Feeding babies and toddlers
Whether your breastfeeding, bottle feeding, or doing both, you may have questions.
Newborns
What about starting on solid food?
Local support
Infant feeding support
Lifeline and Mind, Barking and Dagenham offer a range of support sessions across the borough and online:
Infant feeding support stay and play sessions
Mondays
Village Community Hub – 1.00pm to 3.00pm (Volunteer drop-in session). Dagenham Library Family Hub – 10.00am to 12.00 noon (Appointment only).
Wednesdays
Marks Gate Family Hub – 9.30am to 11.3 0pm (Appointment only)
Thames Community Hub –1.00pm to 3.00pm
Thursdays
The White House, Becontree Estate – 12.30 to 2.30pm
Antenatal breastfeeding class
Fridays
Barking Learning Centre Family Hub – 10.00am to 11.00am . Barking Birth Centre – 10.00am to 11.00am
Online peer support
Mondays
Zoom – 7.00pm, register at lifelineprojects.co.uk/antenatal
To find out more, call
Caroline on 07354 609 137
Mary on 07762887738
Jade on 07743768192
Find us on social media at:
X – InfantFeedingg
Facebook – Lifelineprojects
Instagram – infantfeedinginitiative
TikTok – infantfeedinginitiative
Volunteers needed for Infant feeding support sessions
Would you like to support a new parent? Could you share your knowledge and experiences? Get free training and expenses paid and support your own community.
Peer supporters help mothers and families with emotional, social, and practical support for infant feeding. You’ll have clear guidelines for your role, building positive relationships, encouraging mothers with their infant feeding journey and helping them know when things are going well with feeding.
For more information, contact Caroline on 07354 609 137
NELFT infant feeding information
Infant feeding drop-in groups
We will continue Infant feeding groups in our two locations throughout August 2024 :
Wednesdays
Five Elms Health Centre, Dagenham – 1.30pm to 3.30pm
Thursdays
The Child and Family Health Centre, Barking – 10.00am to 11.30am
Introduction to Solids Workshops
We will continue the Introduction to Solids Workshop from the 15th August 2024 :
Thursday
The Child and Family Health Centre, Barking – 1.00pm to 2.00pm
To find out more:
Phone – 0300 300 1813 (NELFT duty desk)
Barking, Havering and Redbridge Hospitals’ website
Barts Health NHS Trust
Barts Health Newham and Barking breastfeeding support
Online classes for parents of babies born at Newham hospital. Learn about:
- How breastfeeding works
- Why breast milk is good for your baby
- Why skin to skin contact helps your baby and you
- When to feed your baby
- How to tell your baby is getting enough milk
- How to express and save pre-birth milk
Read this flyer for more information Barts Newham and Barking breastfeeding antenatal workshops (PDF)
Newham Baby Feeding Helpline: 07534249611
Email baby.feeding@newham.gov.uk
National Breastfeeding Helpline
Breastfeeding information and support available 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year.
The National Breastfeeding Helpline offers friendly, non-judgemental, independent, evidence based breastfeeding support and information to anyone in the UK who needs it. The helpline is provided by the Breastfeeding Network and the Association of Breastfeeding Mothers.
Antenatal Colostrum Harvesting
An online workshop for all mums interested in harvesting colostrum to give the best start to their babies.
Learning about antenatal colostrum harvesting can hugely benefit you baby ‘s health and early bonding. It involves collecting hand expressed early human milk (colostrum) in the final weeks of pregnancy.
Colostrum is known as “liquid gold” due to the vast amounts of nutrients and antibodies densely packed into the thick fluid. Every droplet can benefit a baby.
Online class via Microsoft Teams, every 2nd Friday at 11am
Find out more and book via Eventbrite.
For Barking and Dagenham residents with postcodes starting IG11 and RM9.
NHS
You can watch some short films with advice on the Start for Life YouTube channel
Feeding your baby
Feeding your baby can feel quite overwhelming at first – whether you are breastfeeding, bottle feeding or a combination of both.
Here’s lots of guidance to support you, along with hints and tips from other parents.
Breastfeeding Friend
The Breastfeeding Friend is a digital tool that has lots of useful information and advice on breastfeeding.
All the information is NHS-approved.
You can use it with Amazon Alexa, Google Home and Facebook Messenger.
Better Health Start for Life weaning advice
Weaning starts at 6 months. It means starting to feed your baby introducing solid food alongside breastmilk or formula. It can be confusing knowing when and how to start introducing solid foods. Here’s a guide through the weaning journey, explaining what it all means.
Expert NHS advice, videos, tips, and healthy weaning recipes:
Introduction to mixed feeding how to combine breast and bottle feeding.
Introducing formula feeds how to introduce formula feeds alongside breastfeeding.
How to express your breast milk tips on expressing your breast milk and how to store it safely.
Adjusting your milk supply how to manage your milk supply if you’re mixed feeding.
Mixed feeding challenges read about challenges some mothers face.
Top up feeds how to top up your baby’s feeds with formula.
Information and advice in different languages
UNICEF Resources
Here are a range of resources on infant feeding, relationship building, as well as information on common breastfeeding challenges:
Other websites and helplines
Websites
Lactation Consultants of Great Britain: Find a lactation consultant near you
Twins Trust: Feeding twins and triplets
National Childbirth Trust (NCT)
UK Association for Milk Banking
Helplines
Association of Breastfeeding Mothers – 0300 330 5453 – Open every day of the year, 9:30am to 9:30pm
La Leche League – 0345 120 2918 – Open every day of the year, 8am to 11pm
Breastfeeding Network supporter line (Bengali and Sylheti) – 0300 456 2421 – Open every day of the year, 9:30am to 9:30pm
National Childbirth Trust (NCT) – 0300 300 0700