Irish mums are unaware of their baby's protein needs, a new survey has revealed.
Shocking new statistics from SMA Nutrition reveal that 93% of Irish mums don't know that babies are consuming too much protein during their early development.
While only one in five mums (19%) know that breastfed babies grow at a steadier rate than bottle fed babies.
The research highlighted that just 9% of mums are aware that too much protein during the first 1,000 days may cause rapid growth, with 42% thinking this was false.
The company are calling on Irish mums to be aware that during a baby’s early development, they require the right quality and quantity of protein to help them to grow at a steady rate.
Dietitian Aveen Bannon explained: "As a baby develops, the level of protein in breast milk decreases to meet a baby’s changing needs. According to SMA® Nutrition research, just 10% of mums are aware of this.
"Some 61% of respondents believed that the level of protein either increased or that it remained the same. For both breast and bottle fed babies, it is essential their protein intake changes to meet their requirements at different stages in their development.
"Research has proven that on average breast fed babies grow at a steadier rate than bottle fed babies and protein intake is a big factor in this.This growth rate is associated with better health outcomes in later life, for example a reduced risk of being overweight or obese in later life.”
Almost 1,000 mums were quizzed between January 12 and 22 for the survey.