Early years toolkit health and wellbeing

The EYFS states ‘The provider must promote the good health, including the oral health, of children attending the setting’. The resources below will support you in this responsibility.

The following document supports practitioners to manage cases of infectious diseases in children and young people.

Health Protection in children and young people settings, including education (GOV.UK) 

These useful posters are a great visual reminder of how to keep children free from infectious diseases.

Should I keep my child off school poster (GOV.UK)

Guidance on infection control in schools and other childcare settings poster (Public Health)

For further advice on infectious diseases please contact UKHSA West Midlands Health Protection Team on 0344 225 3560.

Head lice

Head lice are very common in young children due to them often playing in close proximity to others. Children should not be excluded for head lice and instead parents supported to address the problem effectively.

Head lice and nits NHS advice

Accidents

Children will naturally have bumps and scrapes as they physically develop and start to explore the world. The Child Accident Prevention Trust (CAPT) is the UK’s leading charity working to reduce the number of children and young people killed, disabled, or seriously injured in accidents. The link below will take you straight to the CAPT website where there is a comprehensive collection of resources to support practitioners and parents in keeping their children safe from harm.

Child Accident Prevention Trust | A safer world for all our children (capt.org.uk)

Toileting

Toileting can be a challenging part of a child’s development which requires patience and understanding. Every child is different, so it is important that we are supporting this life skill sensitively and working collaboratively with parents. ERIC is a children’s bowel and bladder charity  who do just this. They offer support and advice for professionals and parents and have a help line to discuss specific issues. Resources are fabulous and age appropriate for early years children and above.

ERIC: The children’s bowel and bladder charity

Staying safe in hot weather

Although we all enjoy those sunnier days, hot weather can be distressing to both children and practitioners. The government have produced guidance on how to adapt practice during spells of extreme hot weather. Please also find guidance written by the NHS in regard to sun safety.

Looking after children and those in early years settings during heatwaves (GOV.UK)

Sunscreen and sun safety: NHS advice

Safer sleeping

Safer sleeping is a topic that we all worry about in our position as both practitioner and parent. The EYFS states:

‘Sleeping children must be frequently checked to ensure that they are safe. Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Being safe includes ensuring that cots and bedding are in good condition and suited to the age of the child, and that infants are placed down to sleep safely in line with latest government safety guidance. ’Reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

The lullaby trust also offers advice to help educate families.

The Lullaby Trust - Safer sleep for babies, Support for families.

Working closely with children and families we are perfectly placed to support children in developing good mental health through the nurturing of positive relationships within the family home and our  settings.

The Childrens commissioner website provides a wealth of information on children’s rights and valuing their voice. This recent report considers mental health in the early years.

The importance of mental healthcare in the early years (Children's Commissioner for England)

To support your teams in supporting children’s mental health Anna Freud have developed a range of resources suitable to use with early years children.

Resources for Early Years Wellbeing & Mental Health (Early Years in Mind)

Words for life is a website which has a suggested list of books to share with your children from birth to 12 years old. Children's books for mental health (Words for Life)

The BBC have put together some resources to help children relax and be mindful of the world around them. Mental Health Awareness (CBeebies)

Good nutrition in the early years sets the foundation for future health and well-being. It can also positively influence; concentration, cognitive development, physical development, behaviour and long-term future health. The resources below will help your setting value and prioritise good nutrition and support you in sharing these important messages with children and families.

Babies

Good nutrition starts even before a child is born. Start for life is a NHS website offering advice and guidance for a healthy and happy baby during pregnancy, birth and parenthood. Please also find the NHS inform website to signpost to families.

Start for Life (NHS)

NHS inform: Ready steady baby!

NCT is a charity whose primary aim is to help parents feel confident, connected and safe. There website has an array of resources to support parents from birth onwards and has a great section on breast feeding and weaning.

The Healthy start scheme offers families help to purchase milk, food and vitamins. This is open to anyone who is receiving universal credit and is 10 weeks pregnant and/or has a child under 4 years old.

Toddlers

The Eatwell guide is a great tool to share with your parents and to also consider when planning snacks and meals for your provision.

Eatwell guide poster a gentle visual reminder on how to create a balanced diet.

Feeling frustrated, why not try out some of these pre-planned balanced meals designed to tantalise the tastebuds of your early years children. Example menus for early years settings (GOV.UK)

Fussy eating is one of the most common concerns for parents, yet it is quite normal for toddlers to refuse to eat or even taste new foods. It is our role to reassure and support, the following guidance shares parents experiences of fussy eaters and is easy to take in as in video form Guidance on managing fussy eaters (NHS)

Complications

Childhood obesity is an issue facing many countries and is known to negatively affect children’s long-term health and well-being. In 2016 nearly a quarter of children in England were obese or overweight by the time they left primary school and in response the UK government made a commitment to halve childhood obesity rates by 2030. The early years sector are crucial to this plan and best placed to educate both children and families in making healthy choices.

Read here Public Health guidance in regard to childhood obesity Advice for Early years: Supporting healthy weight and nutrition (GOV.UK)

Safefood: Advice on portion sizes Understanding correct portion sizes for differing ages can support a healthy and balanced diet.

The British nutrition foundation is a great website which uses reliable science based information to support healthy diets through the stages of life. British nutrition foundation.

Using real foods in play has caused much debate over the years, particularly when many families are living in food poverty. However we must also consider the growing number of children who eat little or no vegetables. Sensory food education is supported by the DfE who recognise the benefits of children broadening their food preferences through the sensory exploration of foods. It is recommended that all early years settings include sensory food education within their curriculum. For further support take a look at the TastEd website.

The EYFS para. 3.48 states, ‘before a child is admitted to the setting the provider must also obtain information about any special dietary requirements, preferences and food allergies that the child has, and any special health requirements’. Please find some useful links below for managing food safety and allergies.

Food safety: Help for early years providers

Allergen guidance for food businesses: Food Standards Agency

Early years choking hazards poster: Food Standards Agency

The EYFS sets the standards that all early years providers must meet to ensure that all children learn and develop well and are kept healthy and safe. Physical health refers to the condition of one’s body and can affect our long-term health, life expectancy and well-being.

Physical activity

Physical activity is the perfect way to improve the condition of our bodies and to help us maintain a healthy weight. In 2019 the UK’s chief medical officers produced physical activity guidelines to promote children’s activity both in settings and at home.

UK chief medical officers physical activity guidelines (GOV.UK)

Physical activity for early years poster (GOV.UK)

Physical activity guidelines for children (under 5 years) (NHS)

Physical activity guidance for children and young people: 5 to 18 years (GOV.UK)

Physical activity guidelines for disabled children and disabled young people (GOV.UK)

Oral health

The EYFS requests providers promote good health to include oral health. This is in response to a 2022 Public Health England survey which concluded 11% of 3 years olds in England have visible tooth decay. How you do this will be dependent on your setting and the needs of your children and families. Please find some useful links below to help with this.

The DfE have produced guidance to settings on what the promotion of good dental health may look like. Oral health: Help for providers

Dental buddy is a free educational program for early years and beyond. Dental buddy program: Oral health foundation

This handy video is a great resource to share with parents: Dr Ranj: How to care for the teeth of children 3-6 years

Finally signpost parents to NHS advice on how to support good oral health. Childrens teeth: NHS

Eye tests

It is recommended that babies and young children have regular eye tests as they may not know or be able to tell you if they have a vision problem. Routine tests therefore ensure any issues are picked up quickly and efficiently.

The NHS has a dedicated webpage on Eye tests for children

Going for an eye test maybe a daunting experience for young children. This video helps us talk to children about caring for our eyes. Dr Ranj: learning about your eyes