Childhood Nutrition: What to Do, in Order

Feeding children to support growth and establish lifelong eating patterns. Vitamin D and free sugar are the two areas where UK children most consistently miss the mark.

Key takeaways

• Vitamin D, 1-4 years: 10 micrograms daily, all year
• Vitamin D, breastfed babies: 8.5-10 micrograms daily from birth
• Most useful single change: Give vitamin D drops to under-fives as advised.
• Commonest mistake: Sugary drinks in bottles or sippy cups.
• See a doctor if any of the signs under "When to speak to a doctor" below apply to you.

Do

• Give vitamin D drops to under-fives as advised
• Offer water or milk between meals rather than juice
• Offer new foods repeatedly without pressure; acceptance takes many exposures
• Eat together where you can; modelling works better than instruction

Do not

• Sugary drinks in bottles or sippy cups
• Whole nuts before age 5, because of choking risk
• Adding salt to food for under-ones
• Honey before 12 months, because of infant botulism risk

The numbers behind the list

The list is built from the numbers below, which come from the bodies cited at the end.

If you change one thing

Give vitamin D drops to under-fives as advised. If you only change one thing, make it that.

Where to go next

• Understanding Childhood Nutrition: A Plain-English Explainer
• Myths About Childhood Nutrition, Checked Against the Guidance
• Childhood Nutrition — the reference entry
• Children and Screens: Sorting the Evidence From the Noise
• Childhood Activity: What the Evidence Actually Says

When to speak to a doctor

See a GP or health visitor for faltering growth, persistent food refusal, or if a child is losing weight. Seek urgent help for choking, and for a child who cannot keep fluids down or shows signs of dehydration — fewer wet nappies, dry mouth, sunken eyes or unusual drowsiness.

Where this comes from

• NHS — What to feed young children
• NHS — Vitamins for children

How this page was put together

Every figure, recommendation and warning above is taken from the guidance named in Where this comes from. Nothing on this page is inferred, summarised or generalised beyond what those bodies publish: where they give a number, it is their number, and where they are silent, so are we. Pages are rebuilt whenever the underlying record changes. Sign-off by a named clinician, where it has happened, is shown at the top of the page along with the date.

Medical disclaimer

This article is general information, not medical advice. It cannot account for your own history, medication or circumstances. Always speak to a GP, pharmacist or another qualified health professional before making changes that affect your treatment, and never delay seeking medical advice because of something you have read here. In an emergency, call 999.