Prevention of Overfeeding During Infancy

Prevention of Overfeeding During Infancy

The overall goal of this project is to identify strategies to prevent overfeeding during infancy. One objective is to evaluate the impact on intake of allowing the infant greater control over the amount consumed when feeding from a bottle. This will be accomplished via the use of a novel nipple that mimics (functionally) the nipple of a human breast and allows the infant to self-regulate milk flow. The second objective is to evaluate the relationship between parental feeding styles and infant intake.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Infant born at > 37 weeks gestation
• Infant weighed >2500 g at birth
• Infant is apparently healthy
• Mother speaks English
• Mother is 18 years of age or older
• Mother/infant pair lives within a 10-mile radius around the UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, CA
• Mother plans to use a bottle (at least occasionally) to feed her infant before he/she is 3 months old.