Impact of a Modified Version of Baby-Led Weaning on Infant Food and Nutrient Intakes: The BLISS Randomized Controlled Trial
by
Liz Williams Erickson 1,
Rachael W. Taylor 2,
Jillian J. Haszard 1
,
Elizabeth A. Fleming 1,2,
Lisa Daniels 1,2,
Brittany J. Morison 1,2,
Claudia Leong 1,2,
Louise J. Fangupo 1,2,
Benjamin J. Wheeler 3,
Barry J. Taylor 4,
Lisa Te Morenga 1,
Rachael M. McLean 5 and
Anne-Louise M. Heath 1,*
Liz Williams Erickson 1,
Rachael W. Taylor 2,
Jillian J. Haszard 1,
Elizabeth A. Fleming 1,2,
Lisa Daniels 1,2,
Brittany J. Morison 1,2,
Claudia Leong 1,2,
Louise J. Fangupo 1,2,
Benjamin J. Wheeler 3,
Barry J. Taylor 4,
Lisa Te Morenga 1,
Rachael M. McLean 5 and
Anne-Louise M. Heath 1,*
1
Department of Human Nutrition, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
2
Department of Medicine, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
3
Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
4
Department of the Dean, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
5
Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Nutrients 2018, 10(6), 740; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10060740
Received: 6 May 2018 / Revised: 28 May 2018 / Accepted: 5 June 2018 / Published: 7 June 2018
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Early Life Nutrition: From Nutrients to Systems)
Despite growing international interest in Baby-Led Weaning (BLW), we know almost nothing about food and nutrient intake in infants following baby-led approaches to infant feeding. The aim of this paper was to determine the impact of modified BLW (i.e., Baby-Led Introduction to SolidS; BLISS) on food and nutrient intake at 7–24 months of age. Two hundred and six women recruited in late pregnancy were randomized to Control (n = 101) or BLISS (n = 105) groups. All participants received standard well-child care. BLISS participants also received lactation consultant support to six months, and educational sessions about BLISS (5.5, 7, and 9 months). Three-day weighed diet records were collected for the infants (7, 12, and 24 months). Compared to the Control group, BLISS infants consumed more sodium (percent difference, 95% CI: 35%, 19% to 54%) and fat (6%, 1% to 11%) at 7 months, and less saturated fat (−7%, −14% to −0.4%) at 12 months. No differences were apparent at 24 months of age but the majority of infants from both groups had excessive intakes of sodium (68% of children) and added sugars (75% of children). Overall, BLISS appears to result in a diet that is as nutritionally adequate as traditional spoon-feeding, and may address some concerns about the nutritional adequacy of unmodified BLW. However, BLISS and Control infants both had high intakes of sodium and added sugars by 24 months that are concerning.
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Keywords:
Baby-Led Weaning; Baby-Led Introduction to SolidS; traditional spoon-feeding; complementary feeding; infants; nutrient intake; food intake
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MDPI and ACS Style
Williams Erickson, L.; Taylor, R.W.; Haszard, J.J.; Fleming, E.A.; Daniels, L.; Morison, B.J.; Leong, C.; Fangupo, L.J.; Wheeler, B.J.; Taylor, B.J.; Te Morenga, L.; McLean, R.M.; Heath, A.-L.M. Impact of a Modified Version of Baby-Led Weaning on Infant Food and Nutrient Intakes: The BLISS Randomized Controlled Trial. Nutrients 2018, 10, 740.
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