Prevention of Overweight in Infancy

We plan on undertaking a 4-arm randomised controlled trial to test the following hypotheses:

• That anticipatory guidance and extra education and support in infancy around weaning and decreasing/avoiding television watching will delay the timing of introduction of solid foods, will be associated with more successful introduction of nutrient dense foods with appropriate portion size and decrease small screen exposure leading to a lower number of children with excessive weight velocity in infancy and early childhood.
• That anticipatory guidance, education and extra support around the early development of infant sleeping patterns will decrease sleep problems, increase infant sleeping time, decrease arousals at night and lower sleep latency which will in turn influence rate of early infant weight gain.
• That interventions 1 and 2 will interact additively with regard to infant and early childhood weight gain.
• That intervention 2 will lead to lower rates of maternal depression and increased family well being.

Inclusion criteria

• Mothers booked for delivery in Dunedin, New Zealand

Exclusion criteria

• Women booked after 34 weeks gestation,
• Identified congenital abnormality likely to affect feeding and/or growth
• Home address outside of metropolitan Dunedin or Invercargill,
• Families who are likely to shift out of metropolitan Dunedin or Invercargill in the next 2 years.
• Unable to communicate in English or te reo Maori.