A nutritionally balanced diet containing a combination of different foods is one of the foundations of child health, with poor diets leading to obesity, dental decay, iron deficiency and constipation; all common in UK toddlers. The Infant & Toddler Forum’s New Factsheet and Guidance & Tips Meals, Snacks and Drinks for Toddlers provides a practical overview of what foods and drinks to offer and how to combine foods from the five food groups to create nutritious meals.

This latest guidance, states that young children are unlikely to consume enough energy and nutrients in just three meals per day and therefore need two or three planned nutritious snacks per day in addition to their meals. A recent study of about 4,000 French 5- 7 year old children, published in Public Health Nutrition1, found that the few that did not follow a meal routine including a daily breakfast and two planned snacks were more likely to be overweight or obese. Grazing on high calorie foods may have substituted for eating breakfast and planned snacks.

Judy More, paediatric dietitian and ITF member explained, “The foods eaten by children in the UK have changed substantially over the last few decades. With less time spent preparing food at home and with a widening range of convenience foods available it can be difficult for families to make informed decisions about feeding toddlers. Today’s parents and carers may, understandably, be uncertain or confused about which foods to offer their young children to protect their health. This new Factsheet for practitioners working with families with toddlers and the accompanying Guidance & Tips for parents provides handy advice, daily meal plan examples and meal suggestions helping take the guesswork out of how best to feed toddlers.”

Take that first step and visit the ITF website to access our latest ‘back to basics’ advice on Meals, snacks and drinks www.infantandtoddlerforum.org

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Notes to editors
The 2013 Infant & Toddler Forum Study Day for practitioners is taking place on the 31st October at The Royal Society of Medicine, London.

The Infant & Toddler Forum brings together an independent, multi-disciplinary team of experts and practitioners from paediatrics, neonatology, health visiting, dietetics, and child psychology, to share new ideas and to debate the latest thinking in infant and toddler nutrition. Best practice guidance on food and feeding for all young families is paramount for children’s health and wellbeing now and in the future For more than seven years the Forum and its partners have strived to raise awareness and promote positive change in the field of toddler nutrition and feeding behaviour, with all guidance being in alignment with DoH increased emphasis on early years intervention.

The Infant & Toddler Forum is supported by an educational grant from Danone Baby Nutrition. All resources produced by the Forum represent the independent views of the Forum with whom copyright rests.

1. Thibault H, Carriere C, Langevin C, Déti E Barberger-Gateau P, Maurice S. Prevalence and factors associated with overweight and obesity in French primary school children. Public Health Nutr. 2013; 16: 193-201.

Experts call for a back to basics approach to early years nutrition to help all families take small steps towards life-long health

As evidence continues to mount, supporting the need to embed early childhood nutrition in all aspects of family, child and health policy, the Infant & Toddler Forum (ITF) is going back to basics in 2013 to deliver clear, consistent, messages on healthy eating. Its aim is to help families instil healthier attitudes in their children for lifelong health, one small step at a time; through a practical-based programme of every-day tips on which foods to offer and which behaviours to encourage as early on as possible.

The stark reality of health in Britain today could not be more compelling, with a whole generation at risk of dying prematurely due to diet related ill-health. Obesity is a major public health issue for all but with over 90 per cent of the excess weight in 9 year old girls, and over 70 per cent in 9 year old boys, gained before the child ever gets to school age, it’s clear public health education should focus on the early years if we are to make a difference. In addition, the number of children developing diabetes has rocketed in recent years, making it the fastest growing childhood disease.

The EarlyBird Diabetes Study1 found that the seeds of diabetes are sown very early in life and that left unchecked, one in five children born today will develop diabetes.

It’s not just about overweight and obesity. Dental decay is also a major concern; over 30 per cent of children in the UK will have dental decay by the time they are five years old. In addition, vitamin D deficiency is on the increase with the resurgence of rickets in the toddler age group. Yet, the Demos For Starters report highlighted that nearly three quarters (73 per cent) of mothers reported they had never been advised to give a vitamin supplement to their baby or toddler, despite it being an official government recommendation that babies aged six months plus should have vitamin drops with vitamins A, C and D.

Dr Atul Singhal, Professor of Paediatric Nutrition at the UCL Institute of Child Health and Chair of the ITF, said: “We are clearly in a position of needing to balance the risks of excess and the risks of deficiency. We know what happens to children in their earliest years is key to health outcomes in adult life. We also know that making lifestyle changes can be a challenge. Unhealthy behaviours develop over the course of time, so replacing unhealthy behaviours with healthy ones requires time. The Forum is encouraging a step wise approach to nutrition this year placing the emphasis on simple, practical advice so that families can take small steps towards better health that are impossible not to achieve.”

Judy More, paediatric dietitian and ITF member explained, “Many parents are anxious and confused about healthy eating for toddlers we want to encourage all families to take that first step. Providing practical advice, guidance and education is paramount in helping families get on the right track. Our programme this year will cover key topics such as healthy meal, snack and drink options, active play and developmental milestones for food and feeding. The Forum’s annual Study Day will offer health and childcare professionals the opportunity to explore how they can help and motivate families to make changes.”

Finally, the ITF are committed to encouraging wider adoption of its Ten Steps for Healthy Toddlers. Through working with key partners and stakeholders in the early years arena, the initial results from the national rollout programme are encouraging. The Ten Steps initiative was highlighted as best practice guidance in the Demos For Starters report is a ‘promising tool to support early years practitioners to work with young children and their parents to support healthy eating’.

Take that first step and visit the ITF website to access our latest ‘back to basics’ advice on Meals, snacks and drinks www.infantandtoddlerforum.org

If you have press office enquiries, please contact Claire Johnson, on 020 8971 6419 cjohnson@saycomms.co.uk

Notes to editors

The 2013 Infant & Toddler Forum Study Day is taking place on the 31st October at The Royal Society of Medicine, London.

New Factsheet and Guidance & Tips, Meal’s, Snacks and Drinks, provides a practical overview of what foods and drinks to offer and how to combine foods from the five food groups to create nutritious meals.

The Infant & Toddler Forum brings together an independent, multi-disciplinary team of experts and practitioners from paediatrics, neonatology, health visiting, dietetics, and child psychology, to share new ideas and to debate the latest thinking in infant and toddler nutrition. Best practice guidance on food and feeding for all young families is paramount for children’s health and wellbeing now and in the future For more than seven years the Forum and its partners have strived to raise awareness and promote positive change in the field of toddler nutrition and feeding behaviour, with all guidance being in alignment with DoH increased emphasis on early years intervention.

The Infant & Toddler Forum is supported by an educational grant from Danone Baby Nutrition. All resources produced by the Forum represent the independent views of the Forum with whom copyright rests.

Today a report, published by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges (AoMRC), called for collective action and responsibility to tackle the public health threat of obesity within the UK. The Infant & Toddler Forum (ITF) welcomes this report and in addition calls for more emphasis on the early years; arguably the most important for long term health.

Overweight and obesity are clearly a major public health issue. Half of British children aged two to three are now overweight or obese1. Given most excess weight is gained by the age of five in 91 per cent of girls and 70 per cent of boys2, it’s vital to get feeding right in the pre-school years.
The report recommends more education and training for practitioners, increasing support for new parents, a ban on junk food advertising, a sugary drink tax, a unified system for food labeling, promotion of active travel and protection of green spaces.

Dr Atul Singhal, Chair of the Infant & Toddler Forum, said: “Britain is facing an entirely preventable epidemic of obesity and diet-related ill-health, with an entire generation at risk of dying prematurely. Health agendas need to focus on supporting practitioners, parents and carers with effective resources to help change behaviour. Obesity is multifactorial and the ITF encourage a holistic approach, promoting positive attitudes to food and feeding from an early age. We will be working throughout 2013, to raise awareness of the importance of the early years in achieving optimum long-term health through delivering simple, consistent, practical guidance for all.”

Download free expert advice from the ITF here: www.infantandtoddlerforum.org

Notes to editors

The Infant & Toddler Forum (ITF) is an independent group of experts in child health, nutrition and development. The Forum was formed to provide health and childcare professionals with educational resources that translate the evidence base into clear health messages for parents, and to facilitate interaction, learning and the sharing of best practice between healthcare professionals. For over seven years the Forum and its partners have strived to raise awareness and promote positive change in the field of toddler nutrition and feeding behaviour.

In 2010 the ITF launched its Ten Steps for Healthy Toddlers a practical, evidence based, easy-to-follow guide on what behaviour to encourage, and how best to manage mealtimes.

In 2011 the ITF published its Portion Sizes Factsheet and online tables for parents and carers, providing recommended evidence based guidance in the form of ranges of foods from the five food groups to offer 1-4 year olds.

The Infant & Toddler Forum is supported by an educational grant from Danone Baby Nutrition. All resources produced by the Forum represent the independent views of the Forum with whom copyright rests.

1. BatesB, LennoxA, SwanG. National Diet and Nutrition Survey: Headline results from Years 1 and 2 combined) of the Rolling Programme (2008/2009 – 2009/2010): London: HMSO, 2010

2. Gardner DS, Hosking J, Metcalf BS, Jeffery AN, Voss LD, Wilkin TJ. Contribution of early weight gain to childhood overweight and metabolic health: a longitudinal study (EarlyBird 36). Pediatrics. 2009; 123: e67-73.

A call to action announced today by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), is very much welcomed by the Infant & Toddler Forum (ITF).

Today the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) called for widely available and low-cost vitamin D supplements, fortification of foods, greater knowledge amongst healthcare professionals (HCPs) and better public awareness to tackle the growing incidence of vitamin D deficiency amongst the UK population.

Recognition that vitamin D is essential for good bone health and optimum immune system function is increasing, but more awareness is needed about meeting requirements in the early years for its benefits to have the best chance for toddlers’ long-term health. Most vitamin D is made in the skin when outside in sunlight during the summer months. Very few foods provide it – only oily fish is a good source. With our indoor lifestyles it is difficult to guarantee that young children will get enough from sunlight so supplements are required to ensure sufficiency. On average, children aged 18 months to three years only consume about a third of their daily requirement of vitamin D because very few are given the recommended supplement. Some foods are fortified with vitamin D including formula milks, margarine and some yogurts and breakfast cereals. However they contain very small amounts.

The ITF hopes that this new RCPCH call to action can help add to the effort to achieve this. The re-emergence of rickets – thought to have disappeared at the beginning of the last century – is again a UK public health concern[1] and this call to action could not have come sooner.
In early 2012, the Chief Medical Officers’ letter to GPs, health visitors and community nurses was to remind them to raise awareness of vitamin D’s importance particularly with key at-risk groups. Professional guidance is vital in preventing deficiency but despite some targeted outreach, awareness around the importance of vitamin D supplements for under-fives and pregnant and breastfeeding women remains low.

As part of the combined effort by key stakeholders, in June 2012, the ITF produced Preventing Vitamin D Deficiency in Toddlers; an easy-to-follow resource, containing peer-reviewed guidance, outlining the key role for HCPs in preventing vitamin D deficiency. This provides clarity for HCPs and families on how vitamin D can be safely provided by sunlight, supplements and the very few foods it is present in.

Judy More, Paediatric Dietitian and member of the ITF, said: “Unfortunately many parents and healthcare professionals think that a nutritious balanced diet will provide all the vitamins needed by young children. However vitamin D is the exception and even children who eat very well get very little vitamin D from their food. Without a daily vitamin D supplement they are at risk of vitamin D deficiency and along with that poor bone health and susceptibility to infections and long term diseases such as diabetes.”

For more information and expert advice on vitamin D and the early years, visit the Infant & Toddler Forum’s website: www.infantandtoddlerforum.org

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The Infant & Toddler Forum is supported by an educational grant from Danone UK. The views and outputs of the group, however, remain independent of Danone UK and its commercial interests.

The Vanishing Family Agenda, a report published today by the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) is very much welcomed by the Infant & Toddler Forum (ITF).

The Vanishing Family Agenda report, launched into the public domain today, outlines the key role that ‘the family’ has as a social determinant for public health. Its potential impact both for the early years and throughout life is outlined as a factor in the prevention of obesity, rickets and dental decay through to cardiovascular disease, diabetes and some cancers. Today’s report – supported by Danone and Bounty – not only calls for clear and practical guidance for parents, but also suggests that steps towards an emphasis on consistency are required.

This year, the ITF turned its attention proactively towards the focus of families with children under three, providing simple, practical, evidence-based support for health and childcare professionals to encourage positive feeding habits from an early age.

Heightening the importance of the toddler years and producing evidence based guidance for healthcare professionals and families is a task that the ITF, an independent group of experts in child nutrition, health and wellbeing, has championed since its launch in 2004.

Dr Atul Singhal, Professor of Paediatric Nutrition at the UCL Institute of Child Health, and Chair of the ITF said “This report clearly recognises the importance of nutrition in the early years and highlights the difficulties for parents of toddlers to find clear, practical guidance and information. If we are going to make a difference to children’s health and wellbeing, young families need to have support and access to credible, practical advice on good toddler nutrition and eating behaviours. The ITF remain committed to supporting health and child care professionals, and families, with its free online resources.”

For more information and expert advice on feeding toddlers, visit the Infant & Toddler Forum’s website: www.infantandtoddlerforum.org

Infant & Toddler Forum’s expert advice promoted by 4Children to support families
The Infant & Toddler Forum (ITF) – leading experts in nutrition and development in the under threes – has been supported by 4Children – the national charity all about children and families – to promote practical advice on food and feeding for toddlers.

It is widely recognised that what happens to children in their earliest years is key to outcomes in adult life. Parents and carers need to be equipped with the skills to make informed choices about the foods they offer young children, including food preparation and how to instil positive eating habits early.

4Children’s ‘Families in the Foundation Years’ website hosts a new Practical advice on feeding 0-3 year olds section, signposting visitors to the ITF’s online area for families – Little People’s Plates – as the one-stop-shop for helpful advice on toddler feeding.

Little People’s Plates gives easy-to-follow tips and useful resources to help parents and carers make healthier choices for their children, including:

• Guidance & Tips: expert advice to help you understand your toddler’s developmental and nutritional needs
• Ten Steps for Healthy Toddlers: a guide on what food to offer, what behaviour to encourage, and how best to manage mealtimes
• Tot It Up: an easy-to-use, interactive food and activity calculator, providing a personalised analysis of your toddler’s diet
• Portion Sizes for Toddlers: a guide for giving toddlers a well-balanced diet with a combination of foods and drinks from the five food groups.

Sue Robb, Head of Early Years at 4Children, says: “The early years are key as the period of a child’s development that shapes future outcomes, including long-term health, and nutrition has to be central to that. We want to ensure that we’re supporting the families who use our website with this important focus on how best to feed the under threes. The Little People’s Plates resources meet that need, and we’re delighted to be working with the ITF to provide parents and carers with the information they need to help achieve the best start in life for all children.”

ENDS

If you have press office enquiries, please contact Claire Johnson on 020 8971 6419 or cjohnson@saycomms.co.uk

Notes to editors

1. The Infant & Toddler Forum is an independent group of experts in child health, nutrition and development. The Forum was formed to provide health and childcare professionals with educational resources that translate the evidence base into clear health messages for parents, and to facilitate interaction, learning and the sharing of best practice between healthcare professionals. For over six years the Forum and its partners have strived to raise awareness and promote positive change in the field of toddler nutrition and feeding behaviour.

2. The Infant & Toddler Forum is supported by an educational grant from Danone UK. All resources produced by the Forum represent the independent views of the Forum with whom copyright rests.

Download Press Release

How to avoid preventable diseases like rickets in the under threes

The Infant & Toddler Forum (ITF) – leading experts in early years nutrition and development – has launched brand new best practice guidelines on meeting toddlers’ vitamin D needs.

‘Preventing Vitamin D Deficiency in Toddlers’ provides easy-to-follow, peer-reviewed guidance to provide clarity for healthcare professionals (HCPs) and families around this important nutritional issue.

Vitamin D is essential for good bone health and although recognition of its importance is increasing, more awareness is needed about meeting children’s needs in the early years for its benefits to have the best chance for their long-term health. The re-emergence of diseases like rickets – thought to have disappeared at the beginning of the last century – is a key public health concern in the UK and this expert advice on foods, sunlight and supplements could not have come at a better time.

Professional guidance is vital in tackling the problem, by giving parents and carers practical tips on ensuring the vitamin D requirements of infants and toddlers are met. This was highlighted in the UK’s Chief Medical Officers’ recent letter to GPs, health visitors and community nurses, calling on them to tackle the confusion by making those at risk of deficiency aware of how important it is to get enough vitamin D, and therefore make a significant difference to people’s health.

Dr Atul Singhal, Professor of Paediatric Nutrition at the UCL Institute of Child Health and Chair of the ITF, says: “Vitamin D deficiency is serious but avoidable, and clear, trustworthy guidance is what’s needed. Because exposure to sunlight and diet don’t always provide enough vitamin D, the Department of Health and NICE recommend that pregnant and breastfeeding women, infants, and toddlers take a daily supplement. However, statistics show low awareness and uptake of supplements among HCPs and parents (1) and there seems to be a lot of confusion around ensuring toddlers get enough vitamin D. Our new guidance aims to address this significant issue.”

Nick Bishop, Professor of Paediatric Bone Disease at the University of Sheffield and Director of Children’s Clinical Research Facility Sheffield Children’s Hospital, was one of the peer reviewers for the ITF’s Factsheet. He says: “There is significant variation in the advice being given and the complexity of the advice is confusing for both healthcare professionals and the public as well. This Factsheet offers excellent guidance for all healthcare professionals working with families to give appropriate advice in line with the government recommendations, including advice on the role of diet and outdoor play.”

Download ‘Preventing Vitamin D Deficiency in Toddlers’: Factsheet for HCPs and Guidance & Tips for parents

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If you have press office enquiries, please contact Claire Johnson on 020 8971 6419 or cjohnson@saycomms.co.uk

Notes to editors

58% of HCPs agree that they don’t have sufficient information about strategies other than vitamin supplementation to increase vitamin levels in the under-5s and 63% of parents not including fortified foods in their child’s diet are not doing so due to lack of information.
Feeding for Life Foundation

MIND THE GAP: are the current vitamin recommendations meeting the needs of the under-5s in the UK?

http://www.feedingforlifefoundation.co.uk/media/21951/feeding%20for%20life%20report_2012_web_singles.pdf

The Infant & Toddler Forum is an independent group of experts in child health, nutrition and development. The Forum was formed to provide health and childcare professionals with educational resources that translate the evidence base into clear health messages for parents, and to facilitate interaction, learning and the sharing of best practice between healthcare professionals. For over six years the Forum and its partners have strived to raise awareness and promote positive change in the field of toddler nutrition and feeding behaviour.

The Infant & Toddler Forum is supported by an educational grant from Danone UK. All resources produced by the Forum represent the independent views of the Forum with whom copyright rests.

Download Press Release

Infant & Toddler Forum gets a new online look

The Infant & Toddler Forum (ITF) – a group of leading experts in nutrition and development in the under threes – is delighted to announce the launch of its new, improved website for health and childcare professionals and families.

The relaunch of www.infantandtoddlerforum.org allows easier access to the Forum’s free expert advice, and is part of ongoing efforts to enhance the availability and quality of information about toddler feeding.

Studies continue to highlight the lack of clear guidelines on healthy eating and active play (1), and the ITF’s own research shows that over a third of parents are confused about or unaware of how toddlers’ nutritional needs differ from those of adults (2).

Dr Atul Singhal, Professor of Paediatric Nutrition at the UCL Institute of Child Health and Chair of the ITF, says: “If we’re going to make a difference to children’s health and wellbeing, professionals and families need easy access to credible, simple advice on good toddler nutrition and eating behaviour. Our aim is to provide anyone who has responsibility for feeding toddlers with better practical support, to encourage positive feeding habits from an early age. The new website makes our online resources more available to those looking for information on what and how to feed the under threes.”

The ITF is already the online go-to destination for 9,000 health and childcare professionals, parents and carers. The new user-friendly format makes it far easier to keep coming back to the very practical, expert advice.

The site is designed to be easy-to-use with mobile devices like smartphones and tablets, so even those looking for information on the go will have it at their fingertips.

Content is grouped to be more intuitive and colour-coded sections allow easier browsing and navigation. Advice is categorised into four main areas:

• Healthy Eating
• Difficulties in Feeding
• Growth and Development
• Common Nutritional and Eating Problems

A dedicated area for Health and Childcare Professionals provides the ITF’s highly respected Factsheets, reports, advice from the Forum members, and information on Study Days and training.

The website’s area devoted to families – Little People’s Plates – is the one-stop-shop for parents and carers looking for easy-to-follow advice. At the click of a button you can find simple tips and useful resources to help you make healthier choices, such as portions sizes, the Ten Steps for Healthy Toddlers (a guide on what food to offer, what behaviour to encourage, and how best to manage mealtimes), and bespoke guidance from the interactive Tot It Up food and activity calculator.

Visit the new website now at www.infantandtoddlerforum.org

The Infant & Toddler Forum (ITF) welcomes the announcement from the ToyBox-study, which states that “TV-watching at weekends and consuming too many unhealthy snacks and soft drinks are making pre-school children pile on the pounds.”

The coordinator of the study, Dr Yannis Manios, has called for a new approach to obesity prevention and said that it “should try to ensure that children have free time and space to be physically active, create a healthy food and drink environment but also guide teachers and parents on how they can promote such behaviours.”

The announcement also highlighted the lack of clear guidelines on healthy eating and active play. The ITF provides expert advice and tools for health and child care professionals and families to help them give toddlers the food and physical activity needed to thrive and develop healthy eating habits.

Judy More, paediatric dietitian and member of the ITF, said, “The toddler years are an ideal time for families to make lifestyle choices to prevent and treat obesity in childhood. The vast majority of obesity is caused by an imbalance between energy intake from food and energy expenditure through activity levels, growth and development. We recommend giving toddlers a routine and offering 3 meals and 2-3 snacks each day. By offering 2 courses at each meal and only offering nutritious snacks, toddlers will get a good range of nutrients. Don’t allow grazing on food. Plan for your toddler to have at least 3 hours physical activity every day and about 12 hours sleep. All activity such as active play inside or outside, walking, running and dancing counts. Limit TV and other screen time like computers to just 1 hour a day.”

Just two of the ITF’s evidence-based, practical resources include:

Ten Steps for Healthy Toddlers

To approach mealtimes with confidence, parents and carers need consistent, trustworthy advice. The ‘Ten Steps for Healthy Toddlers’ is a practical, easy-to-follow guide on what food to offer, what behaviour to encourage, and how best to manage mealtimes.

Portion Sizes for Toddlers: 1-4 Years

The ITF’s portion size ranges can be used as a guide for how much of each food to offer your toddler and they have been designed to ensure that his/her energy and nutrient requirements are met. (Except vitamin D, for which all toddlers need a supplement). You can be reassured that if your toddler is eating within the range of portion sizes of a particular food, then he/she is eating enough of that food.

For easy access to expert advice on how to feed toddlers, see www.infantandtoddlerforum.org

The Infant & Toddler Forum (ITF) is an independent group of leading experts from paediatrics, neonatology, health visiting, dietetics and child psychology, specialising in early years nutrition and development.

The ITF is supported by an educational grant from the Infant Nutrition division of Danone UK. The views and outputs of the group, however, remain independent of Danone UK and its commercial interests.

If you have press office enquiries, please contact Becky Darke on 020 8971 6408 or bdarke@saycomms.co.uk

In response to the announcement from the Department of Health about the Responsibility Deal’s calorie reduction pledge, the Infant & Toddler Forum (ITF) supports the commitment to cut and cap calories, but advises that there are more effective steps that can be taken to address obesity in the early years.

Judy More, paediatric dietitian and member of the ITF, commented: “Andrew Lansley has said that eating and drinking too many calories is at the heart of the nation’s obesity problem. Companies can work towards cutting calories in food over time, but for today’s toddlers at risk of becoming obese it is best to limit the portion sizes of high calorie, low nutrient foods that they eat now and only offer them once or twice per week.The ITF has developed portion sizes for 1-3 year olds to help achieve this without compromising the nutritional intake of toddlers. Our advice can help parents and carers offer young children appropriate amounts and contribute to the fight against childhood obesity. Research carried out by the ITF has shown that 77 per cent of parents have never received clear advice about toddler portions. We have developed portion sizes for all five food groups to address the lack of guidance on how much we should be feeding pre-school children. Our evidence-based advice can help reassure parents and carers who worry their children aren’t eating enough and dissuade them from covering toddlers to eat larger portions than they need to.”
In addition to its portion sizes recommendations, the ITF’s ‘Ten Steps for Healthy Toddlers’ is a practical, easy-to-follow guide on mealtime behaviour to encourage, and how best to manage mealtimes.

In response to the announcement from the Department of Health about the Responsibility Deal’s calorie reduction pledge, the Infant & Toddler Forum (ITF) supports the commitment to cut and cap calories, but advises that there are more effective steps that can be taken to address obesity in the early years.

Judy More, paediatric dietitian and member of the ITF, commented: “Andrew Lansley has said that eating and drinking too many calories is at the heart of the nation’s obesity problem. Companies can work towards cutting calories in food over time, but for today’s toddlers at risk of becoming obese it is best to limit the portion sizes of high calorie, low nutrient foods that they eat now and only offer them once or twice per week. The ITF has developed portion sizes for 1-3 year olds to help achieve this without compromising the nutritional intake of toddlers. Our advice can help parents and carers offer young children appropriate amounts and contribute to the fight against childhood obesity. Research carried out by the ITF has shown that 77 per cent of parents have never received clear advice about toddler portions. We have developed portion sizes for all five food groups to address the lack of guidance on how much we should be feeding pre-school children. Our evidence-based advice can help reassure parents and carers who worry their children aren’t eating enough and dissuade them from covering toddlers to eat larger portions than they need to.”

In addition to its portion sizes recommendations, the ITF’s ‘Ten Steps for Healthy Toddlers’ is a practical, easy-to-follow guide on mealtime behaviour to encourage, and how best to manage mealtimes.