title: Transition from milks to the introduction of solid foods across the first 2 years of life: findings from an Australian birth cohort study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The current literature regarding the transition from milks to solid foods across the first 2 years of life is limited despite the important influence of early dietary intake on children's growth and development. The present study describes dietary intake from birth to 2 years across four developmental relevant time-points within an Australian birth cohort.
  
  
  METHODS
  Dietary data from 466 infants was collected at four time-points in the first 2 years of life via parent-reported questionnaire, including a 45-item food and beverage frequency questionnaire. Subsample analyses of children who were aged 1-3, 6-8, 12-14 and 18-20 months at the time of data collection were conducted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Infant formula remained consistently consumed by over 75% of children from the 6-8- to 18-20 months old age groups. Mean (SD) age of introduction to solid foods was 5.2 (1.3) months. Almost 20% and 10% of children were introduced before 16 and after 32 weeks, respectively. The highest consumption of core foods, recommended for a healthy diet, daily was seen in the 12-14 months old age group with lower proportions in the 18-20 months old age group coinciding with an increased proportion of children eating discretionary choice foods, not recommended for a healthy diet. Discretionary choice foods/beverages presented in children's diets as early as in the 6-8 months old age group. By 18-20 months, at least 20% of children were consuming savoury biscuits, sweet biscuits, muesli bars and luncheon meats at least twice a week.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study identified a number of findings outside the recommendations of the Australian Dietary and Infant Feeding Guidelines. Further work is warranted to explore these outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Jack Brockhoff Child Health & Wellbeing Program, Melbourne School of Population & Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Amezdroz
authors.affiliation: Jack Brockhoff Child Health & Wellbeing Program, Melbourne School of Population & Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Carpenter
authors.affiliation: Jack Brockhoff Child Health & Wellbeing Program, Melbourne School of Population & Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: O'Callaghan
authors.affiliation: Jack Brockhoff Child Health & Wellbeing Program, Melbourne School of Population & Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.affiliation: Jack Brockhoff Child Health & Wellbeing Program, Melbourne School of Population & Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Waters
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D001315:Australia; D001628:Beverages; D002417:Cattle; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004032:Diet; D015930:Diet Records; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005502:Food; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007225:Infant Food; D041943:Infant Formula; D007227:Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008892:Milk; D008895:Milk, Human; D018673:Nutrition Policy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014886:Weaning
keywords: child; core foods; diet; discretionary foods; infant feeding guidelines; introduction to solids