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BEAR is waiting at the bus stop for his friend Goliath to arrive. A robin and a spider keep him company but as the seasons begin to change around him, we realise that Bear is in for a rather long wait!

This book is a visual treat, as Bear and his surroundings are portrayed in papercraft, bringing a beautiful and unusual three-dimensional feel to each scene.

Younger children will join Bear on his emotional journey as he waits for his friend, and there is genuine surprise and delight in store when Goliath eventually arrives. OST parents know what healthy foods they should give their toddler, but many don’t know how much of that food to give him/her, and how often.

New research by Infant & Toddler Forum (ITF) shows that while 80% of parents with children aged under five know the key food groups that form a balanced diet for toddlers, more than a third (35%) are worried they don’t give their children the right balance of foods.

So what should we be feeding kids? OFFER foods from all five food groups each day, in three meals and two to three snacks. There should be two courses at each meal, and only nutritious snacks.

The five food groups are: RESEARCH shows the majority (79%) of parents routinely offer portions bigger than the recommended size for toddlers. This may be one of the reasons the UK has a child obesity problem.

The correct serving sizes, offered two to three times a day, include ½-1 medium slice of bread, 3-6 heaped tablespoons of dry cereal (eg. cornflakes), ½-1 boiled, poached or fried egg, ¼-1 medium sausage, 125ml pot of yoghurt, 3-10 ITF paediatric dietitian Judy More says: “A lot of parents overestimate how much food their toddler needs, and put a lot of pressure on them to eat more.

“The vast majority of toddlers are very good at regulating how much they need to eat, and when they say they’ve had enough, it’s important parents respect that.

“It’s about offering them a good balance of foods and not pressuring them to eat more than they want.

“Preschool children need a more nutritious diet than adults because they’re growing – so, for example, two thirds of parents thought they should only give their toddlers carbohydrate foods like bread, rice and pasta twice a day, but really it