Nutrition & Wellness

Nourishing Little Bodies & Growing Minds

At Little Cherubs, mealtimes are happy, social occasions where children and staff come together to share conversation, laughter and learning. Our practitioners sit with the children, modelling positive eating behaviours, good table manners and meaningful interaction.
Meal and snack times are valuable learning opportunities.

Children are encouraged to:

• Make independent food choices
• Serve themselves where appropriate
• Pour drinks
• Develop self-feeding skills

These everyday experiences help build confidence, coordination and independence.

Freshly Prepared, Balanced & Diverse

All meals and snacks are freshly prepared on site each day using our carefully planned seasonal menus. Our menus have been redesigned by Louise, whose knowledge and creativity ensure children receive a nutritionally balanced and diverse range of meals.

We celebrate cultural diversity by incorporating flavours and dishes from around the world, encouraging children to explore new tastes and experiences.

Meals are thoughtfully adapted to meet individual dietary, cultural and allergy requirements. Detailed allergen cards are available for every meal and can be viewed at any time.

Fresh drinking water is available throughout the nursery day and served with all meals and snacks.

Eat Better, Start Better

Our menus meets the voluntary Eat Better, Start Better food and drink guidelines and has been reviewed by the Early Start Nutrition team to ensure it is nutritionally balanced while reflecting dietary and cultural needs.

All Little Cherubs practitioners have completed the Early Start Nutrition – EYFS Food & Nutrition Training for Infants & Toddlers, developed and approved by award-winning registered nutritionists.
Our team has a strong understanding of:

• Developing healthy eating habits in the early years
• Structured meal and snack routines
• The principles of the Eat Better, Start Better guidelines
• Appropriate portion sizes
• Drinks and suitable cups
• Vitamin recommendations

We provide breakfast, lunch and tea daily, alongside healthy mid-morning and afternoon snacks. Children are offered cold milk or fresh water with their meals.

Whilst we focus on healthy eating, we warmly welcome birthday celebrations — recognising these special moments builds self-esteem and confidence.

Free milk & formula entitlement

As a full day nursery, we provide:

• 189ml (1/3 pint) of free cows’ milk per child per day
• Oat and soya milk alternatives for children with allergies
• Free formula milk (from our approved list) for babies up to 12 months

Baby Meals

During the weaning journey, our practitioners work in close partnership with parents to carefully monitor new foods and allergens. Each stage of development is reviewed and recorded collaboratively with parent input, ensuring babies build confidence with tastes, textures and self-feeding at a pace that is right for them.

We recognise that every child’s weaning journey is unique, and no child is ever rushed through the process. By working closely with families and maintaining open communication, we ensure parents feel fully confident and reassured about their child’s weaning experience while in our care

All staff are thoughtfully deployed throughout the baby room and during mealtimes to ensure safe, attentive and robust practice. This ensures high levels of supervision, meaningful interaction and consistent care.

Our baby provision is carefully tailored to each child’s developmental stage:

• Babies are seated safely in highchairs or stable sitters
• Practitioners feed at the child’s level, using warm facial expressions and verbal encouragement
• Meals are prepared according to stage: purée, mashed, lumpy, textured or Baby led weaning
• New foods and allergens are introduced in partnership with parents and carefully recorded
• Babies are encouraged to explore finger foods and self-feeding when developmentally ready

We create calm, nurturing feeding experiences that support nutrition, independence and strong attachments, laying the foundations for positive eating habits for life.

Health & Wellbeing

Promoting Healthy Attitudes for Life

Healthy eating, emotional wellbeing and positive relationships are woven throughout our curriculum through play, planned activities and meaningful experiences.

At Little Cherubs, we are committed to nurturing happy, healthy and confident children — giving them the very best start in life.

Supporting Emotional Growth

At Little Cherubs, we believe wellbeing is the foundation for learning. When children and adults feel emotionally secure and supported, they thrive. Promoting positive mental health for children, staff and families creates a nurturing, balanced and purposeful nursery environment.

Each room includes a dedicated calm and relaxation area with books and sensory resources. Through carefully planned activities and daily routines, children are supported to:

• Recognise and name their emotions
• Develop emotional literacy
• Practise calming strategies
• Follow shared rules and boundaries created together

Our practitioners use consistent positive behaviour approaches and provide one-to-one or small group support when children need additional emotional guidance. Teaching children how to understand and regulate their emotions from an early age supports them for life.

Yoga & Mindfulness

At Little Cherubs, we recognise the importance of supporting both emotional wellbeing and physical development as part of children’s everyday learning.

We have dedicated Mindfulness Ambassadors who embed mindfulness practices across all age groups. Techniques are carefully tailored to each room, helping children develop emotional awareness, calmness and self-regulation skills in age-appropriate ways

Taking time to pause, breathe and reflect helps children develop positive mental wellbeing and emotional resilience.

Yoga Sessions

Our toddler pre-school children enjoy weekly yoga sessions delivered by Beam Academy Yoga (formerly Yogabugs) as an enriching extra-curricular experience.

These sessions introduce children to gentle movement, stretching and breathing techniques in a fun and engaging way, helping to improve:

• Balance and coordination
• Body awareness
• Concentration
• Relaxation and mindfulness
  

Sports 4 Tots

To further support physical development, Sports 4 Tots visit our Pre-School children twice a week for a 30-minute structured sports session.

This award-winning multi-sport programme introduces children to a wide variety of sports and physical skills through exciting and engaging activities.

The sessions are structured, educational and above all fun, helping children develop both physical and social skills.

Activities focus on developing:

• Agility
• Balance
• Coordination
• Communication and listening
• Sharing and teamwork

Lessons also include colour recognition, counting and imaginative association games using animals and characters to keep children engaged and motivated.

The programme supports children’s physical and cognitive development while aligning with the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and meeting the expectations of Ofsted and the National Curriculum.

Wellness Ambassadors

Staff wellbeing is essential to delivering the highest quality outcomes for children.

Little Cherubs proudly has a team of trained Wellness Ambassadors who:

• Hold the FutureQuals Level 2 Award in Mental Health: Workplace Responder
• Promote positive attitudes towards mental health in the workplace
• Support colleagues and line managers
• Provide a confidential listening ear

Their role helps ensure our nursery remains a positive, supportive and emotionally aware working environment.

Staff Wellbeing Hub

As a company, we have introduced a dedicated Wellbeing Hub via Perkbox, providing staff with a comprehensive catalogue of mental and physical health resources.

This includes:

• Financial wellbeing guidance
• Nutritional advice
• Meditation podcasts
• Healthy meal preparation ideas and recipes
• Mental health support
• Access to free counselling sessions
• Access to GP appointments

By equipping our team with practical tools and professional support, we empower them to feel confident, balanced and at their very best — because when our staff thrive, so do our children.

For additional mental health support, please contact:

Samaritans: 116 123
NHS: 111