First 1,000 days of nutrition. Your questions answered.

Two months ago I teamed up with SMA Nutrition to spread the word about the importance of nutrition in your child's first 1,000 days. It's beneficial to the health of you and the baby to have the correct balance of nutrients from day one of conception and throughout pregnancy, infancy and throughout life. Getting the right quantity and quality of protein is especially important, as this can reduce their chances of being overweight in later life. Most parents aren’t aware that the amount of protein your baby needs decreases as your little one grows. I also took the time to share some of my personal experiences with Noah. In case you missed the post you can read all about it here. 

I ended the post inviting my readers to leave any questions that they may have in the comment section below and Dr Ellie Cannon would answer as many as she can in my follow up blog post, which of course is now! 

When Pregnant are there any foods that are recommended to eat to help the health of the baby and mother? It is recommended that pregnant mothers should eat some protein foods (meat, fish, poultry, eggs, beans, pulses and nuts) every day. Also, Starchy foods (such as bread, potatoes, rice and pasta) should be the main part of every meal as they are an important source of energy, vitamins and fibre, and are satisfying without containing too many calories. Choose wholemeal instead of processed (white) varieties.  Similar to normal dietary advice, it is advised that expectant mothers should eat at least five portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables a day. It is also important to make sure you keep hydrated, and that you are taking folic acids supplements each day from before conception (ideally but not always possible) to 12 weeks into pregnancy. Vitamin D is a key requirement for pregnant women, as vitamin D is essential for growth. 

I always puréed food for my first two children when weaning began but I'm interested in baby led weaning for the next child. Can you recommend any good and healthy finger foods? Unfortunately, I am unable to give you advice on this topic due to conflicting medical opinions on weaning. Therefore it is best to contact your health care professional. 

My son had a tongue tie which made it impossible to breastfeed, he was also born seven weeks premature, so my milk supply was barely existent! If I have another child, and the same problems occur, is there anything I can do to try and avoid this problem? Unfortunately, I am unable to give you advice on this topic. For more information on this please contact your health care professional.

I breast fed Rosalie until she was 14 months old, she didn't have a bottle ever. Is there an age that you should breast feed till? Do they still need milk after this time? When should you stop giving toddlers milk at bedtime? There is no set age for when you should stop breastfeeding. Giving nothing but breast milk is recommended for about the first six months (26 weeks) of your baby's life. After that, giving your baby breast milk alongside family foods for the first two years, or for as long as you and your baby want, will help them grow and develop healthily. 

Toddler milks are suitable for children aged 1-3 years, Cows’ milk can be used as a drink from 1 year. Milk at bedtime is part of a routine from newborns that often toddlers continue until at least 2 years of age. Don’t forget to brush their teeth after drinking milk! Milk at bedtime is a very personal decision for you and them, and most toddlers will naturally wean off milk as their bedtime routine changes. 

I really enjoyed being a part of this campaign as it was great to share my experiences but I also learned a few things too which I will be taking forward when we decide to try for baby number two. I had no idea that the level of protein in breast milk decreased as the baby grew, making sure they get the right amount of protein in their diet – how clever!

Thank you for reading!

- This is a PR Collaboration 

Importance of Nutrition in those first 1000 days

It feels like a lifetime ago when I fell pregnant with Noah but in reality it has only been three years come March. Ever since that red line appeared on my home pregnancy kit I knew how important it was to consume the right nutrients and vitamins for the baby. Not only for their growth then and there but also detrimental for their health and development later in life too. SMA Nutrition is working with medic Dr Ellie Cannon, best known for her weekly health column in the Mail on Sunday, to educate mums further about the importance of protein levels and nutrition in their baby at this time.

I had actually been taking folic acid before I fell pregnant as I had read that it also helps with conception. We did fall pregnant the first month of trying, so who knows, perhaps that helped? Once we had conceived I switched to a highly recommended pregnancy multi vitamin. Not only did I take the vitamins but I also made sure that I was having a healthy and balanced diet full of protein, iron and calcium, but of course I had a naughty treat here and there when the cravings kicked in! (Hello chips and gravy and chocolate milkshake!)

I was lucky that during pregnancy I didn't have to suffer with any morning sickness and didn't have too many problems with my appetite either but I did have low iron levels here and there. I was prescribed iron tablets and also ate as much spinach as I could which seemed to eliminate that problem.

Nutrition for a baby's first 1000 days (from conception to their second birthday) is extremely important and they recommend that you breastfeed for at least 6 months. Protein is one of the key components in breastmilk that helps to ensure healthy growth and development. The protein level in breastmilk decreases as your baby grows, meaning it contains the right quality and quantity of protein to help them grow at a steady rate. We bottle fed Noah and now at 2 years old he drinks cow’s milk. Protein is just as important now than it was when he was newborn and his needs increase and change as he gets older. The correct amount of protein not only supports growth and development but it also decreases the chance of obesity further down the line.

We began our weaning journey a little earlier than recommended as we followed Noah's lead. He snatched a pear from me and started gnawing on it and from then on there's been no stopping him when it comes to food. Once our weaning journey started we didn't let food replace any milk feeds and we were very conscious of making sure he had the correct nutrients.

Noah is now a fully fledged toddler and watching him grow and develop over the last two years has been the most rewarding (and sometimes bitter sweet) moments of my life. He has always been a great eater, from guzzling his milk like a champ to munching through his lunch like a gannet. He's a little foodie, that's for sure and enjoys pretty much anything you put on his plate. 

We've teamed up with SMA Nutrition to promote the importance of nutrition and protein in the first 1000 days of our little one's lives. We would like to invite you to ask any questions regarding nutrition, growth or anything else you have in mind below in the comments section. Dr Ellie Cannon will respond to a selection of the questions asked and I will write up a follow up post in the next few weeks. 


Do you have any questions that you would like to ask? Feel free to leave them below in the comments. And don’t forget you can also watch a video all about the importance of protein here. Thank you.

- This is a sponsored post