EFFECT OF EARLY FEEDING OF SOLID FOODS ON NUTRITIVE INTAKE OF INFANTS

Abstract

The early introduction of solid foods to the diet of bottle-fed infants living in a college town causes some significant changes in the nutritive content of the diet but does not increase the adequacy of the diet before 3 months as evaluated by allowances recommended for infants by the National Research Council. Diets containing solid foods provide significantly more iron and thiamine, two of the nutrients used to enrich infant cereal products. Most of the infants were receiving nutritional supplements of vitamin A and D in spite of the fact that their diets were adequate in these nutrients. The need for a supplement of ascorbic acid was evident for some infants.

The feeding of solid foods apparently had no effect on the sleeping pattern of the infants as evidenced by the number of feedings, nor did it increase the cost of the food itself. It did, however, increase the time and effort involved for the mother. Since there was no increase in the caloric content of the diet, the solid foods must have replaced milk rather then to have supplemented it, a fact confirmed by the observations of many mothers. At least 10% of the infants experienced some form of allergic reaction to solid foods.

All of the infants in the study had been introduced to solid foods by 9 weeks, 2 to 4 weeks prior to the age at which the American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that there is a rational basis from a nutritional and developmental point of view to begin supplementing the diet. Although there was no evidence of adverse reactions other then allergies to the pattern of early feeding observed in this group, there was no evidence to indicate that the infant benefitted from a nutritional standpoint.

Lack of evidence of benefits and an accumulating body of information on hazards from the early introduction of solid foods suggest a re-examination of current emphasis on the early supplementation of the milk diet in infants.