The early years and childhood are a crucial period for development and provide an important foundation for a child’s future and wellbeing. Childcare providers are in an ideal position to help shape eating habits and to support children to eat well.
Children need to eat the right balance of energy and nutrients to have healthy growth and development, to achieve a healthy weight and protect against certain diseases. To help children develop patterns of healthy eating from an early age, it is important that the food and eating patterns to which they are exposed (both at home and outside the home) are those that promote positive attitudes and enjoyment of good food. The childcare setting can play an important part in this, by providing quality and nutritious food for children in their care.
Providing young children with a healthy balanced diet and tooth friendly drinks is essential to:
Ensure they get the right amount of energy and nutrients during a time of rapid growth and development
Encourage children to eat a wide variety of foods, because habits adopted at an early age are more likely to be taken into later childhood and adult life
Influence food preferences at a time when children begin to have a decisive say in food selection
Develop and maintain a healthy weight
Help reduce the risk of tooth decay
Help prevent iron deficiency
Promote bowel health and reduce the risk of constipation
Did you know…
that children attending full day care need around 90% of their recommended energy and nutrients from the food and drink offered by the childcare provider. It is therefore important that these settings provide a range of nutritious foods in the right amount.
For more information and top tips about healthy eating for children aged 1 – 4 years visit the BCUHB Best Start Hub.
Tiny Tums is awarded following rigorous assessment against the current Welsh Government Best Practice Guidance for Food and Nutrition for Childcare Settings (2018). These recommended standards also enable a childcare provider to meet quality standards for nutrition required by Care Inspectorate Wales and the Healthy and Sustainable Pre School Scheme.
Childcare practitioners are in an ideal position to help shape eating habits and support children to eat well.
Settings that achieve the Tiny Tums Best Practice Award:
Align with the Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW) quality standards on nutrition.
Automatically meet nutrition and oral health standards of Healthy and Sustainable Pre-School Scheme
Fully comply with the Welsh Government Best Practice Guidance: Food & Nutrition for Childcare Settings (2018)
Provide the right balance of nutritious food and drink to meet the dietary recommendations for infants and preschool children
Encourage children to eat well in a healthy environment and learn about food
Promote consistency of nutrition messages and encourage opportunities to pass these messages on to families
Show families that they are committed to the health of pre-school children by encouraging them to adopt good eating habits and develop positive attitudes toward a healthy balanced diet
Have at least one staff member trained by Public Health Dietitians in early years nutrition
Can display the Tiny Tums logo for parents and families to see
To find out how being a Tiny Tums accredited childcare provider also benefits children in your care and their families click here.
Eating well in the first five years of life is essential for growth and physical and mental development, as well as for a child’s future health. You can be confident that a Tiny Tums accredited childcare setting will provide your child with nutritious food in the right amounts and in an environment that will encourage them to develop positive attitudes to food.
The early years and childhood are a crucial period for development and provide an important foundation for your child’s future and wellbeing. Childcare providers are in an ideal position to help shape eating habits and to support your child to eat well.
The Tiny Tums Best Practice award is a scheme available to all registered childcare providers across North Wales. It shows that a childcare provider is committed to the health and wellbeing of your child and complies with Welsh Government Best Practice Guidance: Food & Nutrition for Childcare Settings (2018).
A Tiny Tums accredited childcare provider will help your child:
Establish good eating habits, which can continue at home
Get the right balance and range of nutrients they need for healthy growth and development
Enjoy trying new foods with friends
Learn consistent messages about food and drink
Reduce damage to their teeth by only providing tooth friendly drinks of milk and water
Develop and maintain a healthy weight
Be less likely to develop iron-deficiency anaemia and constipation
All Tiny Tums accredited childcare providers also have at least one member of staff who has attended training from Public Health Dietitians about children’s nutrition.
For a list of Tiny Tums accredited childcare providers in your area visit Tiny Tums register.
Achieving the Tiny Tums Best Practice award could not be simpler. Local Public Health Dietitians will assess your menu and food policy against criteria based on Welsh Government Best Practice Guidance: Food & Nutrition for Childcare Settings (2018). A Tiny Tums assessor will provide all the help and support needed to make any changes required in order for you to become an accredited Tiny Tums.
EXPRESS AN INTEREST
Complete the Tiny Tums Best Practice Award application form to inform your local Public Health Dietetic team that you would like to become a Tiny Tums accredited childcare provider. Alternatively, simply send an email to express your interest in the scheme.
STAFF TRAINING – SETTINGS THAT OFFER MEALS, SNACKS AND DRINKS
To become a Tiny Tums accredited childcare provider a minimum of one staff member needs to attend and complete the Agored Cymru accredited Level 2 Community Food and Nutrition Skills for the Early Years Course.
If a member of staff has already obtained this accreditation, they will need to keep up to date with attendance at refresher sessions.
STAFF TRAINING – SETTINGS THAT OFFER SNACKS AND DRINKS ONLY
To become a Tiny Tums accredited childcare provider, a minimum of one staff member needs to attend and complete the BCUHB Eating Well for Pre-School Children Course (also known as Tiny Tums Snack Training).
If a member of staff has already attended this training, they will need to keep up to date with attendance at refresher sessions.
MENUS
To meet Tiny Tums Best Practice criteria the setting is required to develop a minimum of 3 weeks of seasonal menus that meet nutrition standards.
Do not worry if your menus need some work to achieve this requirement because your Tiny Tums assessor will help and support throughout.
POLICY
The healthy eating / food and drink policy for your setting is a plan of action to ensure that everyone follows best practice and the approach to food and drink provision with children is consistent. A Tiny Tums accredited setting must have an active food and drink policy which supports key practices such as creating a positive eating environment.
DURATION
Upon satisfying all mandatory standards, the childcare provider receives the Tiny Tums Best Practice award, which is valid for a 3-year period.
Tiny Tums accredited childcare providers are listed on the Tiny Tums register.
DEWIS CYMRU
Childcare providers can display a Tiny Tums Best Practice accreditation on DEWIS. If the setting has registered with DEWIS, your Tiny Tums assessor will update your records. Prospective families will then see that your setting provides optimal food and drink for children.
RE-ACCREDITATION
Towards the expiry date of an award the setting will be contacted to start the re-accreditation process. Staff will be invited to attend refresher training if required. Menus and policies will be reassessed against current guidance.
Choosing the right childcare can feel overwhelming. The decision might depend on considerations such as location and cost. If you also want it to be somewhere that provides quality and nutritious food for healthy growth and development of your child, why not take a look at the Tiny Tums Best Practice register?
Choosing childcare is a hugely important decision for the whole family. The right childcare provider will help your child to learn, have fun and make new friends, as well as meeting all day-to-day needs and keeping them safe.
It can also be reassuring for a parent or carer to know that the setting they are considering offers food and drink that provides their child with the right balance of energy and nutrients to have healthy growth and development, to achieve a healthy weight and protect against certain diseases.
The Tiny Tums Best Practice Award shows that a childcare provider is committed to the health of your child and complies with Welsh Government (2018) Food and Nutrition Guidelines for Childcare Settings. How can you find out whether there are any Tiny Tums accredited settings or childminders near you?
Click here to visit the Dewis Cymru website to find Tiny Tums accredited childcare providers near you. Click ‘refine your search’ to look for ‘Tiny Tums’ and to enter your postcode.
Are you planning to visit a childcare setting or childminder? Look out for a Tiny Tums sticker on a window and ask to see their Tiny Tums Best Practice certificate. Make sure to check the expiry date on the certificate to make sure that the award is valid.
The best way to find out if a childcare setting or childminder has a Tiny Tums Best Practice Award is to check the Tiny Tums register. The local Public Health Dietetics team regulates the register so you can be confident that it will always be reliable and up to date.
Tiny Tums is a Best Practice award for Early Years childcare providers in North Wales.
The award, managed by NHS Public Health Dietitians, recognises and rewards excellence in childcare settings for providing food and drink that meets Welsh Government guidance.
There are two separate award categories: one for food and nutrition for 1-4 year olds and a new extension award for 0-1 years.
The introduction of complimentary foods to infants is important for physical and social development and for nutritional adequacy. As a baby grows, so do their nutritional needs. At around 6 months, they are growing and developing rapidly and need more energy and nutrients than milk alone can provide. They need to start eating solid foods to keep up with their growing needs. It is a key time to introduce babies to a range of tastes and textures as they start their journey to healthy family meals. For more information on introducing solid foods please visit the ‘You and Your Baby’ section of the BCUHB Best Start Hub.
Childcare providers play a central role in how infants are introduced to food, which can determine future eating habits and thus future health. By offering nutritious food and encouraging babies to eat well, settings can help children meet their nutritional needs and maintain a healthy weight as they grow. If babies are starting solid food when attending a setting, it is essential that carers work closely with families to make sure there is consistency between home and setting routines. Good communication and safe practice will help to support this journey to make it a smoother and more pleasurable experience for all involved.
