Healthy Start

Having a healthy diet is an important part of living well and during pregnancy your diet helps to support the growth and development of your child. 

If you are more than 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under 4, the Healthy Start scheme can help you:

• Buy healthy foods like milk or fruit
• Get free vitamins

You need to be claiming certain benefits to qualify.

If you’re pregnant and under 18 you can claim even if you do not receive any benefits.

You can find out if you are eligible using this eligibility calculator. It only takes 2 minutes.

You could receive:

• £4.25 each week of your pregnancy from the 10th week
• £8.50 each week for children from birth to 1 year old
• £4.25 each week for children between 1 and 4 years old

Collect free vitamins

Are you pregnant or have a child under 4?

You can collect free vitamins for yourself and your children from any of our 8 family wellbeing centres in Brent.

Young children and those who are pregnant, and breastfeeding may not be getting enough vitamin A, C and D in their diet. Taking vitamins can help to support your baby develop in the womb and keep your body healthy during pregnancy and while you are breastfeeding.

The vitamins for pregnant women contain:

• Folic acid: lowers the chance of babies having spinal problems
• Vitamin C: helps the body’s soft tissue
• Vitamin D: helps babies’ bones to develop properly

The vitamin drops for children contain:

• Vitamin A: for growth, vision, and healthy skin
• Vitamin C: maintenance of healthy tissue
• Vitamin D: for strong bones and teeth