Food intake and meal patterns of one year old infants

Nutrient intakes and meal patterns of 8.6 to 15.6 month old infants were investigated by analysing data collected by the caregivers of 29 infants. The caregivers maintained a 7-day diary which included everything the infant ate and other factors including people present during meal time and time of meals. Daily intake and meal size increased as age increased for the infants. A high level of variability in meal size was found, however, the variability in daily intake was much lower indicating an ability to adjust intake at meals to maintain a relatively stable daily intake. Infants were found to be responsive to their stomach contents, however, the circadian rhythm of intake was absent and social facilitation of intake was blunted. It is suggested that these differences are due to the fact the infants have not yet learned to respond to the social and environmental factors which markedly influence the intake of adults.