Infant and young child feeding strategies - Interpretation of the World Health Organization Feeding Guidelines (2021 Edition)

Feeding babies has always been a top priority for many parents, who are either worried that their babies are not full or that their nutrition is not enough. So how can babies get balanced nutrition and grow up healthily? The feeding guidelines released by the World Health Organization in June this year have brought some practical suggestions to everyone. Let's take a look!

Infant and young child malnutrition is a major challenge

Of the more than 7 million children under the age of five who die each year worldwide, 50% are directly or indirectly caused by malnutrition, of which more than 2/3 are related to improper feeding in the first year after birth. Malnutrition during infancy and early childhood can lead to both short-term and long-term adverse consequences. In the short term, it can manifest as physical and intellectual developmental delays, increased morbidity and mortality, while long-term consequences can affect the development of children's intellectual potential, reduce their learning and work abilities, increase their reproductive capacity, and increase the risk of chronic diseases. Infant and young child feeding, especially exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months after birth, is an important basis for child nutrition.

Breastfeeding recommended

Optimal breastfeeding is critical and saves the lives of more than 820,000 children under five years of age each year.

WHO and UNICEF recommend:

Start breastfeeding within one hour after birth;

Exclusive breastfeeding should be provided for the first 6 months of life;

Introduce nutritionally adequate and safe complementary (solid) foods to infants at 6 months of age while continuing breastfeeding up to 2 years of age or beyond.

Yet many infants and young children are not optimally fed. For example, globally, only about 36% of infants under six months of age were exclusively breastfed in 2007-2014.

Editor's interpretation: Nutritional intake is of great significance to the healthy growth of babies, mainly through breastfeeding, complementary food addition, and reasonable diet and dietary behavior cultivation. Among them, scientific breastfeeding is the most critical. The first 1000 days of life is the most important stage in the entire life cycle of an individual. Scientific feeding and rich nutrition are beneficial to children's health and lay a good foundation for their lifelong development. Therefore, improving parents' knowledge in this area is conducive to their adoption of scientific feeding behaviors, which plays a role in improving nutritional status, reducing malnutrition, and preventing the occurrence of diseases.

Exclusive breastfeeding for six months has many benefits for infants and mothers. It mainly prevents intestinal infections. Early breastfeeding (one hour after birth) can prevent newborn infections and reduce newborn mortality. For infants who are partially breastfed or not breastfed, the risk of death from diarrhea and other infections may be greater. Breast milk is also an important source of energy and nutrients for children aged 6-23 months. Breast milk can provide half or more of the energy required by infants aged 6-12 months and one-third of the energy required by infants aged 12-24 months. Breast milk is also an important source of energy and nutrients for sick children and can reduce the mortality rate of malnourished children.

The World Health Organization’s “Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding” include: starting skin-to-skin contact between mother and baby immediately after birth and starting breastfeeding within the first hour of life;

Breastfeed on demand (that is, breastfeed whenever your baby wants, day or night);

Rooming-in (keeping mother and baby together 24 hours a day);

Do not give your baby any other food or drink, not even water, unless medically necessary;

Breastfeeding practices are highly responsive to supportive interventions, which can increase exclusive and continued breastfeeding rates within a few years.

Editor's interpretation: Breast milk is the best source of nutrients for baby growth and can meet all the needs of infant growth and development within 6 months. For babies over 6 months old, breast milk can also provide important nutrients for growth and development, which is also indispensable. In addition, the process of breastfeeding itself can enhance the parent-child relationship, promote the development of the baby's nervous system, and is of great benefit to the baby's physical and mental health. And the biggest feature of breastfeeding is individual customization: the mother's milk itself is prepared for her baby, which can be adapted to actual needs and better help growth and development.

Complementary food addition policy: Around 6 months of age, breast milk can no longer meet the baby's needs for energy and nutrients, and complementary foods must be added to meet these needs. Babies can start eating other foods at around 6 months of age. If babies are still not given complementary foods around 6 months of age, or if they are not supplemented properly, their growth and development will be affected. The principles for adding appropriate complementary foods are as follows:

Continue frequent breastfeeding on demand until the infant is two years old or older;

Responsive feeding (feeding infants directly and helping older children eat. Feeding slowly and patiently, encouraging rather than forcing children to eat, communicating with children, and maintaining eye contact);

Practice good hygiene and handle food properly;

When babies are 6 months old, they start to eat a small amount of food and gradually increase the variety of food as they grow older.

Gradually achieve a reasonable combination of food and diversification of types;

Increase the frequency of feeding for infants. Infants aged 6-8 months should be fed 2-3 times a day, and infants aged 9-23 months should be fed 3-4 times a day. Complementary food can be added 1-2 times as needed.

Use fortified complementary foods or vitamin-mineral supplements as needed;

Increase the child's liquid food intake, including increasing the frequency of breastfeeding, and give soft and tasty food.

Editor's interpretation: Complementary food is generally added when the baby is about 6 months old. Children at different stages need to be provided with different nutritional combinations. After the baby adapts to various complementary foods, the food preparation gradually changes from fine to coarse, from puree, diced, shredded, sliced, and small pieces.

Feeding of infants and young children is crucial to their growth and development, and the incidence of feeding difficulties is also very high. If parents feel that their babies have feeding problems, please come to the Rehabilitation Medicine Department of Xinhua Hospital for consultation. We will provide you with professional feeding intervention guidance.