What do toddlers really eat in France? Fruits, vegetables, fats, salt, homemade products… The 6th edition of the Nutri-Bébé study, a benchmark in infant nutrition, provides a nuanced overview of the diet of children under 3 years old. While some developments are encouraging, significant gaps persist between nutritional recommendations and the actual content of babies’ plates.
A unique photograph of the diet of 0-3 year olds
Conducted every eight years by the French Children’s Food Sector (SFAE) in collaboration with Ipsos and Crédoc, the Nutri-Bébé study was carried out in 2022 with more than 1,000 children aged 15 days to 3 years. Thanks to detailed questionnaires and a consumption diary over several days, it offers a detailed vision of the dietary practices of French families.
Its main observation: the specific nutritional needs of young children remain poorly understood, especially after the age of one.
Fruits and vegetables: intakes still insufficient
First notable lesson: more than one child in five does not consume fruit or vegetables daily after 1 year, regardless of their form (fresh, cooked, pureed). A worrying fact, since these foods play a key role in providing fiber, vitamins and minerals, essential for growth.
Too little fat… and too little added
Another major point of alert: fats, essential for the development of the brain and nervous system.
- More than 66% of children aged 6 months to 3 years have lipid intakes below EFSA recommendations;
- Less than 5% of parents say they add fat to their child’s meals.
However, as Dr Sandra Brancato, pediatrician expert in child nutrition, points out:
“Between 6 months and 1 year, 40 to 50% of energy intake should come from lipids, and another 35 to 40% after 1 year.“
The right reflex: systematically add raw fat to baby’s plate (rapeseed oil, walnut oil, special baby oil, or occasionally a little pasteurized unsalted butter).
Salt still too present on the plates
While the recommendations recommend limiting or even avoiding the addition, salt remains too often used:
- 5% of parents add it from the start of diversification;
- Up to 70% in children aged 2 to 3 years.
Excess salt can, however, put unnecessary strain on the immature kidneys of young children and promote poor eating habits in the long term.
Diversification sometimes too late
The average age for starting dietary diversification is now 5.9 months, compared to 5.4 months in 2013. Around 10% of children are still diversified outside the recommended window (between 4 and 6 months), most often too late.
Baby is not a mini-adult
The study highlights a persistent trend: children are still too often fed like adults, from 1 year old. Result :
- Not enough lipids;
- Too much protein;
- Too much sugar;
- And a sometimes too rapid introduction of foods intended for adults.
As Dr. Brancato summarizes:
“It’s up to the parents to adapt their cooking to the child, not the other way around..”
Homemade: good news… subject to conditions
Pleasant surprise: home-cooking is progressing, with an increase in home-cooked meals (+7%) and mashed potatoes (+12%). A development in line with the recommendations of the PNNS.
But watch out for deviations:
- Increase in home fries (+6%);
- Decrease in cooked vegetables (-4%).
For homemade products that are truly suitable for babies, there are a few golden rules:
- Respect the child’s appetite.
- Avoid salt and fried foods.
- Favor steam cooking.
- Add the oils after cooking.
- Vary foods, textures and tastes.
Infant milk: stopping too early
Another important lesson: infant milk is often stopped too early, in favor of semi-skimmed cow’s milk.
- 10% of children aged 10-11 months no longer consume it;
- Almost 50% after 2 years.
However, pediatric societies recommend infant or growth milk up to 3 years of age, in particular to cover the needs for iron and essential fatty acids.
And the little pots in all this?
Often criticized, childhood foods (small pots, dishes, bottles, dairy products, etc.) remain a safe and supervised alternative:
- Very strict European regulations;
- Absence of controversial additives;
- Adapted protein, salt and sugar contents.
They can complement homemade, particularly to vary flavors and save time on a daily basis.
The Nutri-Bébé study highlights something sometimes forgotten: the nutritional needs of a baby are not those of an adult. Fruits, vegetables, fats, infant milk, limiting salt and sugars… So many essential levers to support the growth and future health of children.
A key message to remember for parents: better informed, they can easily adjust their little one’s meals, without guilt, but with a few simple guidelines adapted to each age.