A Systematic Review of Feeding Interventions for Infants With Cleft Palate
Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal
Penny, C., McGuire, C., et al. (2022).
Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal, 59(12), 1527-1536.
This systematic review investigates the effects of feeding interventions on weight gain, growth, and feeding efficiency for infants with cleft palate (with or without cleft lip) prior to surgery.
Not stated
From database inception to May 30, 2021
Cohort studies, randomized-controlled trials, and systematic reviews
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Regarding bottles, both squeezable and rigid bottles enabled infants to achieve normal growth. Squeezable bottles may be easier for parents or care partners to use. In two studies, rigid bottles required modifications that made them more similar to specialty compression bottles or required modifications to bottle nipples that enabled a faster flow. Specialty bottles and infant-driven feeding systems did not restore normal feeding patterns or achieve efficient growth.
Alternative feeding systems such as syringe feeding or paladai feeding have shown beneficial impact for weight gain. Cup and spoon feeding was not supported by the studies investigating their use.
Two studies investigating parent education showed programs were successful in improving infant weight gain. One taught breastfeeding techniques via an audio-visual module and the other used the enlarge, stimulate, swallow, rest (ESSR) method of bottle feeding.
