Nutrition at Guardian: Supporting Healthy Appetites

We know that food and nutrition are such important parts of your child’s journey.

To support families, we’ve created our Nutrition for Life Cookbook, a gift we share when you tour one of our centres. Inside, you’ll find answers to common questions about introducing different foods, along with helpful tips to make mealtimes easier at home.

Here’s some insights from our Chefs and Cooks, and how we bring these to life each day.

Balanced Meals for Growing Bodies

Our Chefs and Cooks carefully balance nutrition and taste in every meal. Using the Australian Government’s Eat for Health guidelines, they tailor portion sizes to ensure children get exactly what their growing bodies need.

The guide below shows how much children should eat from each food group, based on their age.

How We Handle Food Allergies

Our teams are highly trained to manage food allergies safely. Our Chefs and Cooks go through special training to understand everything about allergies, including certain foods, preparation, and alternative ingredients for children with dietary needs. They work closely with families to understand each child’s needs.

When planning menus, they make sure to avoid allergens and prepare meals with care to avoid any accidental exposure. If there’s ever an allergy emergency, our teams are trained in first aid and know exactly what to do.

Supporting Every Stage of Your Baby’s Food Journey

Our youngest children are supported through our Baby Nourish and Nurture programs. Meals are made to feel just like home, supporting every stage of their development.

With unique tools like our First Foods Passport, families can follow their baby’s journey from smooth purees to new flavours and textures – we build positive early food experiences with your baby, working in partnership with you.

Every stage is important – here’s how we introduce foods to match each stage of your baby’s growth.

It’s perfectly normal for babies to need a few tries before they enjoy new flavours and textures, so patience and persistence help make mealtimes positive.

Baby’s First Foods

Signs Your Baby Is Ready for Solids

You can be confident your baby is ready to start solid foods when they are doing the following:

• Sit up with good head and neck control
• Get excited when you or your family are eating
• They have lost the tongue-thrust reflex
• They are opening their mouth when food or a spoon touches their lips

Supporting fussy eaters

It’s normal for children to be picky with food. Our Chefs and Cooks encourage children to try new flavours while ensuring they’re getting the nutrition they need.

Do you have a picky eater in your family? At home, keep mealtimes relaxed, offer small portions, avoid pressure, limit distractions and include lots of variety!

Book a tour at your local Guardian centre to meet our team and learn more about how we support your child’s nutrition – and get our Cookbook as your tour gift!