Spoonfeeding is associated with increased infant weight but only amongst formula‐fed infants

Abstract

Infant feeding experiences are important for the development of healthy weight gain trajectories. Evidence surrounding milk feeding and timing of introduction to solids is extensive; however, the impact of the method of introducing solids on infant growth has been relatively underexplored. Baby‐led weaning (where infants self‐feed family foods) is proposed to improve appetite regulation, leading to healthier weight gain and a reduced risk of obesity. However, the evidence is mixed and has methodological inconsistencies. Furthermore, despite milk being a large part of the infant diet during the period infants are introduced to solid foods, its influence and interaction with introductory style have not been considered. The aim of this study was to explore growth among infants aged 3–12 months according to both style of introduction to solid foods and milk feeding; 269 infants were weighed and measured, and body mass index (BMI) computed. The results showed that overall, infants who were spoon‐fed (compared with self‐fed) at introduction to complementary feeding (CF) had greater length (but not weight or BMI). However, when milk feeding was accounted for, we found that infants who were both spoon‐fed and fully formula fed had greater weight compared with spoon‐fed, breastfed infants. There was no significant difference in weight among self‐fed infants who were breastfed or formula fed. The results highlight the importance of considering infant feeding as a multicomponent experience in relation to growth, combining both milk feeding and method of CF. This relationship may be explained by differences in maternal feeding style or diet consumed.

Baby-Led Weaning: What Role Does It Play in Obesity Risk during the First Years? A Systematic Review

“…Of these, 735 were excluded: 655 did not address BLW, infant’s weight or children age group, 52 were not original studies, 15 used non-human sample, and 13 were not written in English or Spanish. Of the 12 full-text articles assessed for eligibility, four were excluded, giving a final of eight included articles in the review [ 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 ].…”

“…Table 2 shows the main characteristics of the eight studies included: two RCTs [ 26 , 28 ] and six observational studies (four cross sectional [ 24 , 27 , 30 , 31 ], one longitudinal [ 29 ], and one with both cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis [ 25 ]). They were ordered according to the year of publication, starting with the most recent.…”

“…The recruitment or data collection ran from June 2006 to February 2018. Infants were recruited through posters calling in community halls, family centers and baby groups [ 25 , 31 ], posts on relevant internet sites or online parenting forums [ 24 , 27 , 29 , 30 ], laboratory databases [ 30 ], a Well Child Clinic [ 26 ] and a maternity hospital [ 28 ]. Four of the studies were located in the United Kingdom [ 25 , 29 , 31 ], two in New Zealand [ 27 , 28 ], and the other two in Turkey [ 24 , 26 ].…”

“…In two of the observational studies, infants were classified as baby-led weaners if they reported using both spoon feeding and purees 10% of the time or less [ 29 , 31 ]. In another of the observational studies, participants were asked to select frequency of spoon-feeding using a five-point scale and were grouped as “predominantly self-fed” if self-fed always and often, or “predominantly spoon-fed” if self-fed sometimes, rarely or never [ 25 ]. Fu et al [ 27 ] classified the infants in three categories: traditional spoon-feeding, partial BLW or full BLW, depending on being mostly spoon-fed, half self-fed and half spoon-fed, or mostly self-fed.…”

“…and R.P.-L.). Finally, 8 studies were included in this review [ 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 ].…”