- Fewer infants are consuming sweets or sweetened beverages. Seventeen percent of infants age six-to-eight months, consumed a dessert, sweet or sweetened beverage on a given day versus 36 percent in 2002. A similar change was seen for children age nine-to-11 months old, with 43 percent in 2008 versus 59 percent in 2002 consuming any dessert, sweet or sweetened beverage.
- Fruit and vegetable consumption remains a problem for all age groups studied. About 25 percent of older infants, toddlers and preschoolers don’t eat a single serving of fruit on a given day, and 30 percent don’t eat a single serving of vegetables. These findings are similar to those in FITS 2002 for infants and toddlers.
- Fewer toddlers were consuming sweetened beverages in 2008 than in 2002. This was especially true among children age 12-to-14 months (14 percent drank a sweetened beverage on a given day in 2008 versus 29 percent in 2002) and children 18-to-20 months (29 percent in 2008 versus 47 percent in 2002).
- On a given day 23 percent of toddlers 12-to-24 months and one third of preschoolers are consuming diets of less than the recommended 30-to-40 percent of calories from fat. Yet, 75 percent of preschoolers are consuming too much saturated fat.
- Mothers are breastfeeding their children longer. In 2008, 33 percent of nine-to-11 month olds are still receiving breast milk compared to just 21 percent in 2002.
- French fries are still the most popular vegetable among toddlers and preschoolers. However, among older babies there were improvements, and French fries are no longer ranked in the top five vegetables among infants age nine-to-11 months, compared to FITS 2002, when French fries ranked among the top vegetables in the diets of older infants on a given day.
- There is a significant reduction in the number of infants, age four-to-11 months, consuming juice on a given day, versus 2002.
- A small but important number of older infants are not getting enough iron. Twelve percent of children from six-to-11 months of age are not getting enough iron on a given day.
- Seventy-one percent of toddlers and eighty-four percent of preschoolers consume more sodium than recommended on a given day.
A dietary snapshot by developmental stage
The Nestlé FITS 2008 findings provide insight into the diets of children at key developmental stages—infants, toddlers and preschoolers. The good news is that caregivers are hearing and following the feeding guidance for infants, yet FITS 2008 shows that more progress is needed in the diets of toddlers and preschoolers. Compared to FITS 2002, the number of months children breastfeed is longer, which builds the child’s immunity, aids a growing baby’s brain and eye development, and may help to lower the child’s risk of developing allergies and infections. What’s more, the introduction of juice is being delayed for infants, and fewer are consuming French fries, sweetened beverages and sweets on a given day. While FITS 2008 shows positive trends in the diets of infants, the data reveal that some older infants have low intakes of iron and consumption of iron-fortified infant cereal is being stopped earlier.
As infants grow into toddlers, it is clear from the FITS 2008 findings that more nutrition guidance for parents is needed for this important developmental stage. Overall, on a given day, toddlers are meeting most of their nutrient requirements for healthy growth and development, however, FITS data show gaps in the intake of vegetables, fruit, fiber, vitamin E, potassium and total fat. The data reflect promising downward trends among toddlers in the consumption of French fries, sweets and sweetened beverages, but more improvement is needed.
FITS 2008 provides a first-of-its-kind nutrition snapshot of preschoolers (children ages 24-to-48 months). The findings show that on a given day, many preschoolers have unhealthy eating patterns reflective of the diets of older children and adults in the United States. In particular, preschoolers are not consuming enough fruits and vegetables, fiber, potassium and vitamin E and are taking in too much saturated fat and sodium.
Help for parents: Start Healthy, Stay Healthy™
FITS 2002 was the foundation of the Start Healthy, Stay Healthy™ nutrition system, Nestlé's patent-pending stage-based nutrition system that combines products, education and services to foster healthy growth and development and the early establishment of healthy eating habits from birth to preschool. Start Healthy, Stay Healthy Milestones Symbols™ direct parents to the information and products tailored to their child’s developmental stage. The insights from FITS, along with dietary recommendations from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the National Academy of Sciences/Institute of Medicine (NAS/ IOM) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) are the foundation of the Start Healthy, Stay Healthy feeding guidelines and resources.1
1Not sponsored or endorsed by the USDA, NAS/IOM or AAP
FITS Influences on Regulatory Policies and Guidelines
Overall the FITS findings point to the overarching influence of feeding practices and family eating practices on the intakes of infants and toddlers. Parents really seem to be trying to follow expert recommendations, especially in the year after birth. However as the infant and toddler progress to table foods, the family diet seems to exert more and more of an influence. These findings support the idea that family-based approaches to food guidance are warranted—approaches that emphasize that everyone needs a healthy start when it comes to food.
In addition, the data have been instrumental in helping to illustrate the need to update federal food programs that serve infants and toddlers to reflect advances in knowledge related to nutrition and health. Updates to the WIC food package, for example, address many of the highest areas of need identified by FITS, including increased emphasis on fruits, vegetables and whole grains and decreased reliance on fruit juices.