Office Based Intervention to Reduce Bottle Use in Toddlers: TARGet Kids! Pragmatic Randomized Trial

Observational studies support an association between bottle feeding beyond 15 to 18 months of age and lower socioeconomic status, excessive milk intake, dental caries, iron deficiency, behavioral issues and obesity. Yet many parents, particularly those from low socioeconomic households, choose to feed their children by bottle much beyond this age. Recognizing the need for further educational interventions for bottle feeding, the TARGet Kids! Research Collaboration recently developed a 5-minute bottle weaning educational intervention for the 9 month well-child visit. We undertook a pragmatic randomized controlled trial to evaluate its effectiveness involving 251 children recruited through TARGet Kids! (PMID: 20624802) The goal was to determine whether an office-based, educational intervention for parents of 9-month-old children could reduce bottle use and iron depletion at 2 years of age.