ABSTRACT
It is recommended that infants are introduced to complementary foods from 6 months old, moving from a solely milk diet to eating a family diet by 12 months old. Although home cooking of family foods is recommended, a rapidly growing market producing baby food products (BFP) such as jars, pouches and snacks has developed. These are often accompanied by marketing claims around nutritional, health and developmental impacts despite research highlighting high sugar content. Although numerous studies have explored drivers of infant formula choice and use, little research has examined the drivers of BFP use. This study used an online survey for United Kingdom parents of infants aged 4-12 months to explore use of BFP alongside perceptions and drivers to purchase products. Overall, 271 parents participated (173 used BFP and 98 did not), with a descriptive analysis of closed items and a thematic analysis for open ended text conducted. The top motivators for using BFP were convenience, time saving, and baby's perceived enjoyment of products. The most purchased puree was fruit based and the most purchased baby snacks were vegetable puffs/sticks, with snack purchases being more common than purees in this sample. Aspects such as perceived healthiness drove choice, with snack foods being seen to enhance self-feeding skills, appetite regulation and motor development. Those who did not use BFP did not trust them and preferred to feed their baby home cooked foods. The findings are important for professionals working with parents, to support them through the transition to solid foods, particularly around raising awareness of marketing techniques and how to check content of foods to make a more informed choice.
ABSTRACT
Nutritional experiences during infancy and toddlerhood influence the development of healthy eating habits later in life. Interest into solid food introduction practices has experienced resurgence due to the popularization of the baby-led weaning (BLW) approach as an alternative to more traditional parent-led weaning (PLW) practices. Although the literature shows beneficial effects of BLW on eating behaviours, the magnitude of those effects is unknown making parental expectation management challenging. This study provides an estimation of the size of the difference between the solid feeding practices groups for a variety of practices consistent with the development of healthy food preferences and behaviours. 565 participants with infants between 12 and 36 months old completed a survey concerning their preferred parental feeding styles, parental feeding practices, sources of information on feeding and toddler's eating behaviour. Participants were categorised to one of four groups reflecting the level of infant self-feeding level a month after the introduction of solid food (Strict PLW, Predominant PLW, Predominant BLW and Strict BLW). Estimated effect sizes of the observed significant differences showed that the magnitude of effects was modest to minimal. Moderate effect sizes were observed in comparisons regarding breastfeeding duration, maternal feeding practices, sources of information and types of first food given to the infants at the beginning of solid feeding introduction. When it comes to toddlers' eating behaviour and the family food environment, although some differences were statistically significant, the effect sizes were very small. Considering the long-lasting impact of food preferences developed at this stage along with the stress surrounding infant feeding decisions, it is crucial that the complementary feeding advice parents receive reflects realistic expectations of the outcomes regarding the effects on eating behaviour.
