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136 5.1 Preschool Children 1–4 Years
Fish in fishcake and fish pies are popular children’s vitamin drops are the least expensive but
alternatives to fried fish products such as fish they are not widely available. Healthy Start
fingers. The Food Standards Agency advises that: beneficiaries are entitled to them free but must
access them via their NHS Trust which may not be
●● Oily fish should be limited for girls to two convenient. They are not sold in retail pharmacies
servings per week as these fish can contain or supermarkets.
dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls. Girls
can retain an excess of these chemicals into Under-fives who may need a supplement with a
their childbearing years. Boys may have up to wider range of vitamins and minerals include:
four servings per week.
●● persistent poor eaters
●● Swordfish, marlin and shark should not be
given to under-fives because of their mercury ●● children who eat a very limited number of foods
content.
●● those on restricted diets by choice
Pulses include baked beans, kidney beans, other
starchy beans, chickpeas, hummus, lentils and ●● vegans
dhal.
●● children on restricted diets because of food
Ground and chopped nuts and nut butters can allergy or intolerance.
be offered but whole nuts should not be given as
they can cause choking or severe lung A dietitian can advise on a supplement for these
inflammation if inhaled. children after assessing which nutrients are
inadequate in their diet.
Food group 5: Foods and drinks high
in fat and/or sugar NHS Healthy Start children’s vitamin drops
These energy-dense foods should be limited to contain the following amounts of vitamins in a
small amounts and not given in place of foods from daily dose of 5 drops:
the other four more nutritious food groups.
However, a sweet nutritious pudding can be given ●● 233 µg vitamin A
as the second course at both main meals. A
nutritious pudding is one that contains one or more ●● 20 mg vitamin C
of the following: milk, fruit, eggs, flour and ground
or chopped nuts. Food and drinks sweetened with ●● 7.5 µg vitamin D3.
sugar should be limited to four times per day to
reduce the risk of dental decay – that could be the Portion Sizes for Children 1–4
three meals and one snack per day. Years
Recommended Vitamin There are no specific portion sizes of food for
Supplementation for 1–4 Year Olds under-fives as there is a wide variation in the
quantities eaten by this age group. It varies from
The Department of Health recommends that all one meal to another, one day to another and
young children are given a vitamin supplement depends on how active the child is and whether
containing vitamins A and D as they have high they like the food or not. The portion size ranges
requirements for these two vitamins. Food is not the listed in Table 5.1.1 give parents and carers an idea
main source of vitamin D and many under-fives do of the quantities to offer. If preschool children are
not eat enough food containing vitamin A (see below). eating amounts within these ranges then parents
can be reassured that they are eating an adequately
Suitable supplements are available over the nutritious diet.
counter in most pharmacies. The Healthy Start
The foods in group 5 should always be limited to
small portion sizes and should not be offered in
place of foods from the other more nutritious food
groups.
