Introducing solid foods: validity of report among mothers who do not adhere to recommended US guidelines

Introducing solids foods to infants before 6 months has been associated with adverse long-term health outcomes. Studies and surveys frequently use maternal report to identify the age when infants start solid foods.

To address the accuracy of maternal report at 1 year postpartum regarding introduction of solid foods.

Between 2008 and 2009, the authors enrolled mothers of healthy term singletons at an urban Boston hospital within 72 hours of giving birth. We called mothers monthly for 6 months and asked if they had given their baby solid foods in the previous month. At 1 year, we contacted mothers again and asked when they first gave solid foods; answers at 1 year were compared with the data collected monthly.

The authors analyzed data on 157 women, all of whom had, according to monthly responses, started solid foods before 6 months. At 1 year, only 14% (22/157) of reports matched data recorded monthly. Although 100% of women introduced solids before 6 months, at 1 year, 41.4% reported starting solids at 6 months.

Among women who started feeding solids before 6 months, most did not give an accurate response at 1 year. Most said they started giving solids later than they did. Maternal report may not be the best way to collect such data, and health outcomes based on such data may be biased toward the null.