Responsive complementary feeding (RCF) vs Other models of complementary feeding (traditional/non-responsive CF): Physical growth / weight gain
- Population
- Healthy, term-born, normal-birth-weight infants aged 4-24 months (breastfed and/or formula-fed) in Western industrialized countries
- Intervention
- Responsive complementary feeding (RCF)
- Comparison
- Other models of complementary feeding (traditional/non-responsive CF)
- Outcome
- Physical growth / weight gain
Two RCTs suggest responsive complementary feeding leads to better weight gain in the first two years, though effects were small and not always sustained (ungraded).
What each review found
Current versions only| Finding | Effect | Studies | GRADE certainty |
|---|---|---|---|
Responsive complementary feeding (RCF) vs Other models of complementary feeding (traditional/non-responsive CF) Physical growth / weight gain · Healthy, term-born, normal-birth-weight infants aged 4-24 months (breastfed and/or formula-fed) in Western… · First 2 years (up to 3-5 years), Outpatient care in Western industrialized (European/Anglo-Saxon) countries Two RCTs suggest responsive complementary feeding leads to better weight gain in the first two years, though effects were small and not always sustained (ungraded). Complementary Feeding Caregivers' Practices and Growth, Risk of Overweight/Obesity, and Other… (2022) All outcomes | The results of the two RCTs are consistent and suggest that RF during CF is effective, leading to better weight gain in the first 2 years of life; observational cohort results (2 RCTs and 5 observational studies) were… | 7 studies | GRADE not reported |
Findings are shown side by side, never pooled across reviews.
The reviews
| Review | Searched up to | Included studies | AMSTAR 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Complementary Feeding Caregivers' Practices and Growth, Risk of Overweight/Obesity, and Other Non-Communicable Diseases: A Systematic… 2022 All outcomes | Updated to September 2021 | 24 | Low / Critically Low |
Studies behind the findings
The primary studies the full-text reviews tie to this outcome. Reviews with headline outcomes only do not list them here.
- An Early Feeding Practices Intervention for Obesity Prevention · 2015 · included by 1 of these review
- Understanding and measuring parent use of food to soothe infant and toddler distress: A longitudinal study from 6 to 18 months of age. · 2015 · included by 1 of these review
- Outcomes of an Early Feeding Practices Intervention to Prevent Childhood Obesity · 2013 · included by 1 of these review
- How Does Maternal and Child Feeding Behavior Relate to Weight Gain and Failure to Thrive? Data From a Prospective Birth Cohort · 2006 · included by 1 of these review
How reviews are matched to this question
Reviews word the same question differently. Four decision models (TypeSafe's Jev, Liquid AI's d1-ultra, SubQ Snap and Baseten's Elephant) judged each wording of the population, intervention, comparator and outcome against the others; two wordings count as the same when at least three of them agree and none clearly disagrees, and findings count as this question only when all four elements match. Timing, setting and subgroup never split a question: they are shown on each finding.