Table 1.

Feeding Assessment Tools for Infants Less than 6 months old

Tool (Author)	Purpose	Target Population & Age	Feeding Method	Intended User	Psychometric Testing
Breastfeeding Evaluation and Education Tool (BEET)28	To guide assessment of breastfeeding, identify problems, and facilitate seeking assistance.	Healthy, full-term young infants (age not specified)	Breast	Motheror Clinician	None. This is a list of questions/interview and assessment guide. No scoring system.
Bristol Breastfeeding Assessment Tool (BBAT)30	To facilitate accurate, rapid breast feeding assessment and targeted advice to mothers acquiring skills or experiencing problems.	Tested with healthy, full-term infants up to 10 weeks old.	Breast	Clinician	Evidence of content validity, but no testing done. Internal reliability slightly below acceptable, but inter-rater reliability acceptable.
Early Feeding Skills Assessment (EFS)22	To standardize assessment of feeding skills and individualize interventions.	Preterm infants through 52 weeks post-menstrual age.	Breast or Bottle	Clinician *Specialized training required	Evidence of content validity, but no testing. Acceptable inter- and intra-rater reliability.
Infant Breastfeeding Assessment Tool (IBFAT)31	To measure infant breastfeeding competence.	Healthy, full-term infants < 5 days old.	Breast	Mother or Clinician	Evidence of content validity, but no testing. Inconsistent inter-rater reliability.
LATCH32	To standardize assessment and teaching of breastfeeding.	Not specified	Breast	Mother or Clinician	Evidence of content validity but no testing. Inconsistent inter-rater reliability.
Mother-Baby Assessment (MBA)33	To assist clinicians in documenting their observations of breastfeeding.	Not specified	Breast	Clinician	No content validation. Inconsistent inter-rater reliability.
Mother Infant Breastfeeding Progress Tool (MIBPT)34	To assess maternal and infant behaviors and skills for breastfeeding and guide support and education.	Healthy, late preterm and term infants (35–42 weeks post-menstrual age) during post-partum hospital stay (2-5 days old).	Breast	Clinician	Evidence of content validity & informal assessment. Acceptable inter-rater reliability.
Neonatal Oral Motor Assessment Scale (NOMAS)23	To qualify and describe patterns of disorganized and dysfunctional sucking.	Preterm, medically fragile, and chronically ill infants.	Breast or Bottle	Clinician *Specialized training required	No evidence of content validation. Results of reliability testing inconsistent and/or unacceptable.
Potential Early Breastfeeding Problem Tool (PEBPT)35	To elicit early breastfeeding events that may be indicative of breast-feeding problems.	Healthy, full-term infants during post-partum hospitalization.	Breast	Clinician	Evidence of content validity, but no testing. Acceptable internal consistency reliability.
Premature Infant Breastfeeding Behavior Scale (PIBBS)36	To facilitate clinical observation of preterm infant breastfeeding behavior.	Hospitalized preterm infants.	Breast	Mother or Clinician	Evidence of content validity, but no testing. Inter-rater reliability of revised tool unacceptable.
Systematic Assessment of the Infant at Breast (SAIB)29	To evaluate the effectiveness of the infant’s contribution to breastfeeding.	Healthy, full-term infants (age not specified).	Breast	Clinician	None. This is an assessment/teaching guide. No scoring system.