"Complementary foods" refer to solid or semi-solid foods that are introduced to infants alongside breastfeeding or formula feeding. These foods provide additional nutrients and help babies transition from a milk-based diet to a variety of foods as they grow older.
Full definition
Experts recommend the continuation of breastfeeding or breast milk along
with complementary foods for at least the first year.
However, recent research has suggested that meat should be introduced as one of the first — or even THE first —
complementary foods for babies, generally from 6 months of age.
Practice exclusive breastfeeding from birth to 6 months, and
introduce complementary food at 6 months of age (180) days while continuing to breastfeed.
Exclusive breastfeeding for infants up to 6 months should be protected and promoted and breastfeeding should continue together with
appropriate complementary foods preferably until two years of age as feasible.
Children from the age of six months require nutrient - rich, age - appropriate and
safe complementary foods in addition to breast milk.
There is no evidence for a benefit to introducing
complementary foods in any specific sequence or at any specific rate.
Breastfeeding should then be continued up to 2 years of age or beyond with the addition of
adequate complementary foods from 6 months of age.
Again, it has not lived up to its claim to change its practices and continues to push
complementary foods from too early an age.
Despite the challenge, there are many helpful tips that can make the process of
starting complementary foods a lot easier on new parents and caregivers.
We examined the effects of beef vs. iron - fortified cereal as
first complementary food on growth, zinc and iron status, development and absorption of zinc.
Provided that you begin to
add complementary foods to your child's diet as she grows, breastfeeding can continue for 2 years, 3 years, or even longer.
Exclusive breastfeeding is recommended up to 6 months of age, with continued breastfeeding along with appropriate
complementary foods up to two years of age or beyond.
At around 6 months old, infants begin
eating complementary foods, such as baby cereal, vegetables and legumes, which contain fiber.
Exclusive breastfeeding for infants up to 6 months of age should be protected and promoted and breastfeeding should continue alongside appropriate
complementary foods preferably until two years of age, where feasible.
And remember, you never HAVE to begin introducing
complementary foods simply because your pediatrician has suggested that you do so; unless there is some medical need.
Many of the studies reviewed showed that women who continued to breastfeed despite the addition of
complementary foods retained a low risk of pregnancy, although somewhat higher than at six months.
Once a baby is half a year old, it is recommended to introduce
complementary foods into his diet: vegetables and cereals enriched with calcium.
After that, introducing baby -
friendly complementary foods, in addition to breastfeeding until the newborn is one - year - old, is recommended to meet the increased nutrient needs.
It is essential therefore that infants receive appropriate, adequate and
safe complementary foods to ensure the right transition from the breastfeeding period to the full use of family foods.
WHO has developed a protocol for adapting feeding recommendations that enables programme managers to identify local feeding practices, common problems associated with feeding, and
adequate complementary foods.
The program provides support, counseling and care for pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, newborn care, introduction
of complementary foods and family planning.
Our position on breastfeeding — the biological norm — reflects that of the World Health Assembly: «As a global public health recommendation, infants should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life to achieve optimal growth, development and health.Thereafter, to meet their evolving nutritional requirements, infants should receive nutritionally adequate and safe
complementary foods while breastfeeding continues for up to two years of age or beyond.»
«But if all babies and young children were breastfed exclusively for their first six months of life and then given
nutritious complementary food with continued breastfeeding up to two years of age, the lives of an additional 1.5 million children under five would be saved every year.»
Nestlé only agreed to stop promoting
complementary food before 6 months in 2003, announcing it during a week of demonstrations at Nestlé sites in the UK.
Similarly, Nestlé's assurance that it does not
promote complementary food for use before 6 months of age is a reversal that took concerted campaigning to achieve.
Health Canada cites the World Health Organization: «From six to eight months, parents and caregivers should work towards
offering complementary foods in two to three feedings, and one to two snacks each day, depending on the older infant's appetite.»
Phrases with «complementary foods»