INFANT DIETARY EXPERIENCE AND ACCEPTANCE OF SOLID FOODS

Objective. To examine the effects of dietary experience and milk feedi ng regimen on acceptance of their first vegetable by 4- to 6-month-old infants. Design. Longitudinal study, of 26-days duration, observing i nfants aged 4 to 6 months at the start of the study. Random assignment to treatments, within-subject control. Setting. General community in a medium-sized midwestern town. Subjects. Thirty-six infants and their mothers. Subjects were solicited through birth records and advertisem ents in local newspapers. Interventions. Infants were randomly assigne d to be fed one vegetable on 10 occasions, either salted or unsalted p eas or green beans, for a 10-day period. Outcome measures. Infant inta ke of the vegetable consumed during the 10-day exposure period; intake of salted and unsalted versions: (1) before the 10-day exposure perio d, (2) immediately after the exposure period; and (3) after a 1-week p eriod of delay. Intake of a control food was also measured before and after repeated consumption of the vegetable. Adult ratings of the infa nts' videotaped responses during test feedings were also obtained befo re and after the exposure period. Results. After 10 opportunities to c onsume the vegetable, all infants significantly increased their intake (P < .001). Although they did not differ initially, infants fed breas t milk showed greater increases in intake of the vegetable after expos ure and had an overall greater level of intake than formula-fed infant s. Adult ratings of the infants' nonverbal responses correlated positi vely with infant intake. Conclusions. Infants increase their acceptanc e (reflected both in changes in intake and in behavioral response) of a novel food after repeated dietary exposure to that food. Relative to formula-feeding, breast-feeding may facilitate the acceptance of soli d foods.