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Infant and young child feeding: breastfeeding and weaning sheet
10-mark answer frame

Discuss the recommended infant and young child feeding practices and the benefits of breastfeeding.

How to lay out the answer. Follow the frame, then write it in your own words.

  1. 1 · Open in two lines. IYCF practices give a child the best start: early and exclusive breastfeeding, then timely, adequate complementary feeding with continued breastfeeding.
  2. 2 · Draw the IYCF timeline. [Timeline: birth (first hour, colostrum) → 0-6 months exclusive breastfeeding → 6 months complementary foods → 2 years and beyond, continue breastfeeding]
  3. 3 · Benefits of breastfeeding.
    • Baby: nutrition, antibodies, fewer infections, brain growth.
    • Mother: less bleeding, birth spacing, lower cancer risk.
    • Family: free, clean, saves money.
  4. 4 · Complementary feeding. Timely, adequate, safe, responsive, varied; meals by age; low-cost home foods and malted ragi.
  5. 5 · The present situation. NFHS-5 (2019-21): early initiation 41.8%, exclusive breastfeeding 63.7%.
  6. 6 · Protection and promotion. IMS Act 1992, BFHI, MAA 2016, World Breastfeeding Week.
  7. 7 · In the community. Home visits by the ASHA and AWW to help with attachment and counter harmful beliefs; weaning-food demonstrations.
  8. 8 · Close in one line. Breast milk first and family food from six months: the cheapest protection against malnutrition.

Scoring tip: The 1-6-6-2 timeline is the backbone; add NFHS-5 figures with the survey years to show you know the current picture.