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'Change to cup': an audit to determine parental awareness and practices in changing from bottle to cup
Insights
Many young children continue to use bottles past age one, with nearly half receiving non-milk/water fluids from bottles. This highlights a need to promote earlier cup introduction and discourage prolonged bottle use for infant health.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Infant Nutrition
- Public Health
Background:
- Current recommendations advise introducing cups at 6 months and discontinuing bottle use by 1 year.
- Extended bottle use in young children is a recognized, growing concern among health professionals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of bottle use beyond 1 year in a local population.
- To identify the types of fluids offered in bottles to young children.
- To assess parental understanding of appropriate cup introduction ages.
Main Methods:
- A questionnaire survey was administered to 407 parents between June 1998 and January 1999.
- The study targeted socially disadvantaged groups and aimed for a representative ethnic sample.
- Infants in the study ranged from 12 to 28 months of age.
Main Results:
- 62% of infants aged 12-28 months used both a bottle and a cup; 8% used only a bottle.
- 47% of parents reported offering drinks or food other than milk/water from a bottle.
- Over 60% of parents believed bottle discontinuation should occur later than recommended; only 18% knew cups could be introduced at 6 months.
Conclusions:
- A significant proportion of young children use bottles beyond the recommended age, often with inappropriate fluids.
- Parental awareness regarding recommended cup introduction and bottle discontinuation ages is low.
- Interventions are needed to encourage earlier cup use and discourage prolonged, inappropriate bottle feeding.
Background:
It is recommended that infants from the age of 6 months should be introduced to drinking from a cup and the use of a bottle should be actively discouraged after the age of 1 year. The number of young children using a feeder bottle after the age of 1 year is not known but it is recognized by health professionals as a 'growing' concern.
Aims:
To obtain local information about the number of children using a bottle past the age of 1 year, what fluids were being offered and to assess parental awareness about when a cup can be introduced.
Methods:
The study data was collected by questionnaire from 407 parents between June 1998 and January 1999. Socially disadvantaged groups were targeted for the sample group as well as care being taken to include a representative ethnic population.
Results:
Ninety-nine per cent of the study infants were below the age of 2 years, with the age range being 12-28 months. Thirty per cent were using only a cup/beaker, 8% of infants still used a bottle only, and 62% used both a bottle and a cup. Drinks/food other than milk and water had been offered from the bottle by 47% of respondents. More than 60% of the parents thought that the age at which the use of a bottle should be discontinued was older than that recommended. Only 18% thought a cup/beaker could be introduced as early as 6 months.
Conclusion:
The results show that there is a need to actively encourage the use of a cup at an earlier age and to discourage the inappropriate and extended use of a feeder bottle. Barriers to change need to be addressed.