Making a Healthy Start
Some may say, the best gift a child can receive is a healthy start to life, including nutritious food and opportunities for regular exercise to build positive habits for a lifetime.
However, knowing the right foods to feed your infant and what exercises to do with them, can be tricky.
Healthy Eating for Life
Yarra Plenty Regional Library (YPRL) and Banyule Maternal and Child Health, in partnership with Banyule Council have collaborated to deliver The INFANT PROGRAM for this exact purpose.
The program aims to help caregivers promote healthy eating and physical activity from the start of a baby's life. The first 1000 days of life are a critical time for establishing behaviours that can have health benefits into adulthood.
Having been reviewed by experts, including Maternal and Child Health Nurses, dietitians and health behaviour specialists, this session is a great opportunity to obtain free information.
For caregivers seeking ideas and more information on healthy eating and exercise for infants and children, check out YPRL’s fabulous collection of books, starting here:
Fearless Feeding: How to Raise Healthy Eaters from High Chair to High School by Jill Castle
This book is an essential guide to understanding and improving any child's eating habits, including encouraging healthy eating. Paediatric nutrition experts simplify nutrition information, describe how children's eating habits correspond to their development and provide step-by-step feeding guidance.
Smart baby Cookbook : Boost your Baby's Immunity and Brain Development
This book focuses on nutrition and brain health for children and explores meal planning, advice for starting solids, and budget-friendly recipes to nourish their bodies and brains.
The Healthy Baby Gut Guide : How to Prevent Allergies, build immunity and develop good gut health from Day One by Dr Vincent Ho
This is a practical guide to preventing and managing children's allergies and improving their immune systems. Gastroenterologist, Dr Vincent Ho, explores gut health and explains that from conception to birth, and from breastfeeding to the introduction of solid foods, small steps go a long way in preventing allergies and fortifying your baby's immune system. He provides strategies for allergy management and treatment, an infant meal plan and explains how to strengthen your child's gut health for the long term.
My first Yoga : Fun and Simple Yoga Poses for Babies and Toddlers by Sally Beets
Let your baby or toddler discover the joys of yoga through the simple poses in this yoga book for children. It offers gentle poses to engage, energise, and then relax. Illustrations of yoga positions are brought to life with real photographs of young children practicing the moves.
101 DIY Baby Food Pouches : Incredibly Easy Recipes for Reusable Pouches by Kawn Al-Jabbouri
If you’re deterred by the commercial food pouches on supermarket shelves that may be filled with preservatives and additives, but you like the convenience of them, this book is for you! With over 100 recipes for homemade food pouches, your child will never go hungry again.
The Ultimate New Mom's Cookbook : A complete food and nutrition resource for expectant mothers, babies and toddlers by Aurora Satler
Pregnant women and new parents may be enticed by this book which provides recipes and nutritional advice for expectant parents, infants and toddlers.
Head, shoulders, knees, and toes
The beloved song 'Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes' comes to life in this adorable adaptation. The Beginning Baby animal friends exercise and sing together, and babies are encouraged to find their heads, shoulders, knees, and toes with them.
Starfish Stretches and Bedtime Breathing: A Ladybird Book of mindful movements
This beautiful, tabbed board book has eight playful mindfulness exercises to calm little bodies and minds. The exercises guide children through the day from morning stretches to bedtime breathing decorated with lovely illustrations.
How to be Healthy (The Wiggles book) by Amelia Cheeseman
Wiggles fans will delight in this book which teaches children about healthy eating, being sun smart, hygiene and more, along with the benefits of these.