ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the clinical characteristics of feeding difficulties in 30 community (i.e., nonreferred) infants in the first 2 years of life, and their correlation with mother/child interactions. METHOD: An "in depth" mental health evaluation of feeding difficulties, and the psychosocial functioning of the child in other areas. The mother-infant relationship and the feeding interactions were also assessed. RESULTS: Four "groups" were identified. (1) Young infant with difficulties in regulating states and sucking. (2) Older infant with difficulties in self-regulation, focusing, hyper-alert, and with aversion to feeding. (3) Older infants hypersensitive to stimuli (taste, odor) and with difficulties in chewing. (4) Group of with varied and unique feeding problems (pica, rumination). CONCLUSION: Feeding problems tend to have patterns according to the age of the baby in a nonreferred sample. They are not associated with an altered parent-infant relationship nor poor feeding technique. Parents often adapt successfully to the uniqueness of the baby to maintain weight gain.
