Majority of Toddlers’ Diets Inadequate

The surveys on infants’ diets, commissioned by Cow and Gate, involved the food diaries of 250 Irish infants and toddlersand the views of over 700Irish motherson toddler feeding. They form part of a global study of 23,000 mothers and 11,000 infants across 26 countries.

The results showed that while the weaning diets of babies under 12 months are reassuring, the variety of fruit and vegetables offered is limited, and this may indicate a missed opportunity to ‘train’ babies’ palates when they are at their most adaptable.

The main areas of concern emerged from around 1 year of age. Compared with the recommended food pyramid for children aged 1 – 3 years, less than a quarter of toddlers had diets that were broadly in line with recommendations.

Other key findings:

• Levels of processed food products such as sausages, burgers, pizza, chips and crisps in our childrens’ diets are excessively high. 31% of 13 month olds have at least one of these foods every day, with this figure rising to 75% by the age of 2 ½ years. Over 1/3 of all meats /fish eaten by toddlers surveyed is processed.
• Fruit and vegetable intakes are generally well below recommended levels, with just 12% having 4 small servings per day, whilst 9% ate no fruit and 7% no vegetables. Variety was mostly limited to apples, bananas, carrots and baked beans.

• 25% of toddlers drink excessive amounts of cow’s milk (600mls - 1litre per day). This is associated with an increased risk of iron deficiency, which is common amongst Irish toddlers. It also means that their protein intake is up to 280%above the recommended amount for toddlers, increasing their risk of obesity later in life.
• 11% drink an excessive amount of fruit juices or squashes (500ml or more) typically alongside high intakes of other sugary foods.
• Over 2 /3 of the mothers surveyed expressed concern about one or more aspects of their child’s diet and are aware that good nutrition is particularly important for toddlers.

The survey concluded that feeding toddlers can be a major challenge for parents. Many parents rely too heavily on cow’s milk to make up for their child’s inadequate food intake, failing to realise that intakes at these levels are likely to displace other important iron-rich foods, whilst contributing to high or excessive intakes of protein, sodium and saturated fat.

Posted Wednesday 23rd April 2008