Supporting Care-Experienced Babies and Toddlers Through Effective Nutrition Practices in the Early Years Sector

For professionals and servicesBabies and ToddlersChildren in care

25 Feb

The way that the earliest years of life shape health and overall well-being is well established in research, Welsh policy and everyday practice.

For babies and toddlers who have faced adversity, including those in foster, kinship, or adoptive families, consistent, high-quality nutritional care at home and in early years settings contribute to lifelong health and emotional well-being.

But how do practitioners turn this knowledge into daily actions that truly support children?

Read on to discover how trauma-informed nutrition transforms practice for some of our most vulnerable children. I share my experience as a Registered Nutritionist and an adoptive parent about how big feelings can show up at mealtimes and actions that can help.

The First 1000 Days Age Range: Where Nutrition Meets Attachment and Regulation

Good nutrition is a key pillar of the first 1,000 days framework, shaping brain development, immune function, growth, emotional well-being and later physical and mental health.

In the first two years of life, every feed or meal is an opportunity for nourishment, an attachment interaction and an emotional regulation opportunity. When feeding happens reliably, the little one’s nutritional needs are met and their brain neural pathways develop based on the expectation that when an adult provides food, they experience fullness and can feel calm again.

Nutrition and Care‑affected Families

For babies and toddlers in care or adopted, this crucial period may have been shaped by a range of experiences that impact nutrition and feeding interactions with caregivers:

Pre‑birth exposure to stress, trauma, alcohol use, substance use or maternal under‑nutrition
Early experiences of neglect, instability or inconsistent caregiving.
Parental finances or housing conditions may limit the availability or access to infant formula or nutritious and appropriate foods.
Multiple transitions between birth family, foster care, kinship or adoptive families.

Impact on Feeding Experiences and Behaviour

Such experiences can shape how a child receives feeding, the introduction of solid foods, and their ability to recognise hunger and fullness. For some, mealtimes may be accompanied by strong emotions: fear of not getting enough to eat, confusion due to inconsistent rules across different environments, or distress when food is removed. These factors may also affect their tolerance for waiting and how they experience transitions in childcare settings.

This may look like:

Very fast feeding, overeating beyond the point of fullness, and preoccupation with food running out.
Distress during mealtimes, even if more food is forthcoming, and strong reactions to associated changes in routines, caregivers, or the environment.
Selectivity with food, a restricted diet, or anxiety about trying new foods.
Wishing to control what they eat.

Reflective Practice

By recognising how past adversity can influence a child's behaviour and experiences around feeding, we are encouraged to ask: “What might this little one have already learned about food, and how can we provide a more supportive, nurturing and nutritious experience here?”

Creating Thoughtful Food Environments

Childcare settings help build a sense of predictability and safety through how they plan, talk about and carry out feeding. Children explore food best when they feel secure and connected to the adult and setting providing it.

Key supportive principles include:

Safety and predictability

Keep feeding routines as consistent as possible: similar times, similar order of care.
Ensure that the same key workers feed or are present during mealtimes, especially when babies and toddlers first come to the setting or when there has been recent change.
Create a calm environment at mealtimes.
View the feed / meal as a transition and prepare in a developmentally appropriate way.

Trust and attunement

Responsive feeding: watch closely for early hunger and fullness cues and adjust pace accordingly.
Support trusting relationships with Early Years Practitioners and healthier eating behaviours by avoiding pressure to eat certain foods or amounts.
Use warm verbal and non‑verbal communication during feeding.

Age-appropriate feeding that meets dietary requirements

In line with the Welsh Government Best Practice Standards for Food and Nutrition in Childcare Settings and in accordance with current dietary recommendations:

Safely prepare and handle breast milk and formula, and provide a calm, responsive feeding environment for babies.
Work collaboratively with parents and carers to support the introduction of solid foods.
Ensure that all meals and snacks provided are nutritious and well-balanced.
Respect and accommodate each child's cultural background, medical requirements, and individual dietary needs.

Choice, control and collaboration

For older infants, offer simple choices and involve them in food routines: two bibs to choose from, a choice of which food to try first, allow them to bring plates to the table.
Two-way communication: involve carers in planning feeding: asking “What does feeding look like at home right now? What helps?” and be consistent with what already works.

Respect families’ culture around food, mealtimes and feeding practices.
Keep notes on how much is eaten, preferences, emotions and triggers that can be shared with families and professionals to support continuity.
Show understanding in booklets for parents and carers by acknowledging that starting nursery, changing rooms, or shifts in family life can temporarily unsettle babies and toddlers at mealtimes, and the collaborative approach that the setting uses.

Supporting staff development

Have feeding policies that bring together the Welsh Government Best Practice Guidance Nutrition Standards for childcare settings with trauma‑informed principles.
Use the key person approach to feeding to offer a steady anchor, including this as part of role descriptions.

Start supportive conversations with carers and parents if changes have been noticed.
Embed trauma‑informed reflection into staff training, induction and supervision.

A Family’s Story

Our daughter came to us as a baby. By the time I returned to work, we felt she was ready to start in a day nursery with careful introductions.

It was at mealtimes that her difficulties around transitions emerged most clearly. Her key worker noticed that she would refuse to come to the table or become upset as the plates were served. She always ate something but had distinct likes and dislikes.

The descriptions of how she behaved and what food was offered, helped us recognise together that it was not just typical fussy eating but activating feelings around a change in environment and carer.

Together, we planned strategies to build her sense of security at nursery:

Having her key worker close by.

Extra preparation time and use of visual cues.

Acknowledging and validating her feelings, using gentle re-assurance.

Using her comforter as a transitional object.

Sharing with us not only what and how much she ate but her emotions during mealtimes to help us work together.

Conclusion

By intentionally weaving trauma-informed nutrition into daily food routines, practitioners in Early Years Settings create environments where every child feels safe, valued, and supported, especially those who have experienced early adversity. Early Years Practitioners are already putting these approaches into practice, striving to create nurturing environments that foster both physical and emotional well-being.

I’m always happy to talk and share resources with settings or services who want to embed trauma-informed nutrition into their practice. Visit my services for professionals page for more information or you can get in touch through my contact form.