HV2 Feeding your baby and child

There are more factors to consider when feeding your twins or multiples. It is still possible to exclusively breastfeed them but you might need to plan ahead more than other new families.

Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding your twins or multiples provides you and them with lots of health benefits and contributes to you building a positive and loving foundation.

For multiples that are born prematurely, breastfeeding can be especially important; it can help protect them against various infections and provide them with hormones, nutrients and growth factors to help them grow and develop.

Breastfeeding also saves you time as you don’t need to regularly prepare and sterilise bottles.

Expressing

Learning how to express your milk by hand or breast pump is a useful skill to learn. It helps you target blocked ducts, relieve engorgement and it means your partner can feed one of your babies using a bottle and it still gets lots of benefits from your milk.

Ask your midwife or health visitor to show you how to hand express.

If your multiples are premature, they may not be able to feed directly from the breast. Expressing your milk can provide them with breastmilk and can help you establish and maintain a supply.

When to feed

Regardless of what type of milk you give your baby, try and feed them when they show feeding cues (e.g. when they move their head from side to side or suck on their hands). You can also breastfeed when your breasts feel full, you want to sit down and cuddle or if a baby is distressed.

If one baby needs feeding, some parents use this as an opportunity to feed both babies, whereas other families prefer to feed one baby and then the next.

For more information on feeding your multiples, please see information from the Multiple Births Foundation and the Twins and Multiple Births Association.

Introducing solids is a big step in your baby’s development and it’s fun exploring new flavours and textures together.

When to start solid foods

Your baby gets all the fluid, nutrients and energy they need  from breast milk or formula - this is why it’s best to hold off introducing solids until they are around six months old. Their organs, in particular their gut, are developmentally ready at this time. Introducing solids at around six months will reduce the likelihood of baby developing eczema, asthma, hay fever and food allergies.

How to introduce solid foods

Babies don’t need three meals a day at first, so you can start by offering them a small amount, at a time that suits you both. A good time to start is when baby is relaxed and not too hungry.

Finger foods and baby led weaning

Your baby can have a wide range of foods as soon as solids are introduced. Try introducing a range of soft finger foods. This could include various vegetables, fruit, carbohydrates such as potatoes or pasta, eggs, lentils and pulses and more.

Within a few months, your baby will also be able to manage harder foods like toast or strips of meat or fish.

Family foods

From six months you can also introduce family foods and encourage your baby to self-feed with their hands. Don’t worry about if they cause a mess, it’s normal and an important part of their learning!

If you do give family foods, these can have the same texture as your meals or it can be pureed. Do not add salt if you are giving family foods.

Introducing family meals and a range of finger foods can be a good way to introduce a range of tastes and textures. This supports your baby’s learning about food and helps them get a range of nutrients.

Cups and beakers for babies

It is a good  idea to introduce a cup or beaker from around 6 months and offer sips of water with meals when you start introducing solids to your baby’s diet.

An open cup or a free-flow cup without a valve will help them learn to sip and is better for their teeth. It can be messy at first but slowly your baby will learn how to drink from an open cup.

From the age of 12 months they should be discouraged from drinking from a bottle. When using a bottle or trainer cup nothing other than breast milk, formula milk or water should be used. It is best to use cups that are free flowing, so that there is no need to ‘suck’. Sucking drinks from a teat or spout means the drink spends more time in contact with the teeth and this can lead to dental problems such as tooth decay.

Remember, the only drinks that are recommended for babies in the first year are breast milk or an appropriate infant formula and water.

Purees

In general, there is no need to introduce purees or mashed foods but some families might choose to introduce these, either on their own or alongside finger foods. If you choose to give purees, try to make them at home rather than buying them. Shop-bought baby foods often have a high water content and poor nutritional value.

How much food to give?

Don’t worry if your baby doesn’t seem to eat much. It’s normal for babies to just have a few mouthfuls throughout the day. They will still get all their nutrition from their milk feeds.

Gradually, you’ll be able to increase the amount and variety of food your baby eats. By 12 months, many babies will be having three meals a day and enjoying a wide range of tastes and textures.

Important

• Always stay with your baby when they’re eating in case they choke.
• Always halve whole grapes and strawberries before giving them.
• Do not give hard chunks of foods such as raw apple or carrot, and small hard foods such as nuts and popcorn.
• Always remove any pips, stones or tough skin.
• Your local children’s centre might have infant first aid classes that can build your confidence with this.

Further reading

UNICEF Start4Life guide to introducing solid foods

NHS Your baby’s first solid foods for advice on how to start solid foods and feeding your baby ad different ages.

The First Steps Nutrition Trust for healthy eating for infants, oder children and mums.

Find out more about our Best Start with HENRY workshops.

View our HENRY timetable.

 

From 12 months of age your baby should be eating three meals a day, containing a variety of healthy and nutritious foods. They may also need two snacks in between meals - stick to things like fruit, vegetable sticks, toast or plain yoghurt.

Every day your baby should be having all of the main food groups - carbohydrates or starchy foods (such as bread, rice, potatoes and pasta), protein (such as beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat), fruits and vegetables and some dairy or dairy alternatives (such as yoghurt or cheese or milk).

The NHS Eatwell Guide  is for anyone older than 2 years and will help you and your family eat a healthy and balanced diet. It shows how much of what we eat should come from each food group.

Breastfeeding, milk and other drinks

You can keep breastfeeding for as long as you and your baby would like. There’s no need to offer toddler milks or growing-up milks.

From one year of age, your baby can have pasteurised whole (full-fat) cows’ milk, goats’ or sheep’s milk. From two years old, if your toddler is a good eater and growing well, they can have semi-skimmed milk.

If you choose to get a plant-based milk alternative (such as one made from soya, nut, oat, coconut or hemp), always ensure that is unsweetened and enriched with calcium.

Plain water is the best drink at mealtimes. Avoid sugary drinks as these can cause tooth decay. If you do chose to give your child fruit juice, dilute it 10 parts water to one part juice.

It is particularly important that rice milk alternative is not given to children under the age of 5 years, as it has been shown to contain traces of arsenic. Avoid organic milk alternatives as these do not usually have added calcium.

Free vitamins

FREE vitamins are available for all pregnant women, new mothers and children up to the age of four in Hackney and the City.

If you live in Hackney and the City or visit your GP here, you can claim your free Healthy Start vitamins simply and easily by visiting your local children’s centre or pharmacy.

Why are vitamins important?

Vitamins are essential nutrients that your body needs to maintain good health. Although we can get lots of vitamins from a healthy balanced diet, this is not enough for young children, new mums and pregnant women.

Healthy Start women’s vitamin tablets contain:

• folic acid: prevents complications or birth defects when taken during pregnancy
• vitamin C: for healthy tissue in the body
• vitamin D: absorbs calcium and supports your baby’s bones to become strong and healthy

Healthy Start children’s vitamin drops contain:

• vitamin D: for strong bones and teeth
• vitamin C: for healthy tissue in the body
• vitamin A: for growth, vision in dim light and healthy skin

If your baby is formula fed they will not need extra vitamins until they are drinking less than about a pint of formula milk a day (500ml or about 18 fl oz).

How to collect free vitamins?

Simply complete this registration form and bring it to your nearest Children’s Centre strategic hub or community pharmacy in Hackney and participating pharmacies in the City of London.

See list of participating child and family centres, and community pharmacies distributing in City and Hackney, visit NHS Choices.

Every 8 weeks, come back for more!

Vitamins are suitable for vegetarian and halal diets, and free from milk, egg, gluten, soya and peanut residue.