Objective: To describe the food and nutrient intakes of 9-month-old infants. Design: A survey undertaken as part of a longitudinal study of child growth and development. Infant diet was characterised through a structured interview in which consumption frequency and portion size of foods were obtained. This method was compared with a 4 d diary and had adequate relative validity. Setting: Adelaide, Australia. Subjects: Three hundred and forty-one infants for whom dietary data were plausible according to pre-specified criteria. Results: At 9 months of age, the median body weights for 161 girls and 180 boys were 8?8 and 9?6 kg, respectively. Differences in intakes between boys and girls largely reflected differences in size. Median daily energy intake was 3541 kJ and median contributions of protein, fat and carbohydrate to total energy were 13 %, 36 % and 50 %. Using published Estimated Average Requirements, Zn intake was inadequate for ,1 % of children not breast-fed at this age while Fe intake was inadequate for 9 %. Infants who were still breast-fed (35 %) had more diversity in the foods that provided additional energy, compared with those not receiving breast milk, and were less likely to consume nutrient-displacing drinks such as juice or cordial. Cow's milk was the main drink for 5 % of infants. Conclusions: In a group of Australian-born children, an important proportion had weaning diets that were low in Fe. Fat intake of many children was below current recommendations and cow's milk was the main milk source for a small minority.

Objective: To describe women's views about aspects of infants' diets around the time of weaning, making comparisons with national guidelines. Design: A survey of women with a 9-month-old child. Setting: Adelaide, South Australia. Subjects: Five hundred and five women who joined a longitudinal study during pregnancy. Results: Sources of information varied, with written material most commonly used (37%). Cows' milk was considered suitable as the main drink for weaned infants by 14% of women. There were divergent views about the suitability of eggs, with many women concerned about allergy. The majority of women (84%) viewed fruit juice as suitable although many qualified their response, often by stating that fruit juice should be diluted. Almost all women considered the amount of sugar mattered, primarily because of tooth decay, and that salt mattered although the reason was often uncertain. It was widely believed (77%) that additives in food could cause health problems, in particular hyperactivity and allergies, and half of the women reported avoiding specific foods because of concerns about allergies. Many women thought that giving their child food that was high in fat would encourage a liking for 'junk' food or lead to fatness in adulthood. Conclusions: There is considerable diversity in the views women express about aspects of infant feeding that have been the subject of guidelines. Further health promotion efforts are needed to achieve greater consistency with recommendations and to address other concerns women have. This will entail greater engagement with parents and shared development of responses.