Infant Nutrition
Proper infant nutrition is fundamental to a child’s continued health, from birth through adulthood. Good feeding habits in first few years of life is extremely crucial for infants physical and mental health well-being. It is rather unfortunate that in many countries less than a fourth of infants have access to the required dietary diversity and feeding frequency. WHO and UNICEF recommend: - Early initiation of breastfeeding within 1 hour of birth - Exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life - Introduction of nutritionally-adequate and safe complementary (solid) foods at 6 months together with continued breastfeeding up to 2 years of age or beyond. Exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months has many benefits for the infant and mother. It protects babies from various infections, have been linked with improved IQ and reduced breast cancer in mothers. Source: who.org
