If you’re more than 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under 4, you may be entitled to get help to buy healthy food and milk.
If you’re eligible, you’ll be sent a Healthy Start card with money on it that you can use in some UK shops. We’ll add your benefit to this card every 4 weeks.
You can use your card to buy:
You can also use your card to collect:
To check your eligibility and to apply for a Healthy Start card, please use the link:
Get help to buy food and milk (Healthy Start)
Vitamins
For mother:
When you’re pregnant, or there’s a chance you might get pregnant, you should take a folic acid supplement. This is to reduce the risk of problems occurring in your baby’s development. You are also advised to consider taking a vitamin D supplement between September and March.
Vitamin D regulates the amount of calcium and phosphate in your body, which are needed to keep bones, teeth and muscles healthy. Our bodies produce vitamin D when our skin is exposed to sunlight during the summer months (from late March to early September).
You can get these from pharmacies, supermarkets, or your GP may be able to prescribe them for you or they are available through the Healthy Start Scheme. If you want to get your folic acid from a multivitamin tablet, you must ensure the tablet does not contain vitamin A.
For baby/child:
From birth, all breastfed babies should be given a daily supplement of vitamin D (8.5 to 10mcg). But if your baby is having more than 500ml (about a pint) of first infant formula a day, they do not need a supplement because formula is already fortified with vitamin D. Once your baby is six months old, and up until they are 5 years, daily vitamin A, C and D supplements are recommended (unless they’re having 500ml or more of first infant formula each day). When you buy your baby vitamin supplements, make sure you read the label to check they are age-appropriate.
Read recent news, service updates and helpful advice from Coventry Family Health and Lifestyle Team.
