Healthy child

​Helping your child to be healthy can be daunting. Strong Start can provide lots of help and advice.

How can I help my child to be healthy?

There are lots of different areas of health to consider for your child from oral health to being active. There are also things we can do to minimise risk of illness such as following the recommended immunisation programme.

Healthy child virtual programme

We have created a series of videos about different aspects of helping your child to be healthy which can be found on our YouTube channel. 

​This video gives an insight into breast and bottle feeding your baby, we share information on where to get infant feeding support here in Northamptonshire and a demonstration of the most up to date advice on making up a formula feed. We also cover the health benefits and current influences on decision making about how you may choose to feed your baby.

​This video shares information about the current childhood immunisations programme in the UK, and what ages you can expect your child to be invited for their vaccines. We share information on the importance of vaccination in childhood and how the vaccinations work. We also share current information surrounding covid 19 and how this may affect some routine appointments in Northamptonshire.  

​This video shares information about oral health and dental care from pregnancy, babies and beyond. It also gives some useful information surrounding covid 19 and current restrictions that may affect your usual dental appointments in Northamptonshire.

See tips on how you can help your child to have healthy teeth and gums and healthy snack ideas.

​The video shares the importance of outdoor play and benefits of being outside. It also shares some useful information on outdoor spaces in Northamptonshire that you may wish to visit.

​It may be worrying if your child develops fussy eating habits, it this video you can find out some tips to discourage this behaviour and promote healthy eating habits for all the family.

​It can be difficult to keep active when at home, in this video you can find out how to have fun and keep active indoors whilst keeping safe around the home. 

Use our guide to see activities to try, the benefits of being active and top tips on how to manage indoor activity safely while having fun. 

​In this video you can find out your child’s daily sugar allowance and ways to help keep their daily intake within the recommended guidelines.

​This short video about exercising during pregnancy discusses worries you may have like starting a new form of exercise during pregnancy or how much is ok to do and what is safe to continue with. We tell you the benefits of exercising at this time and also the things it is best to avoid.

​In our video about health during pregnancy we talk about what foods to avoid and why. We have information about smoking and alcohol use during pregnancy and the risks this can have and helplines for these if needed. We have information about vitamins and supplements and also talk about weight gain and tips on how to stay active.

​In this video we talk about vitamins and supplements that are good for you during pregnancy and your growing family. Each vitamin is listed with its benefits and why it is essential for healthy growth and development with some advice on the foods that contain it as well. There is some information about free food vouchers and free vitamins and we tell you how to find out if you are eligible for these and how to apply for them.

​The first 1,000 days of a baby’s life, which are counted from conception, are seen as a critical window of opportunity to get food and nutrition right. This video provides guidance on what your baby needs.

​Childen need a balanced diet of healthy food to ensure they get all the nutrients they need to help them grow and give them energy. This video explores the four main food groups and how to achieve a healthy balance.

We have created a portion size guide, healthy eating tips and meal ideas that you can print and use to ensure that you are offering your child the 4 main food groups, in the right balance and in portion sizes just right for them.