1 in 10 US infants introduced to complementary foods too early
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Key takeaways:
- From 2016 to 2022, 10% of infants were introduced to complementary foods too early.
- Early introduction was more prevalent among Black children and those from low income, low education and smoking households.
Fewer parents are introducing their infants to complementary foods earlier than recommended, but according to recent data, some racial and socioeconomic groups are more likely to introduce their babies to solid food before age 4 months.
The AAP recommends waiting until infants are aged 6 months to introduce them to complementary foods.
“Although there is no consensus on ideal timing, most agree that introduction of complementary foods before 4 months is too early,” Guodong Ding, MD, PhD, from the department of pediatrics at Xinhua Hospital and Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine in Shanghai, and colleagues wrote in JAMA Network Open. “Early introduction precludes the first 6 months of exclusive breastfeeding and may increase risk of childhood obesity.”
A 2018 study reported that from 2009 to 2014, 16% of infants were introduced to complementary foods before age 4 months.
Ding and colleagues studied data from the U.S. National Survey of Children’s Health, which gathers information about children’s health from their parents and caregivers, from 2016 through 2022. Their study included 18,184 infants (51.4% boys) aged 4 to 12 months.
Overall, 10.7% of infants were introduced to complementary foods before age 4 months (95% CI, 9.6%-11.8%). The researchers found that Black children and those from low-income, low-education and smoking households were more likely to be introduced to complementary foods early. The percentage of white children who were introduced to foods early decreased significantly from 11.2% in 2016 to 6.2% in 2022 — a 9.9% mean decrease per year (P = .006).
“The findings suggest more education is needed to reduce early complementary feeding practices among U.S. women of racial and ethnic minority groups,” Ding and colleagues wrote. “To promote adherence to guidelines for introducing complementary goods, health care professionals may need to assess and address maternal beliefs about feeding infants younger than 6 months old substances other than breast milk or formula.”
References:
- AAP. Infant food and feeding. https://www.aap.org/en/patient-care/healthy-active-living-for-families/infant-food-and-feeding/. Updated Nov. 28, 2023. Accessed Oct. 19, 2024.
- Ding G, et al. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.40255.
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