Live Well Little Ones

Helping you make the best choice for you and your baby.

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Live Well Little Ones have released the below film to help you as a parent make the right choices when looking after your baby.

The video provides advice on how to:

safely put your baby to bed
cope with a crying baby
keep your baby at the right temperature and where to get more advice and support if your baby is unwell.

The film was developed in partnership with Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust and local animation studio Kino Bino.

You can also watch this film in different languages (Polish, Gujarati, Somali and Urdu) here.

For more advice about safer sleep go to the Health Under 5s website.

Having a plan

Looking after your baby doesn’t have to be hard or complicated but you do need to think and plan for different situations:

Always have a plan to make sure your baby can sleep safely (and share that plan with others) – babies should always sleep on their backs and sleep in a clear flat cot. Never co sleep with your baby on a chair or sofa or if you have had a drink or taken drugs.
Make sure you know how to keep your baby at the right temperature
Always keep dangerous items such as button batteries out of reach of your baby
If your baby is crying and you are finding it stressful, and it is safe to do so, you can walk away for a few minutes to calm down - never ever shake your baby
Make sure you know what to do and who to talk to if your baby or child is poorly

Safer Sleep

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the term for the sudden unexpected death of a baby or toddlers where no cause is found. The Lullaby Trust’s Safer Sleep campaign works to raise awareness, educating parents and carers and helping them reduce the risk of SIDS.

You can reduce the risk of SIDS by following some simple hints and tips:

Place your baby on their back to sleep, in a cot in the same room as you, for the first six months.
Don't smoke during pregnancy or breastfeeding, and don't let anyone smoke in the same room as your baby.
Don't share a bed with your baby if you smoke, have drunk alcohol, have taken drugs, are extremely tired, or if your baby was born prematurely or was of low birth weight.
Never sleep with your baby on a sofa or armchair.
Don't let your baby get too hot or cold.
Keep your baby's head uncovered. Their blanket should be tucked in no higher than their shoulders.
Place your baby in the ‘feet to foot’ position, with their feet at the end of the cot or moses basket.

More information is available on the Health for Under 5s website. You can also refer to the Strategy to Support Healthy Pregnancy, Birth and Babies in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland 2019-2024, available to view and download at the bottom of this page.

Healthy Start card

Healthy Start paper vouchers have now been replaced with a pre-paid card. Instead of receiving paper vouchers in the post every month, individuals will have a pre-paid card which is topped up once a month with their Healthy Start item allowance. It will be available to use in any shops, markets and food outlets accepting Mastercard. Anyone applying from now will receive and be able to start using the pre-paid card.

The card aims to help those on certain benefits give their child the best start in life by enabling them to get free fruit, vegetables and milk.

Get more details on the Healthy Start card

Find out if you qualify and how to apply

Protect your child from button batteries

Button batteries can be found in many toys, games and small electrical items (like musical greetings cards) and could be mistaken for small silver coloured sweets.

If they are swallowed or eaten the battery can generate an electrical charge which produces sodium hydroxide (caustic soda), this can then lead to severe internal injury and possibly be fatal.

It is important to make sure that all items that may contain these batteries have the battery compartment securely closed (preferably with a lockable compartment – be very careful with electronic cards as they do not have lockable compartments) and all loose batteries be kept out of children’s way.

If you suspect that anyone has swallowed a battery then seek medical advice immediately as injury can happen very soon after ingestion.

For more information, please download our poster and leaflet at the bottom of this page.