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Keeping your Child Nourished
Good Nutrition Begins Before Birth
Good nutrition for the unborn is highly dependant upon a mother's well-being. That is why it is so important to be sure you eat right, get enough rest, and stay away from caffeine, alcohol, drugs and nicotine. After all, from the moment you conceive until the moment you give birth, the baby that is growing within you is 100% dependant upon you.
Once your baby is born, the least expensive and most nutritious way to feed an infant is through breastfeeding. Breastfeeding decreases the possibilities that your baby will get a variety of infectious diseases, ear infections, diarrhea, etc. It is as good for the mom as it is for the infant as it encourages faster weight loss and reduces the risk of breast and ovarian cancer.
Once a child is old enough to eat solid foods, those foods should be packed with nutrition – lots of fruits and vegetables, high in calcium and fiber, and a minimum of refined sugars (candy, cakes, soda…) and fats.
Don't let your children go hungry
If you are having trouble feeding your family, you may be eligible for food and services through the WIC (Women, Infants and Children) Program. New Jersey WIC services are available to low and no income families as well as families experiencing unemployment, military deployment and other interim family financial hardships. Women who are pregnant, or have recently had a baby, or are breastfeeding and infants and children under the age of five are able to take advantage of this program if they live in NJ and meet income requirements. To make an appointment to apply for WIC services contact the site near you or call toll free 1-866-44 NJ WIC (446-5942).
The Food Stamps program may also be of help to you. If you meet the eligibility requirements, this program provides low-income families with coupons and Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards to purchase nutritious food at authorized retail food stores. You can apply online or you can contact the local Board of Social Services.
Food stamps are available to low-income households, including families, couples without children, individuals, seniors, disabled persons, legal immigrants and victims of family violence. For more information click HERE or call 1-800-687-9512 or apply online.
Give Your Child the Nutrition, Sleep, and Exercise Needed to Stay Healthy
Download this tool-kit which was designed to provide teachers, school nurses, caretakers, and others that work with children materials to assist in developing health and safety projects that are not only fun and interesting, but also help to change behavior. Contents include a list of resources, activity ideas, and tips that promote proper nutrition, adequate exercise, adequate rest, practicing health and safety habits, and avoiding risky behaviors. Parents are the first teachers a child ever has. Take this opportunity to learn more about what you can do to teach your child about a healthy lifestyle.
Need Help? – Dial 2-1-1
You are encouraged to dial “2-1-1” 24 hours a day, seven days a week if you need help in understanding and finding available assistance services. Language translation and TTY services are offered to any caller. You can also search our database for services in your local community or Chat Live with an experienced community resource specialist. 2-1-1 will help identify with you the best local resources to fit your individual needs during times of financial distress or for life’s everyday situations. This service is FREE of charge and is supported by local United Ways of New Jersey and NJ state government.
If you know of additional resources that would be appropriate to include in this section, please let us know by contacting us via e-mail at info@nj211.org.
Sources for this section include:
http://www.state.nj.us/humanservices/dfd/
https://foodstamps.dhs.state.nj.us
http://www.state.nj.us/health/fhs/wic/proginfo.shtml
http://www.acnj.org
Page last modified 7.6.10
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