Study	Reason for exclusion
Ahmed 2020	RCT of progressive feeds introduction < 48 hours vs later initiation of feeds ‐ both groups are "early" according to the criteria for this review
Chetry 2014	Both groups received early enteral feeds
Glass 1984	Infants were allocated alternately to either early (first day after birth) or delayed transpyloric enteral feeding. The delayed feeding group commenced enteral nutrition when assessed to be "clinically stable" but this included initiation within 4 days after birth
Higgs 1974	Infants in the delayed progressive enteral feeds group received total parenteral nutrition as a co‐intervention
Jajoo 2021	Both groups received early introduction of progressive enteral feeds
Jayaraman 2017	RCT examining the effect on breast milk feeding of early vs delayed kangaroo mother care in low birth weight infants (no intention to delay introduction)
LaGamma 1985	This was not a randomised controlled trial
Modi 2015	RCT of different rates of advancement of enteral feed volumes (not delayed versus early introduction of progressive feeding)
Montealegre‐Pomar 2021	RCT of different rates of advancement of enteral feed volumes (not delayed versus early introduction of progressive feeding)
Nangia 2019	RCT of early full enteral feeding (not delayed versus early introduction of progressive feeding)
Said 2008	Infants in the delayed progressive enteral feeding group received minimal enteral nutrition prior to feed advancement as a co‐intervention
Sanghvi 2013	Both groups received early enteral feeds
Tottman 2020	Retrospective cohort study (epoch comparison)
Viswanathan 2017	Retrospective cohort study
Weiler 2006	Infants in both groups received some enteral feeds before 4 days after birth
Wilson 1997	Infants in the delayed progressive enteral feeds group also received delayed advancement of parenteral nutrition as a co‐intervention

RCT: randomised controlled trial; vs: versus