Many parents start feeding their babies solid foods and other non-breast
milk, non-formula foods before they should, according to current
recommendations

Date:

January 4, 2018

Source:

Elsevier

Summary:

The
first study of a nationally representative group of US infants reports that
more than half of babies are currently introduced to complementary foods, that
is, foods or drinks other than breast milk or formula, sooner than they should
be. Babies who were never breastfed or breastfed for less than four months were
most likely to be introduced to foods too early. These findings emphasize the
need to introduce foods at the proper time to get the most benefit from breast
milk or formula.

The first study of a
nationally-representative group of U.S. infants reports that more than half of
babies are currently introduced to complementary foods, that is, foods or
drinks other than breast milk or formula, sooner than they should be. Babies
who were never breastfed or breastfed for less than four months were most
likely to be introduced to foods too early. These findings are reported in the Journal
of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and emphasize the need to
introduce foods at the proper time to get the most benefit from breast milk or
formula.

“Introducing babies
to complementary foods too early can cause them to miss out on important
nutrients that come from breast milk and infant formula. Conversely,
introducing them to complementary foods too late has been associated with
micronutrient deficiencies, allergies, and poorer diets later in life,”
explained lead investigator Chloe M. Barrera, MPH, Division of Nutrition,
Physical Activity, and Obesity, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention
and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA.

Current recommendations
stipulate that infants should be introduced to complementary foods at around
six months of age. Analyzing data from the 2009-2014 National Health and
Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), investigators assessed the food intake
of 1482 children aged six to 36 months, gathered during household interviews
with the child’s proxy, typically a parent. The survey asked how old infants
were when they were first fed anything other than breast milk or formula. This
includes juice, cow’s milk, sugar water, baby food, or anything else that the
infant might have been given, even water.

This analysis shows that
only one-third (32.5%) of babies in the U.S. were introduced to complementary
foods at the recommended time of about six months; 16.3% were introduced to
complementary foods before four months, 38.3% at four-five months, and 12.9% at
seven or more months of age. These data help understand the current state of
infant feeding practices in the U.S.

Over the last 60 years,
recommendations for when to introduce complementary foods have changed
dramatically. The 1958 guidelines suggested solid foods in the third month, the
1970s brought a delay until after four months, and the 1990s pushed the
introduction of solid food out to six months. These changing recommendations
have influenced many past studies of infant nutrition, most of which show a
general lack of adherence to current professional guidelines, whatever they may
be. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Department of Health and
Human Services (HHS) are currently developing the first federal dietary
guidelines for children under two years, to be released in 2020.

“Efforts to support
caregivers, families, and healthcare providers may be needed to ensure that
U.S. children are achieving recommendations on the timing of food
introduction,” commented Chloe Barrera and her co-investigators from CDC.
“Inclusion of children under two in the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for
Americans may promote consistent messaging of when children should be
introduced to complementary foods.”

Journal Reference:

1.    Chloe M. Barrera, Heather
C. Hamner, Cria G. Perrine, Kelley S. Scanlon. Timing of Introduction of
Complementary Foods to US Infants, National Health and Nutrition Examination
Survey 2009-2014. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics,
2018; DOI: 10.1016/j.jand.2017