Types of foods eaten by infants according to method of complementary feeding (n (%) unless stated otherwise)
| BLW | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TSF (n=26) | Partial (n=7) | Full (n=18) | OR (95% CI)* | Mean difference (95% CI) | p Value† | |
| Foods thought to pose a choking risk | ||||||
| Number that consumed foods thought to pose a choking risk‡,§ | 15 (58%) | 6 (86%) | 14 (78%) | 2.57 (0.63 to 10.44) | – | 0.172 |
| Foods high in iron | ||||||
| Age iron-fortified infant cereal¶ introduced (weeks), mean (SD)** | 21.7 (3.3) | 22.3 (4.9) | 26.8 (2.2) | – | 5.1 (2.6 to 7.5) | <0.001 |
| Number not yet introduced to iron-fortified infant cereal¶,** | 3 (12%) | 0 (0%) | 8 (44%) | 6.13 (1.17 to 32.20) | – | 0.014 |
| Number that consumed iron-fortified infant cereal‡,¶ | 16 (62%) | 5 (71%) | 4 (22%) | 0.18 (0.04 to 0.80) | – | 0.011 |
| Age red meat†† introduced (weeks), mean (SD)** | 26.2 (3.5) | 24.1 (2.3) | 27.5 (2.4) | – | 1.2 (−1.3 to 3.8) | 0.332 |
| Number not yet introduced to red meat**,†† | 9 (35%) | 1 (14%) | 8 (44%) | 1.51 (0.43 to 5.29)†† | – | 0.515 |
| Number that consumed red meat‡,†† | 15 (58%) | 6 (86%) | 7 (39%) | 0.47 (0.13 to 1.64)†† | – | 0.225 |
| Foods with sugar added | ||||||
| Number that consumed foods with sugar added‡,‡‡ | 11 (42%) | 5 (71%) | 7 (39%) | 0.86 (0.25 to 3.00) | – | 0.823 |
| Foods high in sodium | ||||||
| Number that consumed foods high in sodium‡,§§ | 20 (77%) | 5 (71%) | 14 (78%) | 1.05 (0.25 to 4.50) | – | 0.948 |
| Other foods | ||||||
| Number that consumed fruit‡ | 25 (96%) | 7 (100%) | 17 (94%) | 0.68 (0.04 to 12.05) | – | 0.791 |
| Number that consumed vegetables‡ | 25 (96%) | 7 (100%) | 16 (89%) | 0.32 (0.03 to 4.04) | – | 0.353 |
| Number that consumed commercial infant food‡,¶¶ | 15 (58%) | 7 (100%) | 8 (44%) | 0.59 (0.17 to 2.02) | – | 0.393 |
| Breast milk and infant formula | ||||||
| Number currently having breast milk (not infant formula)**,*** | 11 (42%) | 4 (57%) | 18 (100%) | – | – | <0.001 |
| Number currently having infant formula (not breast milk)**,*** | 3 (12%) | 0 | 0 | – | – | 0.258 |
| Number currently having breast milk and infant formula**,*** | 12 (46%) | 3 (43%) | 0 | – | – | <0.001 |
Bold typeface indicates a statistically significant difference (p<0.05).
*ORs compare those following full BLW with those following TSF.
†p Values were calculated for (1) ORs using population-averaged generalised estimating equations for binary data from the 3-day diet records and for questionnaire data, and (2) for mean differences using unpaired t tests for continuous variables, unless stated otherwise.
‡The number that consumed a food was determined using all 3 days of the diet record (except for 7 participants who completed a 1-day diet record: 4 full BLW, 3 TSF).
§Foods thought to pose a choking risk were identified using lists from the literature19 ,20 and from public health organisations.21 ,22
¶Commercial infant cereals were assumed to be fortified with iron (this was the case for all infant cereals available for sale in Dunedin, NZ, in April 2015).
**Data from the feeding questionnaire.
††Red meat was defined as beef and lamb.
‡‡Foods that contained >4 g/100 g of added sugar or honey.
§§Foods that contained >350 mg sodium/100 g.
¶¶Commercial infant foods excluded iron-fortified infant cereals.
***Fisher's exact test used to calculate p values.
BLW, baby-led weaning; NZ, New Zealand; TSF, traditional spoon feeding.