Infant Distress in a Food Delay Task Changes With Development and Predicts Amount Consumed

Area of Science:

• Developmental psychology
• Infant feeding behavior
• Self-regulation

Background:

• Eating behavior regulation develops early, involving self-regulation, appetite control, and purposeful eating.
• Limited research exists on eating behavior regulation development before preschool years.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess infant distress using a novel food delay task as an early marker of eating behavior regulation.
• To examine the association between infant distress and milk consumption in early infancy.

Main Methods:

• Mother-infant dyads (n=179) participated in the Ability to Delay Gratification for Food in Infants Task (ATDG-FIT) at 2, 8, and 16 weeks.
• The task involved pre-feeding and mid-feeding delays before infants were fed, with distress and milk intake measured.

Main Results:

• Infant distress during pre-feeding delays decreased from 8 to 16 weeks.
• Distress during mid-feeding delays increased from 2 to 8 weeks.
• Increased mid-feeding distress was associated with greater milk consumption, an effect that strengthened with age.

Conclusions:

• The ATDG-FIT is a promising tool for assessing early eating behavior regulation in infants.
• Infant distress during feeding delays provides insights into developing self-regulation of eating.