Infant feeding practices in Ottawa-Carleton: The introduction of solid foods

Infant feeding guidelines regarding the introduction of solid foods are gen erally not well known in Canada. The guidelines recommend that solid foods be introduced between four to six months of age, depending on the developme ntal readiness of the infant. In order to understand the underlying factors and patterns which contribute to the introduction of solid foods in infant s, data were analyzed from three cross-sectional surveys of parents of six- month-old infants from the Ottawa-Carleton region (n = 373, 1988; n = 330, 1992; n = 338, 1996) conducted by the Ottawa-Carleton Health Department. Mu ltivariable analysis showed that mothers who: did not breastfeed, were youn ger, had lower education, smoked or had partners that smoked, and lacked su pport after birth, were more likely to introduce solid foods before four mo nths of age. These data support the need for nutrition education programs t o increase adherence to the new Nutrition for Healthy Term Infants guidelin es.