Healthy Eating

Healthy Eating and Nutrition

At HETTY, we recognise that healthy eating plays an important part in children’s growth, development, learning and wellbeing. Early childhood is an ideal time to help children develop positive relationships with food and establish healthy habits that can continue throughout their lives.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) states that where children are provided with meals, snacks and drinks, these must be healthy, balanced and nutritious. Since September 2025, early years providers must also have regard to the government’s Early Years Foundation Stage nutrition guidance.

Healthy Eating at HETTY

We support children to enjoy a varied and balanced diet in a relaxed, sociable and inclusive environment.

At HETTY, we:

Provide healthy and age-appropriate snacks
Make fresh drinking water readily available throughout the day
Encourage children to try a variety of tastes, colours and textures
Support children to recognise when they are hungry or full
Encourage independence and appropriate self-service skills
Talk positively about food without describing foods as “good”, “bad” or using food as a reward
Help children learn where food comes from
Grow and explore plants and foods in our outdoor area
Include cooking, tasting, role play, stories and food-related activities within our curriculum
Work closely with parents to meet children’s dietary, medical, cultural and religious requirements

Our aim is not to pressure children to eat. Children are gently encouraged to explore and try foods, while their individual preferences, sensory needs and developmental stages are respected.

Our Rolling Snack

Children can choose when to visit our rolling snack area during the available snack period. This encourages independence, decision-making and social interaction.

Children select their photograph when they come for snack. Staff monitor this system carefully to ensure that every child has been offered something to eat and drink.

During snack, children are supported to:

Wash their hands
Find a suitable place to sit
Make choices from the available food
Pour drinks and serve themselves when appropriate
Use utensils safely
Talk and socialise with other children
Help tidy away when they have finished

Staff remain present and supervise children closely throughout snack times.

Learning About Food

Healthy eating is incorporated across the EYFS and is not limited to mealtimes. Children may learn about food through:

Cooking and food-preparation activities
Growing, watering and harvesting plants
Exploring foods using their senses
Sorting and counting food during mathematical play
Sharing stories and songs
Talking about their own family foods and celebrations
Imaginative play in our home and café areas
Learning about hygiene and handwashing
Developing vocabulary to describe tastes, smells, colours and textures

These experiences can support Physical Development, Communication and Language, Personal, Social and Emotional Development, Mathematics, Literacy, Understanding the World and Expressive Arts and Design.

A Balanced Diet for Young Children

Children need a range of foods to provide the energy and nutrients required for healthy growth and development. Across the day and week, a balanced diet should include:

A variety of fruit and vegetables
Starchy foods such as potatoes, bread, rice, pasta and cereals
Protein-rich foods such as beans, lentils, eggs, fish, meat and other suitable alternatives
Milk, cheese, yoghurt or appropriate alternatives
Healthy fats, which are important for young children’s growth
Water and plain milk as the usual drinks

Children should be encouraged to eat at least five child-sized portions of different fruit and vegetables each day. A child’s needs will vary according to their age, body size, development and activity levels.

Parents can find further advice from the NHS: What to feed young children and Healthy-weight children: advice for parents.

Packed Lunches

If your child brings a packed lunch, please ensure that their lunch box is clearly named.

A balanced packed lunch might include:

A sandwich, wrap, pasta, rice or another starchy food
A source of protein such as egg, cheese, chicken, fish, beans, lentils or hummus
Fruit or vegetables
Yoghurt or another suitable dairy or dairy-free product
A drink of water

Please prepare all food so that it is safe and suitable for your child’s age and stage of development. Foods that may present a choking risk must be cut and prepared appropriately.

Please follow HETTY’s current guidance regarding foods that should not be brought into the setting, particularly where these could present an allergy risk to another child.

Safer Eating and Choking Prevention

The EYFS contains specific safer-eating requirements designed to reduce the risks of choking and allergic reactions.

At HETTY:

Children sit safely while eating and drinking.
A member of staff remains close enough to supervise and respond quickly.
Staff supervising meals and snacks are positioned so they can see children’s faces.
Children are not permitted to walk or run while eating.
Food is prepared according to each child’s age, development and individual needs.
Staff are alert to children sharing or swapping food.
Mealtimes are calm, appropriately paced and free from unnecessary distractions.
Children are encouraged to chew carefully and take manageable mouthfuls.
Staff understand the difference between choking and gagging and know how to respond in an emergency.
Relevant staff hold appropriate paediatric first-aid training.

Whole nuts and similarly shaped hard foods must not be given to children under five because of the risk of choking. Grapes, cherry tomatoes, sausages and other round foods must be cut lengthways and prepared safely.

Parents can read the Department for Education’s food safety guidance for early years providers.

Allergies, Intolerances and Dietary Requirements

Before a child starts at HETTY, parents and carers must tell us about any:

Food allergy or suspected allergy
Food intolerance
Medical dietary requirement
Cultural or religious requirement
Vegetarian or vegan diet
Sensory or developmental difficulty affecting eating and drinking
Difficulties with chewing or swallowing
Food that a child must avoid
Prescribed medication required in response to an allergic reaction

Parents must inform us immediately if this information changes. Emma Page is our point of contact.

Information about children’s dietary requirements is shared with the staff responsible for preparing, handling and checking food. At each meal and snack time, staff are clear about who is responsible for ensuring that the food offered is suitable for every child.

Where appropriate, we work with families and health professionals to develop an individual allergy action plan. All relevant staff are informed of the plan and know how to respond.

NHS information is available at Food allergies in babies and young children.

Selective and Fussy Eating

It is common for young children to become selective about food or to refuse foods they previously enjoyed. Children may need to see, smell, touch or taste a new food many times before accepting it.

We support children positively and do not force, shame or pressure them to eat. Helpful approaches include:

Offering small, manageable portions
Serving a familiar food alongside something new
Keeping mealtimes calm and predictable
Allowing children time to explore new foods
Praising children for trying without demanding that they finish
Avoiding using pudding or sweet food as a reward
Modelling enjoyment of a varied diet
Considering whether sensory differences are affecting eating

Parents can read the NHS advice on fussy eaters.

Please speak to your child’s key person if eating is causing concern, your child accepts a very limited range of foods or you are worried about their growth, chewing, swallowing or nutrition. We can work with you and, where appropriate, signpost you to additional professional support.

Drinks and Sugar

Water and plain milk are the best everyday drinks for young children. Sugary drinks can contribute to tooth decay and may reduce children’s appetite for nutritious food.

To support healthy eating and oral health:

Offer water regularly throughout the day.
Keep sugary foods and drinks to mealtimes.
Avoid fizzy drinks, juice drinks and sugary squash.
Remember that smoothies and fruit juice contain free sugars.
Limit fruit juice and smoothies to a combined total of no more than 150ml per day and serve them with a meal.
Do not put sugary drinks in bottles.
Encourage children to use an open or free-flowing cup.

Vitamins

The NHS advises that children aged six months to five years should usually receive daily supplements containing vitamins A, C and D. Babies drinking more than 500ml of infant formula each day do not normally need these supplements because formula is already fortified.

Parents should seek individual advice from their pharmacist, health visitor, GP or another qualified healthcare professional.

Read the NHS guidance: Vitamins for children.

Working in Partnership with Families

We value parents’ knowledge of their children. Please talk to your child’s key person about:

Foods your child enjoys or finds difficult
Changes in appetite or eating habits
Allergies, intolerances or medical requirements
Cultural or religious dietary requirements
Sensory sensitivities
Difficulties using cups, utensils or cutlery
Concerns about chewing, swallowing, growth or nutrition
Advice received from a dietitian, speech and language therapist or healthcare professional

We aim to provide consistent, respectful support between HETTY and home.

Further Information for Parents

Supporting Healthy Habits for Life

By working together, we can help children enjoy food, feel confident at mealtimes and develop a positive relationship with eating. Our aim is to give every child a safe, inclusive and enjoyable foundation for lifelong health and wellbeing.