ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Why are babies weaned early? Data from a prospective population based cohort study

C M Wright¹, K N Parkinson², R F Drewett³

¹ Department of Child Health, University of Glasgow, UK
² Department of Child Health, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
³ Department of Psychology, University of Durham, UK

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr C M Wright
Senior Lecturer/Consultant in Community Child Health, PEACH Unit, QMH Tower, Yorkhill Hospitals, Glasgow G3 8SJ, UK; charlotte.wright{at}clinmed.gla.ac.uk

Background: The recommended age of introduction of solids food to the diet of infants (weaning) has recently been increased in the UK to 6 months, but most babies are still weaned before the age of 4 months.

Aims: To examine what predicts the age of weaning and how this relates to weight gain and morbidity using data from a population based cohort.

Methods: Parents of 923 term infants born in a defined geographical area and recruited shortly after birth were studied prospectively using postal questionnaires, weaning diaries, and routinely collected weights, of whom 707 (77%) returned data on weaning.

Results: The median age of first weaning solids was 3.5 months, with 21% commencing before 3 months and only 6% after 4 months of age. Infants progressed quickly to regular solids with few reported difficulties, even when weaned early. Most parents did not perceive professional advice or written materials to be a major influence. The strongest independent predictors of earlier age at weaning were rapid weight gain to age 6 weeks, lower socioeconomic status, the parents’ perception that their baby was hungry, and feeding mode. Weight gain after 6 weeks was unrelated to age of weaning. Babies weaned before 3 months, compared to after 4 months, had an increased risk of diarrhoea.

Conclusions: Social factors had some influence on when weaning solids were introduced, but the great majority of all infants were established on solids before the previously recommended age of 4 months, without difficulty. Earlier weaning was associated with an increased rate of minor morbidity.

Keywords: complementary foods; infant; breast feeding; weight gain; failure to thrive; maternal attitudes; socioeconomic deprivation

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Arch. Dis. Child. 2004 89: 799. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

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Further experience of early weaning

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ADC Online, 5 Oct 2004 [Full text]