A Unique Child: Nutrition - Get cooking - Different foods

ACTIVITIES FOR BABIES

- Cheese and pasta

Context: Once babies are nine to 12 months old they begin to want to explore food in many different ways - smelling, tasting, feeling, and seeing how well it falls to the floor!

When introducing finger foods, once a baby has developed better finger control, use this activity to make the mealtime fun, develop the baby's small motor skills and encourage her to practise eye-hand co-ordination.

What you need:
- cooked pasta shapes
- sticks of mild cheese

Things to do:
- Talk to the baby as you put her into a high chair and wash her hands.
- Put some cooked pasta shapes and some sticks of mild cheese in front
of her.
- Sing this song to the tune of 'Frere Jacques':
Cheese and pasta,
Cheese and pasta
All for you, all for you.
Pop them in your mouth,
Pop them in your mouth.
Yum, yum, yum,
Yum, yum, yum
- Help the baby to pick up the cheese and pasta and carry it to her
mouth.
- Be prepared to be offered some cheese and pasta to eat! Make sure you
show that you enjoy the food you are offered.

- Find the fruit

Context: This activity gives you the opportunity to introduce babies to a range of different new finger foods in a playful context.

As you talk you will be able to give very positive messages about the fruit and healthy snacks you are hiding and finding.

This activity enables you to introduce handwashing as part of the children's routines from a very early age.

What you need:
- banana
- clear plastic beaker
- opaque coloured beaker

Things to do:

- Talk to the baby as you put him into a high chair and wash his hands.

- Show the baby the banana as you cut it into pieces. Make encouraging noises about how nice the banana will be for a snack.

- With the baby watching, hide a piece of banana under the clear beaker and encourage the baby to look for it and to take it to eat.

- Praise the baby for finding and eating the slice of banana.

- Play the game several times until the baby is confidently finding the prize.

- Try hiding the banana under the opaque coloured beaker and encourage the baby to find it.

- You can make the game more complex by using more than one beaker.

- You could play this game with 'teething toasts' or other snacks, but not sweet or salty biscuits.

Healthy Living in the Early Years Foundation Stage by Pat Brunton and Linda Thornton (Optimus Publishing, £75.00) covers the themes of healthy eating, exercise, staying safe and emotional wellbeing. It contains information on developing policies and procedures, activities to use with babies, toddlers and preschool children, booklets for parents, scientific background information on how the human body works and PowerPoint presentations for staff training. For more information or to order a copy, visit www.teachingexpertise.com

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