TABLE 5-2Summary of the Consistency of Recommendations on How to Feed Infants and Young Children, by Topic Area

Topic AreaSummary of Consistency Across Recommendations
Bottle use and propping
  • Generally consistent in recommending against certain foods and fluids being added to bottles
  • Generally consistent in recommending that bottle use be discontinued at about 12 months of age
  • Generally consistent in recommending that infants not go to bed or to sleep with a bottle
  • Consistent in recommending against bottle propping
Cup use
  • Generally consistent in recommending that infants should transition to cups at 6–12 months of age
  • Generally consistent in recommending that milk should be served to toddlers in a cup
Safety of foods and feeding practices
  • Consistent in recommending that milk, milk products, and juice given to children should be pasteurized
  • Consistent in recommending against giving honey to children under 1 year of age due to risk of botulism
  • Generally consistent in recommending against consumption of raw or undercooked eggs
  • Consistent in advising about choking hazards, although examples provided varied across guideline documents
  • Consistent in recommending that infants and young children be supervised while eating
Introduction of complementary foods
  • Generally consistent in recommending that complementary foods not be introduced before 4 months of age nor delayed to after 6 months of age
  • Not consistent in whether the recommended age of introduction is an age range (4–6 months) or is focused on introduction at (approximately) 6 months
  • Consistent in recommending that the first foods offered to infants be iron rich or iron fortified
  • Consistent in recommending gradual introduction of new foods
Food consistency and texture
  • Consistent in recommending that food consistency and texture be tailored to the developmental needs of the child
  • Consistent in recommending that consistencies and textures of foods offered should change as the child gets older
Meal frequency
  • Generally consistent in recommending that a consistent meal schedule be established
  • Generally consistent in recommending that young children need several eating occasions, both meals and snacks, over the course of the day
Hunger and satiety cues
  • Generally consistent in emphasizing the importance of using hunger and satiety cues to guide infant and child feeding
Responsive feeding
  • Generally consistent in recommending that the feeding environment be pleasant and include nurturing behaviors (e.g., verbalization, eye-to-eye contact, not forcing the child to eat)
  • Consistent in recommending that repeated exposure is needed for children to accept new foods
  • Generally consistent in recommending that self-feeding and self-regulation be encouraged in infants and toddlers

NOTE: The committee uses the following phrases to describe consistency of recommendations:

• Consistent indicates alignment across the recommendations.

• Generally consistent indicates that the recommendations tended to provide similar guidance, although there were some differences in details or wording.

• Some inconsistencies indicates mixed recommendations, some of which align.

• Not consistent indicates recommendations providing different guidance on a topic.

From: 5, Existing Recommendations on How to Feed

Cover of Feeding Infants and Children from Birth to 24 Months
Feeding Infants and Children from Birth to 24 Months: Summarizing Existing Guidance.
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Health and Medicine Division; Food and Nutrition Board; Committee on Scoping Existing Guidelines for Feeding Recommendations for Infants and Young Children Under Age 2; Harrison M, Dewey K, editors.
Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2020 Jul 8.
Copyright 2020 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

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