We all know how important milk is as part of a baby’s diet. To start with, it is the only part of their diet, a way of filling little tummies throughout the day and night.

Later it becomes a drink that can all too easily be replaced with water, juice or other drinks. Over time, the contribution that milk makes to a child’s daily food intake becomes less and less.

But milk remains an important way of helping children get their required daily amount of calcium throughout childhood and beyond, the importance of calcium for kids is great because calcium continues to accumulate and strengthen bones even after they have stopped growing, helping to prevent weak bones and conditions such as osteoporosis in later life.

Of course, there are also many other good sources of calcium. For those children who prefer not to drink cow’s milk, calcium-enriched soya milk and yoghurts are also good ways to get calcium into the diet, as are dried fruit, seeds, fish and dark green, leafy vegetables.

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Breastfeeding is cool. Except for the way in which it limits one’s wardrobe.

When I was breastfeeding my baby girl, practicality ensured that more than half the clothes I own were off limits.

And I am not a fan of practical dressing. Neither am I a fan of ‘breastfeeding attire’ – nothing ever suits my vibe. So I sacrificed my style for ten months.

BUT, and I am very happy to report this BUT, designer Liz Jeans has launched a funky, retro-style breastfeeding range. The long and short-sleeved T-shirts are pretty simple in style but feature amazing graphics, which totally ups the ‘cool mum’ factor.

The tees are two shirts in one. The top t-shirt is just like a regular tee, and below is a hidden under vest with nursing openings on both sides.

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Two lovely ladies from the US are in the process of selling their idea of a new portable high chair as a solution for active families with small children

Kim Strong and Jamye Baker have put a toddler twist on the lightweight, foldable chairs available in most department and discount stores.

The new portable high chair looks sort of like one of those nifty, fold-up canvas ‘camping chairs’ that have become so popular in recent times. It differs in that it is suited for children from 4 to 18 months and includes an attached tray.

The chair is called ‘Ciao! Baby’ and its inventors want to take it global.

Kim Strong, whose youngest child was 6 months when the inspiration for the chair was birthed, began contemplating alternatives to towing her baby’s high chair “from home to Grammy’s and back” week after week.

“It was so big and bulky and took up so much space,” she said. “I thought there has to be a better way.”

Kim and Jamye recently debuted the new portable high chair at the ninth annual ABC (All Baby & Child) Kids Expo at the Kentucky Exposition Centre in the US.

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Did anyone watch Jamie’s American Food Revolution (it was on tele last year)?

If you didn’t, here’s the just: after celeb chef Jamie Oliver successfully led a campaign to change unhealthy diets and poor cooking habits for the better in the UK, he was inspired to take on the big ol’ U.S of A. Hence the introduction of a series that followed the attempts of the Naked Chef to lead a protest against processed foods in the schools that populated the town of Hunington, supposedly the “fattest town in America”.

What Jamie’s campaign revealed about many of the children in the town, both younger and older, is that very few know what vegetables are and where they come from. Jamie questioned a class of first graders who had literally no clue.

This is information that I assumed all children just knew. The show reminded me that, actually, children don’t just know. If a toddler’s eating habits include never ever eaten a tomato – at home or at school – how will they know what it is?

In a recent survey by Opinion Matters, it was revealed that toddlers’ eating habits are ‘more burgers than broccoli.’ According to the figures, 60 per cent of toddlers (aged one to three) have been to a fast food restaurant and the vast majority of toddlers questioned had tried chips (86%), pizza (80%) and chicken nuggets (68%).

This echoes previous data from the Infant and Toddler Forum, which revealed 29 per cent of toddlers eat a takeaway once a week and that 81% of toddlers are regularly given ready-made adults foods likely to be high in fat, sugar and salt.

Scary. But wait…

Favourite meals of the one to three year olds surveyed included spaghetti bolognaise, chicken and shepherd’s pie but also Chinese takeaway, McDonald’s, chips and pizza.

Six out of ten mums surveyed for the study said they were unaware of the UK Departments of Health recommendation that toddlers should receive a daily supplement containing vitamins A, C and D and responses showed 74% of toddlers are not given these extra vitamins.

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HiPP Organic is currently on the ball with a host of new additions to its organic baby food range. And I am certainly not complaining.

The brand’s Little Nibbles snack range is the latest to expand, and the new products have been enhanced with eye-catching cartoon characters that aim to encourage young ones to experiment with new flavours and textures. This is a great way on how to encourage self-feeding.

So what delicious snacks can your little one expect mummy to dish out?

* The new melt-in-the-mouth Squiggly Corn Puffs are HiPP’s latest first finger food for babies from 7 months upwards, specially developed to encourage them to chew and feed themselves. The newly inspired Squiggly variety is entirely free from all nasties with a purely natural taste.

* The all natural Fruit Bars with Cereal have also joined the HiPP Organic Little Nibbles snack range, available in two different varieties; ‘Plum & Apple’ and ‘Peach & Apple’. With no added sugar, each fruit bar contains 50% organic fruit and four different organic cereals, suitable from 12 months onwards. These handy sized bars are also sold individually, making them the ideal snack when out-and-about!

* For those Elephant Biscuit lovers out there, you’ll be pleased to know that HiPP have tweaked their existing recipe to make them even tastier. Not only are they now free from added sugar, but they have also introduced organic apple juice for a sweeter flavour. These distinctive elephant shaped biscuits are perfectly sized for little hands to hold onto, providing important top up nourishment for tiny tummies, as a convenient snack. Suitable from 12 months onwards.

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