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M2: Assess how adults in a selected early years setting support children’s individual needs and encourage healthier food choices, using a case study. (Re submission)

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M2: Assess how adults in a selected early years setting support children’s individual needs and encourage healthier food choices, using a case study. (Re submission)

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The case study: The Mulberry Bush Day Nursery is looking at how they get children involved in food preparation in the setting. Once a month, children have the chance to do a ‘healthy cooking activity’, such as making fruit salads, sandwiches or soup. The setting has some children with specific dietary needs including allergies, religious reasons and ethical reasons. To make sure that no mistakes are made, a photo of each child and their needs is put on the wall.

It is good that the adults are getting children involved in a cooking activity as children love to cook and learn a lot of practical skills as well trying out new flavours and textures. Cooking is also an enjoyable activity and if children are enjoying cooking healthy foods, they are more likely to maintain eating it. However, these kinds of activities should be carried out so that children will get more used to preparing healthy foods and learn more about them. The adults should also provide more ways to encourage healthier food choices. For example they could present food in attractive way like make the food into a face on the plate or encourage children to decide on their own amounts by putting out small portions of food on a plate for to choice. This will make them more aware of their feelings of fullness and prevent overeating. It is good that they have pictures of each child to make sure that no mistakes are made as it is a reminder of the child’s individual needs to make sure they do not forget them. It is good that the adults are getting the children involved in a cooking activity as it will make them more independent in preparing their own food and it will also teach them life skills. The adults should also explain which food alternatives the children must have in order for the other practitioners to know so that no mistakes are made. Instead of once a month, the adults should provide this activity more often like once or twice a week so that they know more about why it is important that we eat healthy foods, that they will be more interested in eating healthy food and that they will find preparing and cooking food more interesting. The practitioners should make sure that children have more knowledge about allergies, religious and ethical reason by providing them with activities like trying out different food alternatives or explaining the allergies and ethical and religious reasons with pictures or big words the children will easily understand. The adults should also give more meal ideas for the children to cook so they have more of a bigger range of healthy foods to choose from. For example they could make pasta salads, salads, jacket potato with a filling, etc.

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D2: Analyse the effectiveness of adults in supporting children’s dietary needs, using a case study. The case study (resubmission)

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D2: Analyse the effectiveness of adults in supporting children’s dietary needs, using a case study. The case study (resubmission)

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The Mulberry Bush Day Nursery is looking at how they get children involved in food preparation in the setting. Once a month, children have the chance to do a ‘healthy cooking activity’, such as making fruit salads, sandwiches or soup. The setting has some children with specific dietary needs including allergies, religious reasons and ethical reasons. To make sure that no mistakes are made, a photo of each child and their needs is put on the wall.

Parents are also asked about their child’s needs when they join the setting. A new child has started the setting (Kamal) and his parents have told the nursery that he must not be given any dairy products as this triggers his Eczema. They have provided the nursery with alternative soya products such as milk, yoghurt and ice-cream. Today, there is a student on work placement and he has been asked to help serve the children their lunch and pudding. The children are having yoghurt and there has been a separate bowl put out for Kamal in the kitchen. The student cannot be bothered to go and get it so he gives Kamal the same yoghurt as everybody else. The next day, Kamal’s parents phone the nursery to explain that Kamal’s Eczema has flared up in the night and ask whether the nursery gave them anything with dairy in. the manager says she will check who was involved in serving meals and snacks yesterday.

At the moment the systems in place that they have are not effectively supporting the children’s dietary needs.

It is good that they have pictures of each child so they can remember each dietary need and make sure that the children’s needs are met. It is good that the adults ask the children’s parents about their needs as they are making so that they have what they need to provide the children with and that the children are not in any danger. It is good that the adults are giving Kamal dairy alternatives so that he doesn’t miss out on what the other children have.

The student may not know about Kamal’s dietary need. It is important that all staff must know about each child’s dietary needs. It is also important consider getting someone more professional when dealing with food so that no risky mistakes are made.  I think Kamal’s separate bowl should be put away from the other children’s bowls to ensure he’s gets the right food for his needs. They should have also explained to the student about how important it is to make sure that Kamal has the diary free product in order to avoid any intolerance. They should also make sure the student has proper training about food allergies/ intolerance and any food alternatives so that the student will know how to deal with this properly in the future. Training should also be for all new practitioners that have little knowledge of this subject. The practitioners should have a record system. How they would do this is that if a child has an intolerance or allergy to something that they write down everything they’ve eaten that day. By doing this it will enable the adults to support the children more effectively.

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D2: Analyse the effectiveness of adults in supporting children’s dietary needs, using a case study. The case study:

The Mulberry Bush Day Nursery is looking at how they get children involved in food preparation in the setting. Once a month, children have the chance to do a ‘healthy cooking activity’, such as making fruit salads, sandwiches or soup. The setting has some children with specific dietary needs including allergies, religious reasons and ethical reasons. To make sure that no mistakes are made, a photo of each child and their needs is put on the wall.

Parents are also asked about their child’s needs when they join the setting. A new child has started the setting (Kamal) and his parents have told the nursery that he must not be given any dairy products as this triggers his Eczema. They have provided the nursery with alternative soya products such as milk, yoghurt and ice-cream. Today, there is a student on work placement and he has been asked to help serve the children their lunch and pudding. The children are having yoghurt and there has been a separate bowl put out for Kamal in the kitchen. The student cannot be bothered to go and get it so he gives Kamal the same yoghurt as everybody else. The next day, Kamal’s parents phone the nursery to explain that Kamal’s Eczema has flared up in the night and ask whether the nursery gave them anything with dairy in. the manager says she will check who was involved in serving meals and snacks yesterday.

It is good that they have pictures of each child so they can remember each dietary need and make sure that the children’s needs are met. It is good that the adults ask the children’s parents about their needs as they are making so that they have what they need to provide the children with and that the children are not in any danger. It is good that the adults are giving Kamal dairy alternatives so that he doesn’t miss out on what the other children have.

The student may not know about Kamal’s dietary need. It is important that all staff must know about each child’s dietary needs. It is also important consider getting someone more professional when dealing with food so that no risky mistakes are made.  I think Kamal’s separate bowl should be put with the other children’s to ensure he’s gets the right food for his needs.

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M2: Assess how adults in a selected early years setting support children’s individual needs and encourage healthier food choices, using a case study.

The case study: The Mulberry Bush Day Nursery is looking at how they get children involved in food preparation in the setting. Once a month, children have the chance to do a ‘healthy cooking activity’, such as making fruit salads, sandwiches or soup. The setting has some children with specific dietary needs including allergies, religious reasons and ethical reasons. To make sure that no mistakes are made, a photo of each child and their needs is put on the wall.

It is good that the adults are getting children involved in a cooking activity as children love to cook and learn a lot of practical skills as well trying out new flavours and textures. Cooking is also an enjoyable activity and if children are enjoying cooking healthy foods, they are more likely to maintain eating it. However, these kinds of activities should be carried out so that children will get more used to preparing healthy foods and learn more about them. The adults should also provide more ways to encourage healthier food choices. For example they could present food in attractive way like make the food into a face on the plate or encourage children to decide on their own amounts by putting out small portions of food on a plate for to choice. This will make them more aware of their feelings of fullness and prevent overeating. It is good that they have pictures of each child to make sure that no mistakes are made as it is a reminder of the child’s individual needs to make sure they do not forget them.

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P4: Describe ways in which children can encourage children to make healthier food choices:

There are a number of ways in which practitioners can help to encourage children to make healthier food choices.

Being a positive role model:

Children get their food habits and attitudes towards food from the adults around them. Children usually tend to copy adults, especially those closest to them. This means that it is important to be a positive role model and to help children have an interest in food. Sitting and eating with children will help them learn how to take their time with void to prevent them overeating. Eating fruit and vegetables in front of children will encourage them to try out these foods themselves. It is also important that whatever foods you bring into the setting, that it is healthy and balanced.

Making mealtimes and snack times positive:

To make sure children will develop healthy food habits and preferences, it is important that we make sure they enjoy food at mealtimes and  snack times. To do this we should provide children with plenty of time to eat so that they do not feel rushed. Encouraging the children to talk and spend time with each other is important as it makes meal and snack times a more positive and enjoyable experience.

Getting children involved in preparing food for their snack time.

Having snacks is a part of a child’s balanced diet. Snacks are important for children to have as they have small stomachs so they need to be fed more than three meals a day. Snacks need to be nutritious as the children are growing and developing. Involving children in preparing snacks is important as it promotes a positive experience during snack times. Foods that are good as healthy snacks can be: fruit and vegetable sticks, small portions of dairy products like yoghurt or cheese, biscuits or rice cakes.

Encourage children to try new foods:

It is important that children have a wide range of foods in their diet to make sure it is balanced and that it contains all of the nutrients as they are found in different foods. It is also important that even though a child might not like a certain food, if encouraging a child to keep trying it over time, then they might start to enjoy the food. Children are also more likely to try out new foods with different colours and tastes as it is appealing to them.

Making food look attractive:

As children tend to be fussy over food at a young age, it is a good idea that we as practitioners should present it in a more attractive way. For example, we could make food faces on a plate or put vegetables slices on a plate to make a pattern. This will make children more interested in trying foods and in meal and snack times.

Providing easy to manage portions:

Children’s food portions need to be putting too much on their plates might put them off eating it. Children are more likely to eat better with having smaller portions with a range of different colours and textures.

Letting children independently decide on amounts:

It is a good idea to put out small portions of different ranges of food so that the children can decide for themselves on how much they want. This way children will be more aware of how full they are and prevent them from overeating their independence will also boost their confidence.

Encourage children to feed themselves:

Children learning how to feed themselves is part of healthy eating. To help them with this, we could provide them with cutlery, colourful and attractive cups and plates for the children, and beakers and feeding cups for the babies.

Cooking activities with children:

From taking part in cooking, children can get to know more about food and new flavours and textures. Good examples of cooking healthy foods with children are:  fruit salads, pizzas, tortilla wraps, sandwiches and fruit smoothies.

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Task 2: how adults support children's dietary needs:

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Task 2: how adults support children's dietary needs:

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P3: Explain different reasons why a child may require a specific diet

There are a number of reasons why children may require a specific diet. Food allergies: A food allergy is where children can react badly to certain foods. There are different kinds of reactions like: a light swelling of the skin, a rash or something more serious like being unable to breath and it could even lead to death. If a child is having an allergic reaction, it is important that you should seek help straight away. To prevent a child from having a allergic reaction, it is important that you should consider excluding the foods from the child’s diet or even exclude the food from the setting. Examples of food allergies are: nuts, eggs, milk and shellfish.

Religious and cultural reasons:

Some families exclude certain foods from their diets. Families who practice Hinduism do not eat any foods that contain beef as they believe the cow is a sacred animal. Judaism and Islam are also religions that exclude certain foods from their diet. For example, they exclude pork as it is considered to be a unclean meant. Both religions have a certain requirement of how the animal is killed and prepared for food. For Jewish people, their requirement is known as kosher, for Muslims, their requirement is known as halal. Some children’s families do not follow a religion but will still eat food that is prepared in a special way. This could be based on religious teachings.

Ethical reasons or personal preferences:

There are some families that have ethical and personal preferences for their children’s diet. For example, they may be vegetarian or vegan. A vegetarian is where they exclude meat from their diet (however fish is sometimes the exception). Vegetarians will still eat products that come from animals like: milk, eggs or cheese. A vegan is where they do not eat any foods that come from an animal. Other ethical or personal reasons are families that only want organic food “has been grown free of chemicals or fertilisers”.

Medical conditions:

Some children have specific dietary requirements due to them having medical conditions. Examples of medical conditions are: diabetes and coeliac disease. Diabetes is where the body is not producing sufficient insulin. A diabetic child’s diet has to be carefully balanced; including what, when and how much they eat. This means it is important that if working in an early years setting, you need to communicate with the parents to make sure that you meet the child’s needs properly. Coeliac disease is where a child is unable to digest any foods that contain gluten. This means that bread and pasta must be excluded from the diet, unless it contains gluten free flour.

Food intolerances:

Some children are intolerant to certain foods. This means if they eat the foods, they are more likely to suffer from a range of illnesses like vomiting and diarrhoea, which depends on how much they’ve eaten. These are like food allergies but are not life threatening. These food intolerances include lactose-intolerant and wheat intolerant. Milk and other dairy products contain lactose, so children are not able to eat them. Depending on how bad the food intolerance is, the food should be excluded from the child’s diet or given in occasional amounts.

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D1: D1 Analyse a child’s selected meal and snack plan for a day, ensuring all components of a balanced diet are met.

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D1: D1 Analyse a child’s selected meal and snack plan for a day, ensuring all components of a balanced diet are met.

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M1: Assess the specific dietary requirements of children to support their growth and development as they progress from birth up to eight years

When a baby is first born all they are required to be fed is either breast milk or formula. The milk provides all the nutrients that the baby needs. Milk is a useful source of several nutrients. It contains protein for growth and repair and fats for energy, development of the immune system and for brain development. This is the only source that children can consume because they are just starting to develop.
Weaning:
Weaning is the process by which babies learn to eat food and are able to start to have a full and varied diet. The recommended age that you should wean a baby is six months or less. Babies will need solid food as they are unable to get all of the nutrients that they need from milk. There are 3 stages of weaning.
Stage 1 (6 months): At six months babies are able to have puree or liquidise foods. This is so they can swallow their food easily. Babies are able to consume food like: baby rice, puree vegetables (e.g. carrot, potato, yams) and puree fruit (e.g. banana, pear, apples). It is recommended that you feed the babies solid foods before or after one of their milk feeds. You should milk the puree meals with a teaspoon of breast or formula milk.
Stage 2 (6 to 8 months): Babies at this age are now able to start having a wider range of foods. Adults should consider adding puree vegetable, fruit and cereals with puree meat, poultry and pulses like lentils and hummus to a baby’s meal. You should also them full fat milk products like yoghurt or fromage frais if improved by the health visitors or general practitioners. Adults are only able to give the children cow’s milk if it is used in cooking. Adults should also start to add different foods and tastes to a baby’s diet. By giving them foods that the rest of the family has mashed or puree will help them to get used to eating with the family.
Stage 3 (9 to 12 months): at this age and stage you should provide should provide the babies with a wider range of textures and flavours. You should start to provide babies with finger food that they can easily handle and feed themselves. These foods could be: bread, breadsticks, pitta bread or chapatti, peeled apple, carrot sticks or cubes of cheese.
It important that you are very careful with what you feed children as some food for babies can be choking hazards and some babies can be allergic to certain foods like: nuts, strawberries, milk, etc.
Portion sizes:

As a child gets older, it is important that you should start to give them bigger portion sizes. Providing the right portion sizes to meet a child’s age and stage so they can grow and develop properly. It is important that you don’t give a child to much over the recommended portion size to avoid overeating.
Sugar and Salt:
It important that you exclude any salt and sugar from a baby’s diet to avoid getting overweight. When they are children, it is still important to limit salt and sugar in their diet. Both salt and sugar can cause weight gain if a child consumes too much. Sugar can also cause tooth decay. There are guidelines for recommended salt and sugar in take for children for adults to know how much a child should have in their diet. Food packets are labelled which is useful as you can find out whether the food contains salt and sugar and if it does, how much the amounts are. It also lets you know the suggested portion size. The labels are also colour coordinated. Green means that the food is healthy, Amber means that they need to be eaten in moderation or eaten with healthier foods. And red means that the food is high in fat, salt and sugar.
Balanced diet, eat well plate and 5 a day:
Children need a balanced diet to get all of the nutrients they need. The nutrients are: Fat, water, carbohydrate, vitamins and minerals, dairy, and protein. The eat well plate gives guidelines of how much of each nutrient a child should have in their diet. These nutrients are important to have in a child’s diet as they help them to grow, be active and stay healthy.  It is strongly recommended that child have vitamin D in children’s diet as it keeps their bones strong. Sun is a great source of vitamin D so it is important that the children get plenty of fresh air outside.

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P2 Explain the importance of children’s diet on their health and development, using appropriate examples.

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P2 Explain the importance of children’s diet on their health and development, using appropriate examples.

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A child needs to get all of the nutrients they need and in the right quantities for age in order for them to grow, be active and stay healthy. Children may have poor nutrition if they are not getting all of the nutrients they need or if they are having too much or too little of all or some of the nutrients in their diet. If a child has too many nutrients that provide energy like for example too many sugary foods, carbohydrate and fat, the child will become overweight which could lead to obesity. Children could also develop health problems like skin or bone diseases if they are lacking of some of the nutrients. Children are more likely to grow in line with expected development if they have a balanced diet. A child needs to have a balanced diet in order for their height and weight to be in portion. This is important because a child can have a strain on their bones if they are too heavy for their weight. It is also important that a child has a balanced diet so they can have strong bones and teeth, and normal muscle movement.
Having a balanced diet will be that a child will be able to learn how to sit, walk and run properly. This also means that children will have plenty of energy and it will strengthen their bones and muscles. Children have a balanced diet will also be able to develop their fine hand movements and hand-eye coordination skills to be able to do things like using a paint or pen or to wipe a table. This is important as children become stronger and more skilled when moving well.
Children who have a balanced diet will have raised immunity to infections and will be more likely to fight of infections. This is because nutrients like: vitamins, minerals and proteins help boost the immune system. Having a balanced diet will provide children with energy from the right sources. This will allow them to play and move for longer.
Having a balanced diet will mean that children will have better concentration and they will be able to learn new skills and to enjoy new games and activities. Children will also have fewer problems with their health and will quicken the healing of cuts and bruises.
The importance of children’s help on their development:
If children have a balanced diet, they will grow and develop at an expectant weight and will develop strong bones, teeth and muscles. They will also be able to develop motor skills like fine and gross, manipulative skills and hand-eye coordination. They will also be more immune to infections and will heal faster. They also be provided with more energy, be able to concentrate better, and the brain will function properly.

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Task 1: The important of a balanced diet

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Task 1: The important of a balanced diet

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P1 Describe the functions of each component of a balanced diet
Components of a balanced their diet and their food groups:

Having nutrients in our diets in the right portions helps us to stay healthy. There are five components of a balanced diet. These are: Fat and sugary foods, fruit and vegetables, protein, carbohydrate and dairy. In the rights amounts, you get the vitamins and minerals that you need.

Fat and sugary foods: Fat is required by the body for energy. Fat also has a part in making that the body will still have energy even if there is no food stored. Milk, dairy foods, meat and fish contain fat but are also considered healthy as they have plenty of other nutrients and ate good sources of food to be included in meal plans. Other high fat foods include: chocolate, biscuits, crisps, and chips. These foods need to be limited as they fill children’s stomachs up but do not provide other nutrients that are good for the body.  If children have too many of these foods, they are likely to become overweight as these foods contain high energy, therefore the excess energy will be stored in its fat cells in the body.
Water: water is needed for eating, digestion and keeping the blood thin. Not only is water found in drinks, but it can be found in non-dry foods, especially in some fruits and vegetables.
Vitamins and minerals:
The body needs several vitamins and several minerals.  Vitamins and minerals are complex chemicals and each one has a certain function for the body. Fruit and vegetable contains vitamins and minerals which keep the body healthy. Fruit and vegetables help the digestive system as they contain fibre which prevents children from becoming constipated. Other Vitamins like A and D are in fats like lard, Calcium is found in foods like milk, yoghurt and fish. Vitamin E, zinc and iron is founds in foods like fish, nuts, seeds and soy. Vitamins like: A, C and folate are found in foods like frozen, fresh or canned fruit and vegetable drinks. Breakfast cereals, rice, muesli, pasta, bread and oats all contain vitamins like: calcium, iron, folate, etc.

Protein: Protein is needed for growth and to repair cells. Protein is found in meat, poultry, fish, eggs, chickpeas, lentils, and modified soya.
Carbohydrate: Carbohydrate is required for energy. Starchy foods are a good source of these nutrients. These foods provide energy for the children and contain sugar, starch and fibre. Starchy foods include: bread, rice, potatoes, pasta, bananas, yams and couscous.
Dairy:  Dairy foods are good source of several nutrients and are considered to be important for children. Dairy foods provide calcium for strong bones and teeth.