Healthy habits and keeping fit
Eat well, move more
The eat well, move more campaign aims to help families make healthier choices by providing guidance and resources to support healthy eating and physical activity.
Keeping active
It’s never too early to start encouraging your child to be active. Physical activity is essential for the healthy growth and development of babies, toddlers and preschoolers. It supports brain development, motor skills, healthy weight maintenance, stronger bones and muscles, improved emotional wellbeing and sleep, social and communication skills.
Healthy Start Scheme
Healthy Start is an NHS scheme that helps eligible families with young children or pregnant women buy healthy food and milk. If you're more than 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under four and eligible, you will receive a prepaid card topped up every four weeks. It can be used in shops to buy items like cow’s milk, fruit, vegetables, pulses, and infant formula. The card also allows access to free vitamins for pregnancy, breastfeeding, and children under four.
Feeding and introducing solids
Starting solid foods, also known as weaning, is an important milestone in your baby’s development. Health visitors will invite you to a parent session around the introduction to solid food when your child is between 4-6 months of age. The NHS provide advice on when to start introducing, signs your baby is ready and how to start solid foods. NHS Start for Life also provides weaning advice including videos, guides and recipes.
Oral health
There are lots of things you can do to take care of your children's teeth.
A regular teeth-cleaning routine is essential for good dental health. Follow these tips and you can help keep your kids' teeth decay-free:
The Oral Health Foundation provide dental care advice for mother and baby. The NHS provide advice for looking after your baby’s teeth and children’s teeth.
Your mental health
No one said being a parent or carer was easy. Feeling anxious in the early days of having a baby, recovering from a difficult birth, lack of sleep, changes to relationships and other challenges can all lead to low mood or loss of confidence.
If this sounds familiar, you are not alone. One in five women and one in ten dads need help with their emotional wellbeing during pregnancy or in the first year after their baby is born.
Seeking help early is important as it will speed up your recovery.
Within Coventry and Warwickshire there are services available across many different sectors to support parents, carers, and families at different stages. View mental health support in pregnancy and following the birth of your baby for Coventry and Warwickshire residents, help for expectant and new parents and further health and wellbeing support for you and your family.