Feeding your baby and child
As parents, we want the best for our children, but it's not always easy to know what they need to grow or to make healthy family choices. There isn’t only one way to bring up healthy children, and each family is unique and needs to discover what works best for them, but with so much conflicting advice it can be hard to know what to do for the best as a parent, especially in the early years.
At the Family Hubs we run a number of sessions and workshops to empower you with the skills and tools you need to help get your little one off to a great start.
These include:
- Starting Solids
- Portion Sizes
- Fussy Eating
Check out the timetable for your local Family Hub for details of when the next workshop is.
Lewisham Health Visiting Service also has a range of support available to help you with feeding your baby and young child: Feeding your baby and introducing solid food
Infant Feeding Support Groups
You can drop-in to an Infant Feeding Support Group at a variety of different locations around the borough. At these groups you will get support from Health Visiting staff and peer support from other parents. Follow this link for the full list - https://myhv.lgt.nhs.uk/page/breastfeeding/
If you have concerns about any aspects of your baby's feeding and wish to speak to a Health Visitor, you can dial one of the numbers below between Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm:
There are a number of national helplines that you can also call for support with infant feeding:
- National Breastfeeding Helpline – 0300 100 0212, open from 9.30am-9.30pm every single day of the year
- National Childbirth Trust (NCT) Helpline – 0300 330 0700, open every day from 8am – midnight, including Bank Holidays.
- La Leche League National Helpline – 0345 1202918 open from 8am – 11pm, 365 days a year
You can also access support 24 hours here day from the digital Breastfeeding Friend. Click here for further information: Breastfeeding Friend From Start for Life | Google Home | Start for Life (www.nhs.uk)
Helpful information to support you with formula feeding is available here: https://myhv.lgt.nhs.uk/page/bottle-feeding/