Health and Wellbeing

Healthy Packed Lunches

A healthy lunch every day will give your child the energy and nutrients they need to grow, develop and learn.  Young Risers encourages children to eat healthy.  The key to a balanced, nutricious diet is variety.  

Healthy Packed lunch ideas

• A portion of starchy food - white or wholegrain bread, rolls, pitta, wraps, plain naan bread, bagels, cooked pasta, rice, noodles, couscous or potato as a salad.
• A portion of beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins - sliced meat, chicken, fish, sliced egg in sandwiches, rolls or wraps, meat alternatives such as tofu or pulses like kidney beans and chickpeas in salads.
• A portion of milk or dairy foods - Yoghurt or fromage frais, cheese in sandwiches or wraps.
• At least one portion of fruit and/or vegetables - fresh, frozen, canned or dried, these can all be counted towards 5-A-Day.  Vegetables - carrots, cucumber, tomotoes, peppers, celery or sweetcorn.  Fruit - Apple, melon, plums, grapes, strawberries, kiwi, satsumas, pineapple or dried fruit

Drinks - should be in a named bottle

Water - is the best choice

Milk - use semi-skimmed (for children aged two and over)

Avoid - fruit juice (even diluted fruit juice)

Avoid - Squash, fizzy drinks and flavoured water even if labelled sugar free, no added sugar or reduceed sugar these can contribute to tooth decay and have little nutritional value.

Examples of healthy lunches

Oral Health

Oral health is part of the EYFS Framework and states that providers must promote good oral health of children who attend their setting.

Oral health is important, even with baby teeth.  This is because children's baby teeth:

• help them to bite and chew
• support speech and language development
• help them feel confident when they smile
• make space for and help to guide adult teeth

Good oral health also keeps children free from toothache, infection and swollen gums.

Tooth decay - children need to form good oral health habits from an early age to help avoid tooth decay.  Tooth decay happens when sugars from food and drinks interact with bacteria in tooth plaque.  This results in acid production, causing holes in teeth known as cavities.

If children have tooth decay, they may have yellow, brown or black marks on their teeth.  They may also complain about their teeth hurting, particularly when eating or drinking.

Tooth decay is largely preventable, but it's still a serious problem among young children.

Looking after children's oral health - there are several key steps practitioners, parents and carers can take to promote good oral health in children

Cutting down on free sugars - you should limit the amount of free sugars children eat and drink, as well as how often they consume them.

Please look at the link below on how you can help look after your child's oral health.  The page provides information on foods and drinks to give your child, tooth brushing, the dentist, bottles and dummies.

Useful Websites

ERIC - This website provides information on toileting and potty training

NHS POD - Gravesend - Children Therapies - Care co-ordination, speech and language, occupational therapy, physical therapy and neurodivergence

What to expect when - a guide to developmental stages and milestones

Tiny happy people a BBC page to assist with speech and language