Research and analysis

Better Health Start for Life weaning campaign: methodology and summary of results

Published 4 March 2022

Applies to England

Methodology

The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) commissioned Opinium, an online polling and strategic insight agency, to provide attitudinal insights to support the launch of the Better Health Start for Life weaning campaign.

An online survey with a nationally representative sample of 1,000 parents with children aged 3 to 18 months was conducted from 9 to 14 February.

The survey consisted of 13 questions, asking parents across England about their attitudes around and experiences of weaning.

The following statistics were featured in the national press release for the campaign to promote advice on introducing babies to solid food .

To note, regional survey results are available upon request. Email [email protected].

Summary

Topline survey results include:

• 40% of parents feel unsure as to what age to start introducing solid foods (see table 6)
• over 2 in 5 (41%) of new mums (first-time mothers) have already introduced solid foods by the time their baby is 5 months old even though experts recommend that solid food should be introduced from the age of 6 months (see table 2)
• 45% said they found how much food to give their baby confusing and 43% found when to progress from certain tastes and textures confusing (see table 7)
• almost two-thirds (64%) of parents have received conflicting advice on what age to start introducing solid foods (see table 14)
• almost three-quarters (73%) agree that there should be one official source for weaning advice (see table 14)
• over a quarter (28%) of first-time mums reported that their mother had the biggest influence on their decision to start weaning (see table 12)

Survey questions and results

The survey consisted of multiple-choice questions to gain insight knowledge and attitudes around weaning.

Unless specified, the number of overall responses for each table is 1,000.

Table 1: demographics of survey sample by age

Demographic	Number of people surveyed
Aged 18 to 24	120
Aged 25 to 34	633
Aged 35 to 44	235
Aged 45 and over	12

Table 2: results from Q1: how old was your child when you started weaning? (Select one answer only)

Multiple choice answer selected	All responses
Less than 3 months	3%
Between 3 to 4 months	11%
Between 4 to 5 months	24%
Between 5 to 6 months	42%
Older than 6 months	21%

Table 3: results from Q2: who is or was also involved in deciding when to start weaning your child?

Multiple choice answer selected	All responses
The child’s father or mother	64%
My partner	27%
Their grandparents	6%
Other family members	3%
Childcare settings, for example nursery	1%
N/A I was the only one to make the decision	14%

Table 4: results from Q3: you said that you started weaning your baby at [a given age]. How did you make this decision? (Select all that apply)

Multiple choice answer selected	All responses
Used my own gut instinct as baby seemed ready	58%
Looked at NHS advice online	39%
Researched using the internet and/or social media	35%
Spoke in person with a health visitor	30%
Knew because this was my second child	29%
Asked my mother, parents and/or carer	26%
Took advice from friends with children	26%
Took advice from family with children	24%
Researched using childcare books	22%
Asked my GP and/or health professional	20%
Don’t know	1%

Table 5: results from Q4: which of the following, if any, influenced your decision to start weaning? (Select all that apply)

Multiple choice answer selected	All responses
My child was grabbing for food	56%
My child was looking at my food	52%
My child was sitting up unaided	50%
My child didn’t seem full after just milk	38%
My child was chewing their fist	35%
My child was 6 months old	32%
My child could feed themselves (that is was putting food in mouth, not spitting it out)	28%
My child was waking in the night for milk	24%
My child started crawling	7%
I wanted to stop breastfeeding	4%
Other (please specify)	2%
None of the above	0%

Table 6: results from Q5: thinking about the process of weaning, to what extent do you agree with the below statements?

Multiple choice answer selected	I have found the decision to start weaning confusing	COVID-19 has made the weaning process harder	I felt or feel confident in my decision of when to start weaning	I knew when my baby was ready to start weaning	I felt or feel pressured to start weaning my baby	I felt or feel unsure when to start weaning my baby
Strongly agree	13%	13%	51%	45%	12%	13%
Somewhat agree	31%	19%	40%	48%	24%	27%
Somewhat disagree	29%	23%	7%	6%	22%	29%
Strongly disagree	27%	40%	2%	1%	41%	29%
Don’t know	1%	5%	0%	0%	1%	1%
Net: agree	43%	32%	91%	92%	36%	40%
Net: disagree	56%	63%	9%	7%	63%	58%

Table 7: results from Q6: how confusing did or do you find the following aspects of weaning?

Multiple choice answer selected	How much food to give my baby	What age to start weaning	What kind of food to give to my baby	Which tastes or textures to try first	When to progress from certain tastes and textures	Why I needed or need to start weaning	How to fit weaning into my and the baby’s routine	How to tell if my baby was or is ready to start weaning	Whether to feed my baby puree or solid food	How to prepare the food
Very confusing	17%	9%	14%	13%	17%	7%	15%	9%	13%	10%
Moderately confusing	28%	20%	22%	23%	26%	17%	26%	20%	22%	19%
Slightly confusing	32%	26%	28%	31%	30%	16%	29%	28%	27%	23%
Not at all confusing	23%	44%	36%	33%	26%	58%	30%	42%	38%	47%
Don’t know	0%	1%	0%	1%	1%	1%	0%	1%	1%	1%
Net: confusing	45%	29%	36%	35%	43%	25%	41%	29%	35%	29%
Net: not confusing	55%	70%	64%	64%	56%	74%	59%	70%	64%	70%

Table 8: results from Q7: you said that you weaned your baby before 6 months. For which of the following reasons did you start weaning your baby before 6 months? (Select the 3 biggest reasons)

Multiple choice answer selected	All responses
My baby seemed ready	55%
My baby seemed hungry for more food	34%
A healthcare professional (for example health visitor or GP) recommended it	22%
It’s what I did last time	17%
My mum recommended it	10%
I believed it would make my baby sleep better	10%
My mum started weaning me before 6 months	9%
Other family members who have children recommended it	8%
I heard it was better for the baby’s nutritional needs	8%
I read about it on an online forum	7%
Read about it in a parent’s magazine or book	7%
My friends recommended it	7%
I heard it would reduce the chances that babies would develop allergies	7%
It is recommended to wean your baby before 6 months	5%
My mother-in-law recommended it	4%
Other (please specify)	4%
None of the above	2%
Don’t know	1%

Table 9: results from Q8 from parents of a child aged 0 to 3 months: which of the following do you give to your baby? (Select all that apply)

Multiple choice answer selected	Of 151 responses
Puree food	62%
Formula milk	58%
Mashed foods	41%
Breast milk	38%
Water	34%
Finger foods	25%
Packaged snacks	14%
Cow’s milk	12%
Fruit juice	11%
None of the above	1%

Table 10: results from Q8 from parents of a child aged 3 months and over: which of the following do you give to your baby? (Select all that apply)

Multiple choice answer selected	Of 849 responses
Puree food	77%
Water	54%
Formula milk	45%
Breast milk	35%
Packaged snacks	33%
Lumpy foods	26%
Cow’s milk	23%
Fruit juice	20%
None of the above	1%

Table 11: results from Q9: to what extent do you agree or disagree with the below statements?

Multiple choice answer selected	Bigger babies need to be introduced to solid foods earlier than smaller babies	Giving babies solid food helps them sleep at night	Babies under 12 months need snacks between meals	Pressure from others made me wean earlier than I would have otherwise
Strongly agree	10%	12%	17%	11%
Somewhat agree	22%	35%	38%	20%
Somewhat disagree	27%	23%	22%	20%
Strongly disagree	34%	22%	17%	48%
Don’t know	8%	8%	6%	2%
Net: agree	32%	47%	55%	31%
Net: disagree	61%	45%	39%	68%

Table 12: results from Q10: who would you say had the biggest influence on your decision to start weaning? (Select your top 3 influences)

Multiple choice answer selected	All responses
Your partner	27%
Your mother	22%
Other mums, friends with babies and children of a similar age	20%
Information on baby food packaging	17%
Other mums or friends with older babies and children	16%
Online parenting forums	16%
Other immediate family	13%
Advertising and marketing for baby foods	12%
Social media influencers, such as celebrity mothers	11%
Your mother-in-law	8%
Other (please specify)	7%
None of the above	17%

Table 13: results from Q11: which of the below, if any, worry or worried you when it comes to weaning your child either now or in the future? (Select all that apply)

Multiple choice answer selected	Responses from parents of a child aged 0 to 3 months
Choking	61%
The baby having too much salt	42%
I worry about my child being a fussy eater	41%
The baby having too much sugar	39%
Giving them food that is too hard (for example apple skin and raw veg)	33%
Over feeding	32%
Under feeding	29%
The baby not eating enough vegetables	24%
Giving them food which is too spicy	21%
Other	1%
Don’t know	3%

Table 14: results from Q12: thinking about your experience of weaning, to what extent do you agree or disagree with the below statements?

Multiple choice answer selected	There should be one official source for weaning advice	People should wean their babies whenever they want	I trust my own judgement when it comes to weaning my baby	I have received conflicting advice on what age to start the weaning process	I have received conflicting advice on how much food to offer my baby	I have received conflicting advice on which foods to give my baby	It has been difficult to make decisions about weaning because I have not had access to face-to-face advice from a health visitor during the pandemic
Strongly agree	36%	25%	45%	24%	21%	21%	26%
Somewhat agree	39%	34%	43%	39%	40%	40%	30%
Somewhat disagree	16%	27%	9%	21%	21%	23%	19%
Strongly disagree	6%	13%	2%	14%	14%	15%	23%
Don’t know	3%	1%	1%	2%	3%	2%	1%
Net: agree	74%	59%	88%	64%	62%	61%	56%
Net: disagree	23%	40%	12%	35%	35%	38%	43%

Table 15: results from Q13: what do you think would be helpful for you and other parents while weaning? (Select all that apply)

Multiple choice answer selected	All responses
Having access to meal ideas and/or recipes	62%
Having access to professional support and advice	59%
Having access to an official source of information for guidance	58%
Advice on what are the best foods to give my child	49%
Advice on how best to cook specific foods	45%
Having access to support from family and friends	35%
Other (please specify)	1%
Don’t know	3%