Читать книгу Building Future Health and Well-Being of Thriving Toddlers and Young Children - Группа авторов - Страница 22

The traditional method of complementary feeding, which begins at approximately 6 months of age, is to serve purees, spoon-fed by the caregiver, and gradually increase the flavors and consistency of foods until approximately 12 months of age, when the child transitions to the family diet [17]. Baby-led weaning, introduced in England in 2008, provides softened, bite-size foods directly to the child. Children choose when and what food they will eat (from a choice of healthy options), the rhythm of the meal, and the amount of food that they will eat while primarily feeding themselves [18]. Baby-led weaning is based on presumptions that young children have the motor skills to self-feed, along with the regulatory skills to signal hunger and satiety. Caregivers play supportive, rather than direct roles, with infants often seated with the family during meals, which facilitates modeling and enables toddlers to be included in mealtime interactions.

Three recent reviews [18–20] found that baby-led weaning typically occurs in the context of the family meal, with the child consuming food that is softened and cut into bite sizes. In comparison with traditional methods of complementary feeding, baby-led weaning was positively associated with infants’ self-regulation and satiety, with timing of the initiation of complementary feeding consistent with guidelines, and with adequacy of weight gain, with some evidence of overweight among the spoon-fed group and of underweight among the baby-led group. Although there were no group differences in rates of choking or micronutrient intake, there was some suggestion that the baby-led group was at higher risk of choking and of not obtaining adequate micronutrients, often because micronutrient-rich food was offered infrequently [18]. Advantages of baby-led weaning included exposure to a wide variety of food, more interaction with the food, and exploration of multiple textures. Baby-led weaning has been adopted by families in many countries, including England, New Zealand, and Brazil, for example. Evidence addressing the nutrient intake and long-term impact of baby-led weaning on children’s nutrient intake and eating patterns is emerging.