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Nutritional Needs of Babies 0-6 Months

Breast milk is the natural food for babies. It is safe, inexpensive and provides all of the nutrients babies need for the first 6 months of life. It has the very important added advantage of increasing the baby’s resistance to disease, as the mother is able to pass her own immune factors for certain diseases through her milk to protect her baby. This ability of breast milk to provide protection against many diseases is an important reason that breast milk is so healthy for babies; during the first six months of life, babies depend on their mother’s milk while their digestive and immune systems are developing and maturing. Colostrum, the first milk right after birth, is an essential food for new born babies. It contains high levels of vitamin A and substances that protect newborns from infections and disease. Babies who are breastfed have many health advantages over babies fed other milks. Mother’s milk contains the perfect amount of protein, fat, carbohydrate and other nutrients for the new baby’s growth and development.

Because breast milk is so perfect for babies, it is recommended that they be fed only breast milk for the first six months of life and that mothers breastfeed for as long as they can. Giving only breast milk (exclusive breastfeeding) means not giving other foods or liquids to the infant for the first six months after birth, with the exception of vitamin and mineral supplements or medicines. Giving the baby other foods, liquids or water too early can introduce bacteria and increase the risk of infections and illness. Babies who are breastfed exclusively for the first six months and who continue partial breastfeeding for up to two years have lower rates of illness and death.

Mothers who cannot breastfeed should consult a health care professional to plan appropriate replacement milk. Giving cow, goat or any other animal milk to a baby under one year of age is not an adequate replacement for breast milk, as the nutrients in those milks are those needed to support the growth of a baby cow or goat and are different from the nutrients needed by a human baby. Infant formulas available commercially can be a breast milk substitute when necessary, but formula does not provide protection to the baby’s immune system. Formula is usually expensive and requires clean water and sanitary conditions for proper preparation, cleaning of bottles and feeding.

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Activities

Breast fed is best fed

Invite a specialist (a doctor, a nurse, a nutrition expert) to talk about the special health and nutritional benefits of breast milk and the dietary needs of babies and infants from birth until the age of two years.

Personal childhood timeline 

Talk to your mother or an older family member and try to find out as much as possible about

1. Your diet: what you were fed as a baby until the age of two (breast milk, infant formula, complementary local foods)
2. Your health: any illness episodes, vaccinations, first teeth, growth, weight gain.

Draw your personal childhood timeline and fill it in with the facts on your feeding and health (Work sheet “Personal childhood timeline”  526kb).

Community interview 

Contact three women in your family or community who have babies under one year of age and ask them for an interview about breastfeeding. You can come up with your own questions or use the ready-made questionnaire on the Into the Field Work sheet (435kb).

Discuss the breastfeeding realities and traditions that exist in your community. Compare them with the experts’ recommendations: Exclusive breastfeeding is recommended up to 6 months of age, with the introduction of additional, complementary foods and continued breastfeeding up to two years of age or beyond.

Materials

• Fact sheet “Breastfeeding babies (0-6 months)” (889kb)
• Work sheet “Personal childhood timeline” (526kb)
• Into the field Work sheet “Community interview” (435kb)

Download Part 2 Materials (1.4Mb)

Key Points

Review these three key points to remember about a healthy diet for babies under 2 years of age. See if your knowledge has improved and share it with people who are responsible for feeding the babies in your family.

Nutrition of babies and infants from birth to 24 months

• Breast milk is the healthiest food for babies. It provides protection against diseases and contains the nutrients the baby needs for healthy growth and development.
• Babies should be fed only breast milk for the first six months, and should continue breastfeeding until 18-24 months.  At the age of six months, babies need to start eating other “complementary” foods in addition to breast milk.
• Complementary foods for children this age require special preparation to make sure that the foods are clean, soft and easy to eat and digest, and should be introduced gradually. Good first foods are mashed, pounded or shredded soft meats, vegetables, legumes and fruits and a small amount of oil.