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A controlled trial of alternative methods of oral feeding in neonates
N Malhotra1, L Vishwambaran, K R Sundaram
1Department of Pediatrics, Moolchand Hospital, New Delhi, India.
Insights
The paladai feeding device is most effective for neonates, allowing them to ingest the most volume in the shortest time. This traditional feeding method also promotes longer satiety compared to bottles or cups.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal care
- Infant feeding practices
- Pediatric nutrition
Background:
- Objective evaluation of neonatal feeding devices is lacking.
- Neonatal units are exploring cup and traditional feeding devices.
- Comparison of bottle, cup, and paladai feeding is needed.
Purpose of the Study:
- To objectively evaluate the efficacy of bottle, cup, and paladai feeding in neonates.
- To compare feeding volume, duration, spillage, and satiety across different devices.
- To determine the optimal feeding method for diverse infant populations.
Main Methods:
- Controlled trial involving 100 infants (full-term, term growth-retarded, preterm).
- Each infant served as their own control, tested with all three devices (bottle, cup, paladai).
- Key parameters: volume ingested, feed duration, spillage, and satiety.
Main Results:
- Paladai facilitated maximum volume intake in the shortest duration, with longest satiety.
- These benefits were significant across all infant categories.
- Cup feeding resulted in the highest spillage, particularly in preterm infants.
Conclusions:
- The paladai is a superior feeding device for neonates, enhancing feeding efficiency and infant comfort.
- Paladai feeding offers significant advantages over bottles and cups for diverse neonatal populations.
- Further research should explore paladai's long-term impact on infant growth and development.
Background:
Some neonatal units are introducing use of cup and traditional feeding devices for feeding young infants although they have been not been evaluated objectively. Hence this controlled trial of the use of the bottle, cup and a traditional feeding device ('paladai') was undertaken in neonates.
Method:
The study comprised of 100 infants including full-term normal weight infants (n = 66), term growth retarded infants (n = 20), and preterm infants (n = 14). All three methods were tried on every infant by the same nurse for a particular baby, so that each infant served as his/her control and in order to avoid the effect of major influencing factors. Parameters evaluated were the volume ingested, duration of the feed, degree of spilling and satiety.
Results:
The infants took the maximum volume in the least time and kept quiet longest with the paladai. The findings were particularly significant in the group including all the categories of infants. Spilling was the highest with the cup, especially with preterm infants.