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In Aotearoa New Zealand, there has been a significant increase in the numbers of infants and toddlers participating in 'out-of-home' care and education settings. While initial teacher education programmes include references to this age group, due to competing priorities in the programmes, space to include the depth of knowledge required is scarce. In 2020, Te Rito Maioha Early Childhood New Zealand developed and implemented an online specialist infant and toddler learning and development postgraduate diploma qualification. The online programme employs multi-disciplinary theories and research from fields such as education, health, and social services to support a holistic view of learning, development, and wellbeing. This paper draws on collaborative self-study and survey methodologies that investigated the key requirements of an effective online specialist infant and toddler postgraduate qualification and how these supported teachers to engage with the learning. Our findings highlight the positive impact of the qualification on infant and toddler teacher identity and pedagogy and, from their perspective, improved outcomes for infants and toddlers. Key aspects of success were asynchronous online delivery, teacher-educator availability, and multi-disciplinary perspectives. Keywords: infant; toddler; online; specialisation; pedagogy; self-study; teacher-educator availability, and multi-disciplinary perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of consuming iodine-fortified toddler milk for improving dietary iodine intakes and biochemical iodine status in toddlers. Methods: In a 20-week parallel randomised controlled trial, healthy 12–20-month-old children were assigned to: Fortified Milk [n = 45; iodine-fortified (21.1 µg iodine/100 g prepared drink) cow's milk], or Non-Fortified Milk (n = 90; non-fortified cow's milk). Food and nutrient intakes were assessed with 3-day weighed food records at baseline, and weeks 4 and 20. Urinary iodine concentration (UIC) was measured at baseline and 20 weeks. Results: At baseline, toddlers' median milk intake was 429 g/day. There was no evidence that milk intakes changed within or between the groups during the intervention. Toddlers' baseline geometric mean iodine intake was 46.9 µg/day, and the median UIC of 43 µg/L in the Fortified Milk group and 55 µg/L in the Non-Fortified Milk group indicated moderate and mild iodine deficiency, respectively, with this difference due to chance. During the intervention, iodine intakes increased by 136% (p < 0.001) and UIC increased by 85 µg/L (p < 0.001) in the Fortified Milk group compared to the Non-Fortified Milk group. The 20-week median UIC was 91 µg/L in the Fortified Milk group and 49 µg/L in the Non-Fortified Milk group. Conclusions: Consumption of ≈ 1.7 cups of iodine-fortified toddler milk per day for 20 weeks can increase dietary iodine intakes and UIC in healthy iodine-deficient toddlers. This strategy alone is unlikely to provide sufficient intake to ensure adequate iodine status in toddlers at risk of mild-to-moderate iodine deficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A total of 200 rice and rice products from New Zealand and Australia were purchased from retail outlets during 2017 for inorganic arsenic analysis by ICP-MS. The survey of foods placed a particular emphasis on products marketed specifically for infants and young. A total of 159 samples (80%) gave positive results for inorganic arsenic, with a mean concentration of 0.06 mg/kg and a range of <0.01–0.14 mg/kg. Two products marketed for infants and young children age-cohort had the highest concentrations of inorganic arsenic. Both exceeded the EU maximum level for rice destined for the production of food for infants and young children of 0.1 mg/kg. The mean concentration of inorganic arsenic for only raw rice samples was 0.07 mg/kg, with a range of <0.02–0.12 mg/kg. In general, the concentration of inorganic arsenic in rice and rice products from New Zealand and Australia was low compared to concentrations reported from comparable studies overseas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Eating less frequently is associated with increased obesity risk in older children but data are potentially confounded by reverse causation, where bigger children eat less often in an effort to control their weight. Longitudinal data, particularly in younger children, are scarce. We aimed to determine whether eating frequency (meals and snacks) at 2 years of age is associated with past, current or subsequent BMI.Design: Cohort analysis of a randomised controlled trial. Eating frequency at 2 years of age was estimated using 48 h diaries that recorded when each child ate meals and snacks (parent-defined) in five-minute blocks. Body length/height and weight were measured at 1, 2 and 3·5 years of age. Linear regression assessed associations between the number of eating occasions and BMI Z-score, before and after adjustment for potential confounding variables.Setting: Prevention of Overweight in Infancy (POI) study, Dunedin, New Zealand.Subjects: Children (n 371) aged 1-3·5 years.Results: On average, children ate 5·5 (sd 1·2) times/d at 2 years of age, with most children (88-89 %) eating 4-7 times/d. Eating frequency at 2 years was not associated with current (difference in BMI Z-score per additional eating occasion; 95 % CI: -0·02; -0·10, 0·05) or subsequent change (0·02; -0·03, 0·06) in BMI. Similarly, BMI at age 1 year did not predict eating frequency at 2 years of age (difference in eating frequency per additional BMI Z-score unit; 95 % CI: -0·03; -0·19, 0·13).Conclusions: Number of eating occasions per day was not associated with BMI in young children in the present study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Few physical activity interventions have been undertaken in infants and toddlers, despite concerns that they are insufficiently active. The Prevention of Overweight in Infancy trial encouraged parents to be physically active with their child from birth, including prone-based play ("tummy time"), while reducing time spent restrained in car seats and "strollers." Methods: A total of 802 women, recruited in late pregnancy, were randomized to a physical activity intervention, which provided information antenatally, and active group sessions with their infant at 3, 9, and 18 months of age. Questionnaires were completed at multiple time points, and toddlers wore Actical accelerometers for 5 d at 24 months of age. Results: Attendance at intervention sessions was high in infancy but declined by 18 months to 66%. Almost all parents placed their infant prone to play at least once a day (90%-95%, overall median 25 min⋅d-1), with no intervention differences observed (P = 0.445 and P = 0.350 at 4 and 6 months, respectively). Few differences were observed in other measures of restraint or parental activity at any time point. At 2 yr, children spent approximately 8 h⋅d-1 in sedentary time while awake and 3.6 h in light-to-vigorous activity. However, no group differences were apparent in counts per minute (P = 0.759) or time in light-to-vigorous activity (P = 0.960). Conclusion: An early life intervention targeting improvements in child and parent physical activity as part of a wider obesity prevention initiative had little effect on physical activity at 2 yr of age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The study objective was to determine the relative validity and reproducibility of a modified FFQ for ranking the nutrient intakes of New Zealand toddlers aged 12-24 months.Design: Cross-sectional study.Setting: Dunedin, New Zealand.Subjects: One hundred and fifty-two participants completed a ninety-five-item FFQ twice, and five days of weighed diet recording (WDR), over one month. Validity and reproducibility were assessed for crude data and for data that were weighted for total fruit and vegetable intake (FV-adjusted).Results: De-attenuated correlations between FV-adjusted FFQ data and WDR data ranged from 0.45 (Zn) to 0.77 (Ca). The percentage classified to the correct WDR quartile by the FV-adjusted FFQ data ranged from 34.6% (total fat, Zn) to 50.3% (Fe). Average gross misclassification was 3%. Bland-Altman statistics showed crude data had a range of 128-178% agreement with the WDR and mean FV-adjusted intakes had 112-160% agreement. FV-adjusted intra-class correlations, assessing reproducibility, ranged from 0.65 (vitamin C) to 0.75 (Ca).Conclusions: The Eating Assessment in Toddlers (EAT) FFQ showed acceptable to good relative validity, and good reproducibility, for ranking participants' nutrient intake and is able to identify toddlers at extremes of the nutrient intake distribution. It will be a useful tool for investigating toddlers' nutrient intakes in studies that require a method of dietary assessment with low respondent burden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optimal nutrition in early childhood fosters growth and development whilst preventing morbidity and mortality in later life. There is little research in New Zealand on commercially available complementary foods (CACFs). This cross-sectional study of the nutritional aspects and packaging of CACFs used data collected in four major supermarket chains in New Zealand in 2019 (Nutritrack). Of the 197 CACFs analysed, 43 (21.8%) were inappropriately recommended for consumption by children four months of age or older, 10 (5.1%) had added salt, and 67 (34.0%) contained free sugars. The majority ( n = 136, 69.0%) contained ingredients with a sweet flavour. Relatively sweet vegetables like carrot and sweetcorn were used more often than bitter vegetables such as broccoli and spinach. The described texture of most ( n = 145, 62.1%) wet 'spoonable' products was of the lowest complexity (smooth, puréed, custard). CACFs would adequately expose children to cow's milk and wheat but not to other common food allergens (cooked hen's egg, soy, fish, crustacean shellfish, peanut, and tree-nuts). If children's diets include CACFs, non-commercial meals must be offered as well in order to meet nutritional guidelines related to the introduction of common food allergens, diversity of flavours, and complex textures for infants and toddlers.