbridge; Kevin Wackett, Head of Parks and Open Spaces; Bruce Hausenloy,Manager, Families Information Direct (fIND); Linda Snow Head teacher, Oakdale Junior School; Liz Pearce, Operations Manager for Redbridge Council for Voluntary Service; Ann O'Brien, Medical director for NHS North East London and City; Duduzile Sherarami, Consultant in Public Health; Pamela Gbesemete-Akyeampong, Public Health Specialist; Gladys Xavier, Deputy Director of Public Health; Alison Burford, Vision Sport and Health Team Manager.

Redbridge Health Visiting Team and Infant Feeding and Health Weight Team (NELFT) via Luckhea Mini, Interim Modern Matron; Marsh Mary, Head of Targeted Services & Service Development; Donnelly Claire, Interim Modern Matron, Jan Geddes, Infant Feeding and Healthy Weight Coordinator.

North East London NHS Foundation trust’s Children’s services senior management: Gillian Mills, Director of Universal Services Children and Joseph Lindo, Assistant Director of Universal Services Children.

Eugena Marshall-Lewis, Specialist Health Improvement Practitioner (Oral Health) for Waltham Forest and Redbridge (NELFT).

Redbridge Dietetics Team (NELFT) via Shezana Malik, Chief Dietitian and Afsha Mughal, Paediatric Dietician.

Redbridge Childcare Development Team via Toni Hanson; Kay Combes; Sue Fox; Theresa May; Carolyn Burns; Fiona Sapler.

All feedback received during this consultation period is listed below, along with details of any adjustments made as a result:

Consultation Feedback on the Healthy Eating Guidelines for Early Years Settings

Date Received / Comment Source / Comment / Adjustment Made
Yes / No / Details of Adjustment
10/07/2013 / Eugena Marshall-Lewis, Specialist Health Improvement Practitioner ; Waltham Forest and Redbridge (Oral Health) / I find that the guidelines seem thorough and reflect the issues regarding the need to keep sugars to meal times. / No / No action necessary.
27/07/2013 / Newbury Hall & Peabody Children’s Centres / General
  • The draft provided a lot of useful information that we can put into practice immediately.
  • The importance of getting the correct information across to families regarding the recommended five- a- day fruit and veg portions, and being physically active for 180 mins a day. A lot of families are still not aware about this(and other dietary information) and we can do more to get the message across.
  • Family Support Workers would benefit from also being in the sessions run by the Redbridge Infant Feeding team (e.g. Fussy Eaters, Healthy eating workshops) as staff can learn how to inform families with key messages, techniques and practical ideas to approach healthy eating with families in other sessions. (Also, this would mean we are giving the same information across to families and not conflicting advice).
  • The Caroline Walker Trust is a good point of reference they have produced some documents by Dr Helen Crawley called ‘Eating well for under 5s in childcare’ which includes Nutritional and Practical guidelines. My friend is the Healthy Early Years Coordinator in Tower Hamlets and uses this with C.C’s, nurseries and playgroups as a guideline for assessment criteria for the Healthy Early Years award.
/ No
No
No
No / No action necessary.
No action necessary. To support the implementation of these key messages a number of posters will be available from the healthy weight team.
This is not something that can be added in to the guidelines at present due to the limited capacity the Healthy Weight Team to accommodate all family support workers in their healthy eating workshops in Children’s Centres. When the team are running a session at a host children’s centre, a designated staff member from that centre is welcome to sit in on a session/programme. This position can then be rotated amongst children’s centre staff.
The Caroline Walker Trust Eating Well for Under Fives in Childcare document has been considered when shaping the guidelines. The Children’s Food Trust (2012) Eat Better Start Better Voluntary Food and Drinks Guidelines for Early Years Settings in England provide more up to date information however, and hence have acted a framework for the development of these guidelines.
Breast/Bottle Milk
  • Also it may be useful to include the storage of bottle and breast milk
  • If Infant formula is prepared on site, what provisions are we able to offer? (e.g. access to bottle warmers, parents use of the kitchen/ kettle?).
  • No info on bottled water for formula feeding (sodium content levels)
  • Can the storage of breast milk guidelines be included (e.g. how long it can be kept for and stored).
  • Can there be budget to offer cold milk as an option for children as well as water.
  • Warming up milk for parents - as this is asked often
/ Yes
No
No
Yes
Partial
Yes / Added in to section two, point one (page four) and appendix four.
What equipment is made available for safe preparation of infant formula is up to each individual setting. For safe preparation however, facilities must be available to ensure that water can be boiled and then added to infant formula whilst still above 70ºC and that bottles can be effectively sterilised. A link has been added into appendices four and five for the NHS choices guidelines on safe sterilisation of feeding equipment (page 19 and 21).
This is referenced in appendix four (page 19).
Added into section two, point one (page four) and appendix four.
This is a decision for each individual setting. The free nursery milk scheme has been references in link to the free nursery milk scheme website have been added to section two, point one (page four) and a web link has been adding into appendix three (page 18).
Guidelines around safe preparation of infant formula and heating breastmilk have been included in appendices four and five. Each individual setting is responsible for developing their own policy around this.
Hot Drinks
  • If hot drinks are to be provided we need a few more bouncers/ baby seats and safety cups.
  • Provision of drinks in settings could be cold options such as water, milk and diluted (non-concentrated) fruit juice. Hot drinks too much of a health & safety risk around children.
/ No
Yes / This provision comes under the responsibility of the early years setting and is to be assessed on a site by site basis.
Each individual setting can set their own policy on whether hot drinks are permitted. The wording in section two (page five) has been altered to better reflect this feedback.
Celebratory Food
  • Regarding celebratory food, I personally think that all food items brought from families homes should not be eaten at the centre, but distributed at the end of sessions ( as families can choose whether they want to take it or not).
  • Families bringing food into the setting for festival celebrations kept as optional to be mindful of families on low incomes who may feel pressurised or fail to attend.
/ Partial
Yes / Due to the cultural value of food at times of celebration this has been left in. This point (section four, page seven)has been reworded however, and now reads to reads ‘All foods high in saturated fat*, salt and sugar** that are brought in to the setting by parents and carers will be incorporated into a meal or dessert given to the children at the setting that day or sent home to be consumed as part of a meal’, having removed the words ‘where possible’ from the start of this and replacing it with ‘all’. Where it is felt necessary, individual settings can choose to send all foods high in saturated fat, salt and sugar home with parents.
A poster on alternative ideas for celebrations will available from the healthy weight team.
Adjusted the wording of section four (page seven) to accommodate this point. A valid point and all settings should remain conscious of the food poverty facing a number of families.
Resources
To meet the Standards set out in the document, can we resource centres with following items:
  1. Complimentary free- flow beakers.
  2. Bottle warmers.
  3. Child sized plastic cutlery.
  4. Washable plastic bibs.
  5. Weaning chairs/ ‘high’ chairs but at a lower level
  6. Breast feeding aprons (optional).
  7. Stickers and charts for rewards.
  8. Plastic table mats for food use only.
  9. Wipeable floor mats.
  10. Safety cups for hot drinks.
/ No / It is the responsibility of each early year’s settings to provide the resources necessary to adhere to the guidelines.
Snack Time
  • Healthy snack time would help to introduce low income families to fresh food options they are unable to access on a regular basis - Children would be introduced to a variety of foods and may be encouraged to try in a group eating session. Snack time will give FSW’s key opportunities to promote healthy eating and discuss what constitutes as ‘healthy’ foods.
  • Will snack time be re- introduced to all sessions?
/ No
No / No action necessary.
Each individual early year’s setting can decide whether to provide children with a healthy snack or not. Where provided this should adhere to the guidelines.