Healthy Choice Award!

Today we are proud to say that we have received our healthy choice award!

E-mails

We have now completed a database of parents e-mail addresses which we will be using to send out information to you that we previously would have sent by letter. This will hopefully be much quicker and ensure that all parents get the information at the same time! We have had a couple of e-mail addresses fail this week and will be checking with some of you that we have the correct details. It is also important that we have an e-mail address that you are likely to use. If you are not getting our e-mails please let us know as soon as possible. If your e-mail address changes please remember to keep us informed!

We have been working on a Nutrition Policy as part of our Healthy Early Years programme.

Here is the finished policy, you should also receive a copy by e-mail over the next couple of days!

Please feel free to give us some feedback!

At baby ducks we offer snack both in the morning and during afternoon sessions, we also supervise the children’s lunch time meal, although do not provide a lunch menu. All children staying over the lunch period will be required to bring in a suitable lunch box.

Our nutrition champion is Maryann Clifford.

A weekly menu for snacks will be on display in advance. 

The weekly snack menu will provide the children with a tasty, varied selection.

All the children will have food suitable for them

Milk will be served with morning and afternoon snack.

Soy milk drinks will only be given as a substitute for cow‘s milk with the parent‘s agreement and then only those fortified with calcium.

Water will be available at all times.

Children will be given items from their lunch boxes and encourage to eat savoury items before being given other items such as desert..

Parents or guardians will be advised if their child is not eating well.

A specific allergy plan will be in place to deal with any child having an allergic reaction.

Carers will sit with children while they eat and will provide a good role model for healthy eating.

Withholding food will not be used as a form of punishment.

Children will be encourage to develop good eating skills and table manners and will be given plenty of time to eat.

Advice will be given to parents about contents of their child‘s lunch box.

Advice will be made available to parents regarding the appropriate size of food portions for their child‘s age.-.

Children will be encouraged to play outside every day, weather permitting. This will ensure that they have an opportunity to be exposed to summer sunlight which helps their bodies to make vitamin D. 

Please do not feel obliged to bring in things to give out to the other children if it is your child’s birthday. However if you do want to bring something then we would encourage a non-food item such as a balloon or sticker.

Healthy Eating - Portion Sizes

In accordance with the healthy early years program we would like to encourage children to bring in a healthy packed lunch each day. Although lots of our children already do this, to make it easier we have listed portion sizes for some popular lunch choices to help. These are portions for children aged one to five, the age and size of the child will reflect whether they will be at the top end or bottom end of the scale.
As a rough guide, a portion size is the equivalent to the size of your palm, so if the portion is for your child then it is the size of their palm.
Please note the size of a sweet drink/juice should be 100 – 120ml, lots of children bring in large cartons of drink which fill their tummy’s making them too full to eat much of their lunch. It is not necessary to bring in a drink as we always offer water or milk for those that don’t bring one. If a child has a favourite drinking bottle we are happy to fill it with fresh water.
Also, portion sizes of crisps and biscuits should be noted.
We do not allow children to have fizzy drinks or sweets in lunch boxes.
If you would like to check what you’re child is consuming over a period of a week to see if it is within the healthy guidelines I have attached a chart. 




Bagel      ¼ - ½ bagel
Bread roll     ¼ - ¾ roll
Bread slices     ½ - 1 medium slice
Cream/wholemeal crackers   1 – 3 crackers
Pasta (cooked)    2 – 5 tablespoons
Apple      ¼ - ½ medium apple
Banana      ¼ - 1 banana
Clementine/manadarine   ½ - 1 fruit
Cherry tomatoes    1 – 4 tomatoes
Pizza      1 – 2 small slices
Ham      ½ - 1½  small slices
Sausages     ½ - 1 medium sausage
Tinned fish in a sandwich/salad  ½ - 1½  tablespoons
Grated cheese (in a sandwich)  ½ - 1 teaspoon
Yoghurt     1 average pot (125ml)
Fromage frais     2 small pots (60g each)

Puddings and Snacks

Biscuit      ½ - 1 biscuit
Cup cake     ½ - 1 (25g) cake
Cereal bar     ½ - 1 (20g) bar
Croissant (plain)    ½ - 1 medium pastry
Danish pastry/Choc croissant   ¼ - ½ medium pastry
Muffin      1/8  – ¼ of a large (125g) muffin

Sauces and spreads

The maximum serving size should be limited to upper end of range as these foods are high in energy or salt and an excess of high-energy foods can contribute to overweight and obesity.
Butter/margarine    thinly spread
Chocolate spread    thinly spread  (1 teaspoon)
Honey, jam, marmalade   thinly spread  (1 teaspoon)
Marmite     thinly spread
Mayonnaise, salad cream, dressing  1 – 2 teaspoons
Sweet drinks (eg. fruit juices/squashes) 100 – 120 mls

Confectionary

Bar of chocolate/choc coated biscuit  1 – 4 squares or a funsize choc bar
Boiled sweets     1 – 2 sweets
Chocolate buttons    6 – 8 small buttons
Popcorn (sweet)    1 small cup
Sweets (eg. fruit pastilles, wine gums etc.) 2 – 5 sweets 

Savoury Snacks

Crisps and packet snacks    4 – 6 crisps
French fries (thin, fast food)   6 – 10 fries