Feeding your baby and starting solids

How you feed your baby can give them the best possible start in life. We're here to support you with information, practical help and advice on ways to make feeding your baby more affordable too.

Feeding your baby - milk

Breastfeeding gives your baby the best start in life and has health benefits for baby and can help you build close relationships with your baby. In Durham we have the UNICEF Baby Friendly Award, which means we help raise awareness of the benefits of breastfeeding with parents. Read more about Breastfeeding, how it benefits you and your baby and the support you can get through your Family Hub - Find your nearest Family Hub.

We are here to help you learn how to recognise when your baby needs food and comfort. We can support you to breastfeed, provide advice on what to do if you are struggling to breastfeed and help you to understand other options for feeding your baby (expressing breast milk/infant formula).

Starting solids

Most babies can start their first tastes of food from about six months old, this is called weaning. Our Family Hubs (Find your nearest Family Hub) have courses and information with the latest tips on what to safely start your little ones off with, from first tastes to first dinners. We've got healthy recipes the whole family can enjoy and ideas to get even the fussiest of toddlers to eat well.

Infant Feeding Support Groups

The infant feeding support team can help you with all aspects of feeding your baby, whether you are breastfeeding, bottle feeding or doing a mixture of both, right through to supporting you with breastfeeding if you are returning to work, and getting your baby started on solid foods. Visit Infant feeding support groups to find out more.

If you get certain benefits, then you might be able to get Healthy Start vouchers. These are free from the government and you can use them every week to buy milk, fruit, vegetables and pulses (fresh, frozen or tinned), and formula milk. You can also get free vitamins for you and your baby.

Find out how to get vouchers at Healthy Start.

Courses

Starting solids workshop

Introducing solid foods is the start of a whole new chapter for you and your baby.

Introducing solid foods is the start of a whole new chapter for you and your baby. This workshop helps you get your baby off to a great start and helps you decide:

when your baby is ready to try solid food
what foods to start with
when your baby is hungry and when they've had enough
how to make mealtimes an enjoyable experience for both of you

Workshops will be running on-line throughout the year.

To get more information or to sign up, please email hdft.henrypractitioners@nhs.net.

Fussy eating workshop

Fed up with stressful mealtimes? We're here to help!

Fed up with stressful mealtimes? We're here to help.

As parents we want our children to eat well - and to enjoy mealtimes together. Come along and get support and new ideas for:

how to encourage your child to try new foods - and begin to enjoy them!
child-friendly foods that provide what they need to grow and be healthy
happier family mealtimes

Workshops are delivered monthly and are held online.

To get more information or to sign up, please email hdft.henrypractitioners@nhs.net.

Eating well for less

Healthy eating doesn't have to be expensive - and can be delicious!

Healthy eating doesn't have to be expensive - and can be delicious!

Would you like to eat more healthily as a family, but you're not sure where to begin or how to manage it without breaking the bank? This workshop helps the whole family to eat well for less including:

tips for a cheaper, healthy shopping basket
healthy meal planning to make the most of the food you buy
recipes for tasty, simple and healthy low-cost meals

To get more information or to sign up, please email hdft.henrypractitioners@nhs.net.

Useful links

If you just want some great tips online, take a look at these links and videos:

NHS: your baby's first solid foods - weaning tips like avoiding salty and sugary foods and why children under 12 months should not eat honey.
HENRY recipes - easy, healthy recipes for the whole family.
HENRY fussy eating - top tips for fussy eaters.
HENRY Healthy Eating, Right from the Start on YouTube - what we eat and how we eat it - helping our children grow into healthy eaters.
Drinks and cups for babies and young children - what they can have and which cups they should use.

Contact Family hubs