Babies who feed themselves as soon as they have started eating solids appear to be less fussy eaters, new research has found.
A University of Otago study, published in the international journal JAMA Pediatrics, looked at whether allowing infants to control their food intake by feeding themselves solid foods instead of traditional spoon-feeding, would reduce the risk of becoming overweight up to age 2.
The study, led by Professor Rachael Taylor and Associate Professor Anne-Louise Heath, found no difference in body weight or energy intake between spoon feeding and baby-led weaning (BLW) but did find other benefits.
Taylor said it did provide evidence that babies who fed themselves from the start had a better attitude towards food and were less fussy about food than the spoon-fed children in the study.
