Overview
Every parent knows the struggle of trying to convince kids to eat healthily; it seems that the greener the food, the more they fight it. Nevertheless, making sure children get the right nutrition in their early years is of vital importance for their bone strength and cognitive development, as well as to reduce the risk of chronic disease later in life. As the awareness of the importance of healthy eating in childhood grows, so does the demand for nutritional professionals who can help children create good dietary habits that will last a lifetime. Start a new career in childcare nutrition by studying online with Oxbridge.
Studying child nutrition can open you up to a variety of careers including clinical nutrition, sports and exercise, health coaching, and many more. You don’t need any previous experience to enrol on the course, just a desire to get stuck in! You’ll cover everything from healthy eating during pregnancy, to nutritional guidelines and labelling. You’ll explore the benefits of breast and bottle feeding, the best techniques when it comes to weaning, and how to plan meals for children and adolescents as they grow. You’ll also expand your knowledge of exercise and fitness, allowing you to provide advice that focuses on whole-body health.
What you'll learn
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.
Extra info
Awarding Body
With a heritage stretching back over 150 years, NCFE is one of the largest awarding bodies in the UK. Over 340,000 students were awarded certification by NCFE last year.
NCFE Customised Qualifications are bespoke, unregulated qualifications developed to meet the specific needs of learners. These courses fit in where there are no other regulated qualifications are available. Meaning you can achieve recognition from a well-respected awarding body, even if there isn’t a pre-existing qualification in a certain subject area.
Endorsed by
Course Outcome
At the end of this course, successful learners will receive a certificate of completion and competency.
How is this course assessed or examined?
Throughout this course, you may be expected to complete assignments, essays, research projects, presentations, video/audio recordings, and practical learning sessions to meet the requirements of your course. This information will be included in your study pack detailing exactly what you need to do to accomplish your goals as a student.
Entry requirements
There are no formal entry requirements for this course, however, it is recommended that you have an intermediate ability to read and write English.
