Feeding infants and young children. From guidelines to practice-conclusions and future directions

► Acquisition of eating habits in the early years forms part of a complex developmental process. ► There is a gap between research on best practice and guidelines. ► Guidance on infant feeding should take account of sensitive periods in development. ► Evidence based, parent-focused support consistent with the needs of the developing child is required. Infant feeding is a challenging and intricate process. Food intake is shaped by prior experience of flavours derived from the maternal diet in utero and via human milk, by ongoing experience of foods eaten during the first years of life including the variety, types and frequency of foods offered. The ways in which parents interact with their children including the way foods are presented, the emotional context they cultivate and the feeding practices they use can influence their children's eating habits, either positively or negatively. There is a mismatch between what government guidelines advise parents in relation to the “when, what and how” to feed children including during the weaning period and what parents actually do. Acquisition of food preferences and the establishment of eating habits in the early years form part of an ongoing, complex developmental process, however there is a gap between experimental evidence on best practice in infant feeding and what parents receive as advice about feeding. It is timely, therefore, to translate these findings into solutions for parents. Practical support for infant feeding should be evidence based, parent-focused and contingent on the needs of the developing child since infant feeding sets the foundation of healthy eating habits for life.