Baby-led weaning versus traditional weaning: the assessment of nutritional status in early childhood and maternal feeding practices in Turkey

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis study aimed to examine the assessment of nutritional status in early childhood and the experiences of the mothers whose children started traditional and/or baby-led complementary weaning. The study included 485 mothers who used social media, all of whom had a 6–24 month-old child receiving complementary foods. In order to collect data, Socio-demographic and Anthropometric Data Collection Form, Complementary Feeding Transition Information Form, and Child Feeding Questionnaire (CFQ) were used. The findings indicate that the children whose mothers adopted traditional weaning suffered less from iron deficiency, (p < .05). There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of aspiration/choking situation (p > .05). However, there was a significant difference between the groups in terms of the children's BMI (p < .07). It was determined that the mothers who preferred traditional weaning had more control over their infant’s feeding, and these children tended to be more overweight.