title: Calibrated-orifice nipples for measurement of infant nutritive sucking.
abstract: To measure infant nutritive sucking reproducibly, nipple flow resistance must be controlled. Previous investigators have accomplished this with flow-limiting venturis, which has two limitations: flow resistance is highly dependent on fluid viscosity and older infants often reject the venturi nipple. This report describes the validation of calibrated-orifice nipples for the measurement of infant nutritive sucking. The flow characteristics of two infant formulas and water through these nipples were not different; those through venturi nipples were (analysis of variance; p < 0.0001). Flow characteristics did not differ among calibrated-orifice nipples constructed from three commercial nipple styles, indicating that the calibrated-orifice design is applicable to different types of baby bottle nipples. Among 3-month-old infants using calibrated-orifice nipples, acceptability was high, and sucking accounted for 85% of the variance in fluid intake during a feeding. We conclude that calibrated-orifice nipples are a valid and acceptable tool for the measurement of infant nutritive sucking.
authors.affiliation: University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, USA.
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Waterland
authors.forename: R I
authors.initials: RI
authors.lastname: Berkowitz
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Stunkard
authors.forename: V A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Stallings
mesh_terms: D001903:Bottle Feeding / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D018730:Infant Behavior; D007225:Infant Food; D008297:Male; D011312:Pressure; D013391:Sucking Behavior; D014783:Viscosity