Food Preparation Practices for Infants Aged From 7 to 13 Months

Abstract

Objective: To examine infant food preparation practices at age 7, 9, 11, and 13 months overall and by sociodemographic characteristics.

Design: Data from a longitudinal study from the US Department of Agriculture's Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Infant and Toddler Feeding Practices Study-2 (ITFPS-2) were used.

Participants: A sample of 1,904 infants (970 males and 934 females) enrolled in WIC who had been introduced to solid foods and were consuming food prepared at home.

Main outcome measures: Food preparation practices included pureeing, mashing, chopping/dicing, and prechewing. Estimates were provided overall and by sociodemographics.

Analysis: Prevalence estimates were calculated for each survey month overall and by sociodemographics. Chi-square tests for independence were used to test for differences.

Results: Food preparation practices changed as infants aged. Pureeing and mashing were common in month 7 (57.8% and 59.6%, respectively), but chopping/dicing were the most prevalent by month 13 (85.4%). Food preparation practices did not vary by education status, but statistical differences were consistently observed by race and ethnicity and inconsistently observed by maternal age at birth.

Conclusions and implications: Exposing children to a range of food textures at an appropriate age is important for developmental progress. Continued culturally relevant efforts by WIC educators and health care providers can emphasize the importance of early experiences with food textures.

Keywords: feeding behavior; feeding methods; food assistance; infant food; weaning.

Figure 1.

Flowchart of selection of analytic sample from USDA’s WIC ITPFS-2. Abbreviations: ITFPS-2 (Infant and Toddler Feeding Practices Study-2); USDA (United States Department of Agriculture); WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children).

Figure 2.

Proportion of feeding practices used for foods prepared at home for infants at months 7, 9, 11, and 13 by maternal race and ethnicity, WIC USDA’s Infant and Toddler Feeding Practices Study-2. Abbreviations: USDA (United States Department of Agriculture); WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children). ^aSignificantly different by maternal race and ethnicity at month 7, Chi-square test for independence P < 0.01. ^bSignificantly different by maternal race and ethnicity at month 9, Chi-square test for independence P < 0.01. ^cSignificantly different by maternal race and ethnicity at month 11, Chi-square test for independence P < 0.01. ^dSignificantly different by maternal race and ethnicity at month 13, Chi-square test for independence P < 0.01. ^ePercents are weighted by corresponding survey month weight, adjusting for the differential probability of selection and non-response. ^fPercentages do not equal 100 as individuals could select more than 1 feeding practice.