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Babies

Our baby area provides a calm and secure environment babies need, babies have a key carer who will follow their own feeding and sleep routines in allocated cosy cots or other special requests will be followed.

We ask you to provide sterilised bottles although we do have a sterilising unit on site, and formula so that your baby's carer can prepare his/her bottles as required. We also ask you to bring disposable nappies, as you know best which brand suit your baby's delicate skin.

We have a wide selection of toys and books which have been specially chosen to promote your baby's development, as well as being fun staff help babies develop new skills by encouraging them in their first attempts at crawling, walking and of course, talking. When you feel your baby is ready for nursery food, we will offer suitably prepared meals in accordance with your wishes, in line with our policy of working in partnership with parents at all times.


All of our baby room staff have undergone specialised baby training, paediatric first aid training, safeguard training, plus much more.







Tips on getting started

* Start giving solid foods when you and your baby are calm and your baby is alert

* Remember your baby will need to learn how to eat sold foods

* Start by offering just a few teaspoons once a day

* If your baby doesn't seem to want to eat, stop and try again the next day

* Build up to offering food twice a day, then three times a day

* Give more if they want more

Remember all babies are different - don't worry if they don't want much to start with

Weaning

At Aunty Sue's Day Care, your key person will meet with you in order to discuss your babies requirements as to when and how you want to wean them.


When to start giving solid foods

It is recommended to start your baby on solid foods when they are around six months old. All babies are different so you might want to ask your health visitor or GP for advise when is best for your baby (some babies may be ready to start earlier or later than this)

Finger foods

These encourage babies to chew, even if they have no teeth, this helps speech muscles to develop, some babies don't like being spoon fed and are happier with food they can hold them self , examples include;

* Fingers of toast, bread, pitta bread, chapatti

* Slices of peeled soft ripe fruit such as pear, peach, melon, banana

* Cooked and cooled green beans, carrot sticks, small florets of cauliflower or broccoli

* Bread sticks or rice cakes (choose lower salt varieties)

* Cooked and cooled pasta shapes

First foods from about 6 months - Exploring new tastes and textures

* Once a baby has learned how to take soft food from a spoon, you can start to introduce mashed food with soft lumps

* At this stage babies will start to pick up finger food, so offer these too (see list below)

* Offer foods rich in vitamins and minerals such as meat, fish, eggs, fruit and vegetables, make sure eggs are thoroughly cooked until both the white and yolk are solid

* Use some starchy foods as well such as potatoes, rice, pasta, couscous

* Keep introducing new foods, so your baby gets used to different textures and tastes, and to widen the range of foods they eat

Crockery and cutlery

* for first foods use a soft weaning spoon

* Move on to a fork and spoon set, either plastic or for older babies ones which are metal tipped

* Use easy to use cups for water at meal time, moving on to open top cups and beakers when they are ready

* Bowls are easier for babies to feed themselves from


Supervision

* Keep a lose eye on babies when eating and take particular care with had food such as raw carrot sticks or apple pieces, small round foods like grapes and food with skins such as sausage should be peeled and cut into small pieces

* Make sure there are no bones in meat or fish

Moving on to family meals - from about 9 months onwards

* Babies should be getting used to minced and chopped family foods (check the list of foods below to avoid)

* They should also be learning how to use a spoon to feed themselves

* By the time the baby is a year old, you should be in a routine of giving three or four meals a day, you may also wish to introduce a healthy snack between meals


Food to avoid for up to one year olds

Sugar, salt, honey, nuts, raw shellfish, raw or lightly cooked eggs, low calorie or high fibre foods

Drinking

* Babies under 12 months will be given formula milk, or, where provided by their mother, expressed breast milk

* Water will be made available at all times

* We will give formula milk (provided by parent) to babies up to 12 months, then we will liase with parents to move their child on to cow's milk or a soya/lactose free substitute where required

Baby led weaning

Alternatively parents may wish to follow the baby led weaning system which we can happily accommodate at Aunty Sue's. Please make sure you have a conversation with your key person who will be able to draw up a weaning and care plan to suit you and your child.


Most babies reach for food at around six months old and by this time children are capable of feeding themselves proper food. The idea is that you simply offer the food in suitably sized pieces and if they like it they'll eat it if they don't they won't

Through the baby led weaning system there is no need for purees, food processor or baby rice. it is just you and your child eating food that they enjoy with you and your family

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