Maternal feeding styles in infancy and early childhood are associated with children's later risk for overweight and obesity. Maternal psychosocial factors that influence feeding styles during the complementary feeding period, the time during which infants transition from a milk-based diet to one that includes solid foods and other non-milk products, have received less attention. The present stu...

There are limited data describing infant and young child feeding practices (IYCF) in urban Tanzania. This study assessed the types of foods consumed by children under 2 years of age and maternal exposure to promotions of these foods in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 305 mothers of children less than 24 months of age who attended child health services in Oc...

This position paper on complementary feeding summarizes evidence for health effects of complementary foods. It focuses on healthy infants in Europe. After reviewing current knowledge and practices, we have formulated these conclusions: Exclusive or full breast-feeding for about 6 months is a desirable goal. Complementary feeding (ie, solid foods and liquids other than breast milk or infant form...

BACKGROUND Infant-feeding patterns may influence lifelong health. This study tested the hypothesis that longer duration of breastfeeding and later introduction of complementary foods in infancy are associated with reduced adult cardiovascular risk. METHODS Data were pooled from 10 912 subjects in the age range of 15-41 years from five prospective birth-cohort studies in low-/middle-income cou...

OBJECTIVE To determine feeding practices and selected health-related behaviours in New Zealand families following a 'baby-led' or more traditional 'parent-led' method for introducing complementary foods. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS 199 mothers completed an online survey about introducing complementary foods to their infant. Participants were classified into one of four groups: 'adherent ...

Arsenic exposure to humans is pervasive, and, increasingly, studies are revealing adverse health effects at ever lower doses. Drinking water is the main route of exposure for many individuals; however, food can be a significant source of arsenic to an individual, especially if their diet is rice-based. Infants are particularly susceptible to dietary exposure, since many first foods contain rice...

The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF define optimal infant and young child feeding as practising exclusive breastfeeding from birth through the first 6 months of life and feeding with safe and appropriate complementary foods starting from 6months of age together with continued breastfeeding for up to 2 years and beyond (WHO & UNICEF 2003). Meeting the nutritional requirements of child...

The timing and strategy with which parents first introduce their infants to solid foods may be an important predictor of subsequent developmental outcomes. Recent years have seen a decline in the prevalence traditional parent-led feeding soft, puréed food rise infant-led complementary feeding. Although there has been some research espousing benefits for improving fussiness self-regulation, litt...

STUDY OBJECTIVE Retrospective infant feeding data are important to the study of child and adult health patterns. The accuracy of maternal recall of past infant feeding events was examined and specifically the infant's age when breast feeding was stopped and formula feeding and solid foods were introduced. DESIGN AND SETTING The sample consisted of Bedouin Arab women (n = 318) living in the Ne...