New healthy eating guidelines for children aged 1 to 4 years
New guidelines have been published today by the Department of Health to help parents establish good eating habits in their children aged one to four.
This early stage in a child’s life is well recognised as a critical phase when dietary habits are formed and can last a lifetime.
Resources for parents and healthcare professionals
The guidelines include a new children’s food pyramid, a booklet for parents and fact sheets for healthcare professionals. The guidance includes advice on:
- · the types of nourishing foods a child aged 1 to 4 needs
- · how many servings to offer each day
- · what child-size portion sizes look like
New advice on vitamin D supplements during winter months
Included in the guidance is new advice for parents on vitamin D supplements. Vitamin D is needed for healthy bones and teeth and young children living in Ireland don’t get enough of it in the winter months. The new advice is that children aged one to four take a vitamin D-only supplement every day from Halloween (31st October) to St Patrick’s Day (17th March).
These resources will be available on www.gov.ie/healthyireland and on http://www.mychild.ie/nutrition