Infant and young child feeding: breastfeeding and weaning
Start breastfeeding within one hour, give only breast milk for six months, then add complementary foods from six months while breastfeeding continues to two years or beyond.
Recommended IYCF practices
| Age | Practice |
|---|---|
| Birth | Put the baby to the breast within one hour; give colostrum; no pre-lacteal feeds (honey, sugar water, ghutti) |
| 0-6 months | Exclusive breastfeeding: no water, other milk or food; feed on demand, day and night, 8 or more times |
| From 6 months | Start complementary foods (soft and mashed) and continue breastfeeding |
| 6-8 months | Thick porridge or mashed food, 2-3 meals a day |
| 9-11 months | Finely chopped or mashed family food, 3-4 meals a day plus 1-2 snacks |
| 12-24 months | Family food, 3-4 meals plus 1-2 snacks; breastfeeding continues to 2 years or beyond |
Benefits of breastfeeding
| For | Benefits |
|---|---|
| Baby | Complete nutrition; colostrum rich in antibodies (IgA), vitamin A and protective cells; fewer diarrhoeal and chest infections; better brain development; less obesity later |
| Mother | Helps the uterus contract and reduces bleeding after birth; delays the next pregnancy (lactational amenorrhoea); lowers the risk of breast and ovarian cancer; helps lose pregnancy weight |
| Family and nation | Free, clean, always ready at the right temperature; saves money on formula and medicines; no waste |
Good complementary (weaning) feeding: the principles
- Timely: begin at 6 months, not earlier or later.
- Adequate: energy- and nutrient-dense, thick enough to stay on a spoon; add a teaspoon of oil or ghee.
- Safe: clean hands, utensils and water; freshly made; feed with a cup and spoon, not a bottle.
- Responsive: feed patiently, encourage the child, watch for hunger and fullness.
- Varied: cereal-pulse mixes, mashed vegetables and greens, fruit, egg, curd; aim for at least 5 of the 8 food groups as the child grows.
- Low-cost home foods: ragi kanji, rice-dal mash (paruppu sadam), khichdi, idli mashed with dal, mashed banana, sathu maavu (a home cereal-pulse-nut mix), and malted (germinated) ragi, which keeps porridge thin but energy-rich.
Activity: survey of breastfeeding and weaning practices
- 1Choose the group (e.g. 30 mothers of children under 2 in one ward or village) and get their consent.
- 2★Prepare a short interview schedule: time of first breastfeed, colostrum given or discarded, pre-lacteal feeds, exclusive breastfeeding, age at starting complementary food, foods given, feeding frequency, bottle use, beliefs and taboos.
- 3Pre-test the schedule on 2-3 mothers and correct confusing questions.
- 4Interview each mother at home, in her language, without judging; use a 24-hour recall for the child's food.
- 5Tabulate the answers as percentages, e.g. % who started breastfeeding within one hour.
- 6Compare with the recommended practices and with NFHS-5 figures for your state.
- 7★Report harmful practices, give mothers on-the-spot advice, and plan a nutrition education session.
★ one-way, controls the pace
Protecting and promoting breastfeeding in India
- IMS Act 1992 (amended 2003): bans advertising and promotion of infant milk substitutes, feeding bottles and infant foods.
- Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (WHO and UNICEF, 1991): ten steps to support breastfeeding in maternity wards.
- MAA programme (2016) of the health ministry: counselling and support through ASHAs and health workers.
- Maternity benefit: paid maternity leave by law and cash support to mothers under government schemes.
- World Breastfeeding Week, 1-7 August every year.
- Breastfeeding counselling at anganwadis, PHCs and during ASHA home visits.
In a village, the ASHA and anganwadi worker visit the newborn's home, help the mother with positioning and attachment, and gently counter beliefs such as discarding colostrum or giving honey and water.
2 marks: “What is colostrum? Why is it important?” The thick yellow milk of the first few days; rich in antibodies (IgA), vitamin A and protective cells, it is the baby's first immunisation.
5 marks: “Give the principles of complementary feeding.” Timely (6 months), adequate (thick, energy-dense), safe (clean, cup and spoon), responsive, varied; meals by age; low-cost home foods.
10 marks: “Discuss the recommended infant and young child feeding practices and the benefits of breastfeeding.” IYCF practices table; benefits to baby, mother and family; complementary feeding principles and foods; NFHS-5 figures; IMS Act, BFHI, MAA.
1-6-6-2: breastfeed in the 1st hour, only breast milk for 6 months, add foods at 6 months, continue to 2 years.