Child Nutrition Level 3

Unit one will teach you the nutritional requirements as children grow and develop, gaining an understanding of macronutrients and micronutrients, as well as other beneficial components of food. You’ll know the principles of a balanced diet, and how to provide nutritional adequacy. You’ll also learn social and cultural influences on food, such an advertising and religion. Finally, this unit will consider childhood obesity levels, and the factors that may cause it.

Secondly, you will focus on the nutritional needs of parents during pre-conception, including how nutritional choices may affect fertility or aid conception. You’ll learn the nutritional advice offered to women during pregnancy and how to plan for a diet that includes the nutrients that are commonly deficit prior to conception. You’ll also cover special dietary requirements for some women during pregnancy, including gestational diabetes and other common dietary problems during pregnancy.

This unit focuses on nutritional needs of infants during the first year of life. You’ll learn about the how to support families who are feeding their baby by breast or by bottle, as well as the nutritional guidelines that go along with that. You’ll learn the development of infants and weaning guidelines from the age of 6 to 12 months, and the process of weaning children onto solid food. You will also consider the common feeding problems in infancy, such as colic.

This unit will build your understanding of nutritional needs of children in pre-school, primary and adolescent age groups based on national guidance. You will consider how to plan for the range of meals and snacks for children as well as discover some interesting strategies to encourage healthy eating in those picky eaters.

It is estimated that around 1.25 million people have an eating disorder in the UK, this final unit you’ll be able to draw upon your knowledge to develop further understanding of the specialist nutritional needs for children who have a variety of special nutritional needs including chronic illness, allergies and eating disorders. You’ll learn how a range of eating disorders affect children and young people and how you can support them and aid their recovery. You’ll look closely at allergies and intolerances, to ensure that the nutrition is substituted in other foods.