12.01.09
Parents and caregivers are following the feeding guidance for infants, yet more work needs to be done to help build good eating habits for growing children, according to data from the Nestle Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study (FITS). The study reveals progress and areas of concern in the diets of young children in the U.S. Data show some positive trends compared to 2002, when Gerber Products Company, now part of the Nestle family, first commissioned the FITS study. Infants are being breastfed longer and fewer infants and toddlers are consuming sweets and sweetened beverages on a given day. However, other findings are less positive. On a given day, many toddlers and preschoolers aren’t eating a single serving of vegetables or fruit and many toddlers and preschoolers are consuming diets with less than the recommended 30-40% of calories from fat. Most preschoolers are eating too much saturated fat and sodium. Study findings suggest that more guidance and support is needed to help caregivers better transition from feeding their babies to meeting the unique nutrition and feeding needs of a toddler or preschooler. Too many young children are mirroring the often-unhealthy eating patterns of American adults, the study said. Data were collected from a sample of 3378 children age zero-to-four years and provided important information on what foods are eaten at different stages of development as children transition from an all milk diet to the foods of the family.
