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Health and wellbeing

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As your child grows, starts nursery, preschool, school or is becoming more active they need a healthy, varied diet to get all the energy and nutrients they need. They are also learning about food and eating and this is the perfect time to help them build healthy eating informed choices. Sometimes children have additional needs that impact on their feeding this may be something like prematurity – being born early, a developmental need like autism or a health need like an allergy. 

To find out about local infant feeding resources in your area please visit our Infant feeding resources page.

You can find lots of helpful information on feeding your child in these resources.

Fussy eaters

Having a child who is selective about what they eat can be worrying for a parent but it's perfectly normal for a toddler to refuse to eat or even taste new foods. You can find out more about fussy eaters from this NHS resource. If you are worried that your child's selective eating may be more than just fussy eating please speak to your health visitor or GP.

Staying active and helping your child to become active is important for keeping you both healthy. It’s good to build this into family life as it will help you all with feeling healthy and happy and supports sleep.

Get top tips for helping your baby, toddler, child or young person to build a healthy lifestyle.

You and your baby

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Your child and young person

Physical activity for children and young people

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Your child’s sleep plays an important part in their health and development and family life. It is common for children to experience sleep difficulties and this can be increased if your child has additional needs. Disrupted or difficult sleep can become a source of stress for tired parents. Here you can find information on how much sleep your child needs, common sleep problems and how to help your child sleep better including information for children and families where their child has ADHD or Autism.

If you need further support with your child's sleep please contact your health visitor or GP.

Sleep advice 

Sleep and Autism

Technology is a big part of everyday lives, and children are spending more time looking at a screen.

Here is some information about the use of screen time:

Each child will develop as an individual with there being no ‘normal’ development . Your child will go through different stages of emotional development and although there is no ‘normal’ you can learn more about key stages here.

Understanding childhood

Positive parenting

Tantrums

You can find out about Mental Health and local services on our Introduction to Mental Health Pages.

Immunisations also known as vaccinations are important for protecting your baby or child against serious infectious diseases. Once we have been immunised, our bodies are better able to fight those diseases if we come into contact with them.  You can learn more about immunising your baby or child in these resources 

Childhood immunisations

The Institute of health visiting have also developed helpful resources for you on Childhood immunisations 

Looking after your child’s teeth helps to protect them from dental decay, you can look after their teeth by brushing them twice a day and taking them to the dentist. It’s important to brush your child’s teeth for them until they are at least 7 years old to make sure they are thoroughly cleaned.

If your child has a learning difficulty caring for their teeth can be more challenging particularly if they process sensory information differently. Here are some helpful resources on how to look after your child’s teeth and how to access a dentist, including specialist community dentists who provide dental services to children with physical or learning difficulties or medical conditions.

Weaning off bottles and dummies