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Complementary Feeding Practices in Europe

Introduction to the survey

Welcome and thank you for participating in this survey!
Complementary feeding (CF) is the introduction of any foods or liquids other than breast milk or infant formula, while milk feeding continues, to meet the infant’s increasing nutritional needs. This survey is conducted under the umbrella of International Affairs Representative and Young ESPGHAN to explore complementary feeding practices among paediatricians and dietitians across Europe. Our aim is to better understand how recommendations vary between countries, highlight cultural and traditional practices, and create opportunities for young colleagues to collaborate internationally.
· The survey will take approximately 5–7 minutes to complete.
· All responses are collected anonymously; no personal or patient data will be recorded.
· At the end of the survey, if you would like to join the ESPGHAN complementary feeding network, kindly leave your e-mail address voluntarily. This will be stored separately to ensure that your survey answers remain completely anonymous.
Your participation is greatly appreciated and will contribute to shaping future ESPGHAN initiatives on infant and complementary feeding. Thank you for your time and support!
1. Age Group(Required.)
2. Gender(Required.)
3. Country of Work(Required.)
4. Primary workplace setting (more than 50% of time)(Required.)
5. If you are an AHP, please specify your area of work (e.g., dietitian, nurse, psychologist, speech and language therapist):
6. Experience Level(Required.)
7. In the absence of disease or special indications, at what age do you usually recommend starting complementary feeding?(Required.)
at a certain month (please indicate age in months in the comment section below)
not specified
Earliest recommended age
Ideal recommended age
Latest recommended age
8. Which food do you usually recommend as the first complementary food?(Required.)
9. At what age do you usually recommend introducing the following foods? (Please tick one for each row)(Required.)
5 months
5-6 months
7-8 months
8-9 months
10-11 months
12 months
after 12 months
Vegetables
Fruit
Cereals/ Grains
Dairy (e.g., yogurt/cheese)
Meat/protein
Fish
Egg
Cow milk
Peanut
Tree nuts
Wheat/gluten
Sesame
Soy
10. According to your personal practice, please indicate: Which drinks you usually recommend at each age group? Please tick (☑) the appropriate boxes.(Required.)
below 3 months
3 - 5 months
6 - 8 months
9 - 11 months
12 - 23 months
not applicable
Breast milk only
Breast milk together with other options
Follow-on formula
Young child formula
Cow’s milk
Water
Flavoured water
Tea
Sweetened tea
Juice
11. Are there any foods that, according to national or international guidelines in your country, should not be given to infants or young children?(Required.)
11.1 If yes above please specify foods that should not be given to infants under 9 months:
11.2 If yes above, please specify foods that should not be given to children between 9 and 12 months:
12. Are specially fortified foods (e.g., iron-fortified cereals) commonly recommended or available in your country?(Required.)
13. Do you discuss or recommend vegan or vegetarian complementary feeding in your daily practice?(Required.)
13.1. If yes above for vegetarian diet, which plant-based protein sources do you usually recommend? (Select all that apply)
13.2. If yes, please specify whether you discuss or recommend vitamin D3 and vitamin B12 supplementation.
14. Do you specifically discuss or recommend Baby-Led Weaning (BLW) with parents?(Required.)
15. When recommending complementary foods at the beginning, which texture and source do you usually prefer?(Required.)
16. Do you discuss the importance of progressing from purées to mashed/lumpy foods and eventually finger foods?(Required.)
17. Do you usually follow a guideline when advising on complementary feeding?(Required.)
18. Cultural/Traditional practices
Does your country have any cultural or traditional practice regarding complementary feeding that you could share?
19. Network participation
If you would like to join the ESPGHAN complementary feeding mailing group, please indicate your preferred email below.