Free vitamins

Free vitamins for children under 4, pregnant women and new mums in Hackney

Hackney and the City offer free vitamins to:

• pregnant women
• new mothers
• children up to the age of four

If you live in Hackney and the City or you’re registered with a GP in this area, you can claim your free Healthy Start vitamins by visiting your local children’s center or pharmacy.

Vitamins are important because they are essential nutrients that help maintain good health in our bodies. While a healthy balanced diet provides many vitamins, it’s not enough for young children, new mothers, and pregnant women. The women’s vitamin tablets provided by Healthy Start contain the following:

• folic acid – prevents complications and birth defects when taken during pregnancy
• vitamin C – supports the health of body tissues
• vitamin D – helps absorb calcium and promotes strong and healthy bones in your baby

The Healthy Start children’s vitamin drops include the following essential vitamins:

• vitamin D – for strong bones and teeth
• vitamin C – for healthy tissues in the body
• vitamin A – for growth, vision in dim light, and healthy skin

If your baby is formula fed they will not need extra vitamins until they are drinking less than about a pint of formula milk a day (500ml or about 18 fl oz).

Healthy Start digital card

If you are more than 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under 4 years old, you might qualify for the National Healthy Start scheme. The scheme provides free fruit, vegetables, and milk. If you meet the criteria, you receive a Healthy Start card with money loaded onto it. The card can be used at UK shops that accept Mastercard. The card is topped up with money every 4 weeks.

The amount you get:

• £4.25 per week during pregnancy starting from week 10
• £8.50 per week for children from birth to 1 year old
• £4.25 per week for children between 1 and 4 years old

To be eligible, you must receive any of the following:

• Child Tax Credit (if your family’s annual income is £16,190 or less)
• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Pension Credit (including the child addition)
• Universal Credit (if your family’s take-home pay from employment is £408 or less per month)

Even if you are under 18 and pregnant without claiming any benefits, you can still be eligible for Healthy Start.

Guidance for health professionals

Guidance notes are available for health and care professionals who are promoting Healthy Start City and Hackney, and pharmacies who are distributing the vitamins.

See guidance for health and care professionals (PDF 251kb).

See guidance for pharmacists distributing Healthy Start vitamins (PDF 252kb).

See Healthy Start City and Hackney registration form (google docs).