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Baby-led weaning results in less food fussiness with no difference in BMI
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Although baby-led approaches to complementary feeding did not significantly affect whether an infant had an appropriate body mass index when compared with traditional spoon-feeding, parents observed less fussiness in infants when baby-led feeding was used.
“Proposed advantages [to baby-led weaning (BLW)] include improved energy self-regulation, leading to improved body weight and reduced food fussiness,” Rachael W. Taylor, PhD, from the department of medicine at the University of Otago, New Zealand, and colleagues wrote. “However, concerns have been raised that children may not eat enough, particularly if self-feeding skills are poor.”
To examine whether baby-led approaches to feeding influenced a low BMI, the researchers led a randomized clinical trial in which 206 women were recruited who were in late pregnancy and were located in Dunedin, New Zealand. The group was split into control (n = 101) and Baby-Led Introduction to Solids (BLISS) (n = 105). All were recruited between December 19, 2012, and March 17, 2014.
Outcomes were gathered by staff who were blinded and who were not aware of the splits. Also, no participants had adverse events that made them withdraw from the study. Mothers in the BLISS group received lactation consultant support to extend breast-feeding and stall the introduction of solid food.
The main outcomes were BMI score at 12 and 24 months; energy self-regulation and eating behaviors at 6, 12 and 24 months; and energy intake assessed with 3-day weighted diet records at 7, 12 and 24 months.
Of the 206 participants, 166 were analyzed at 2 years. No significance was observed between BMIs at 12 months (control = 0.20 [0.89]; BLISS = 0.44 [1.13]; adjusted difference = 0.21; 95% CI = –0.07 to 0.48) or at 24 months (control = 24 [1.01]; BLISS = 0.39 [1.04]; adjusted difference = 0.16; 95% CI = –0.13 to 0.45). In the control group, five children (6.4%) were overweight at 24 months, and nine (10.3%) were overweight in the BLISS group.
For BLISS group infants at 12 months, lower satiety responsiveness was observed (adjusted difference = –0.24; 95% CI = –0.41 to –0.07), as was less food fussiness (adjusted difference = –0.33; 95% CI = –0.51 to –0.14) and more enjoyment from food (adjusted difference = 0.25; 95% CI = 0.07-0.43). At 12 months, the difference between the two groups’ intake was approximately 55 kJ (95% CI = –284 to 395 kJ) and at 143 kJ at 24 months (95% CI = –241 to 526 kJ).
“Despite marked interest in baby-led approaches, minimal research has directly evaluated the advantages and disadvantages of this alternative approach to complementary feeding,” Taylor and colleagues wrote. “Our results are in direct contrast with the only other study that has examined energy self-regulation, in which higher satiety responsiveness was reported in young children using baby-led weaning.” — by Katherine Bortz
Disclosure: The researcher provides no relevant financial disclosures.
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