Optimal Goals on Infant and Young Child Feeding
Nona D. Andaya-Castillo
International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (2004-2024)
In 2002, the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF issued the Global Strategy based on numerous scientific studies showing that breastfeeding is essential for maternal and child health. Nothing can replace a mother’s milk.
Breastfeeding not only protects the child from malnutrition and a host of life-threatening diseases like diarrhea and acute respiratory infections (ARI), but it also protects mothers from anemia, various forms of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis, and even rheumatism.
WHO and UNICEF jointly developed the Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding because malnutrition is responsible, directly or indirectly, for 60% of the 10.9 million deaths annually among children under five.
More than two-thirds of these deaths, often linked to inappropriate feeding practices, occur during the first year of life. Those who survive the harmful effects of formula milk often suffer from frequent illnesses and endure immediate, short-term, and long-term consequences.
In the Philippines, 16,000 children die annually due to the lack of breastfeeding. These deaths could easily be prevented if society actively promoted, protected, and supported breastfeeding for mothers and children. To put this into perspective, the Araneta Coliseum, one of the largest coliseums in Metro Manila, has the capacity to accommodate this number of children. This loss is nothing short of a massacre of innocent lives.
Next time you visit the supermarket, read the labels on formula milk cans. Formula is not sterile, and the WHO has identified Enterobacter sakazakii as a harmful microorganism that can be found in formula. It can cause serious infections like meningitis, necrotizing enterocolitis, and bacteremia.
Leaders from the Nurturers of the Earth exposed the dangers of formula milk and launched a national campaign that included a legal battle as one of the campaign's highlights.
Parents should follow these infant and young child feeding guidelines to maximize the health benefits of breastfeeding for both mother and child:
Goal 1:
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.
Goal 2:
Once infants are six months old, they should receive nutritionally adequate and safe complementary foods, along with continued breastfeeding.
Providing sound and culture-specific nutrition counseling for mothers, as well as encouraging the use of indigenous foods, can help ensure that local foods are safely prepared and fed at home.
Indigenous foods are nature’s potent medicines, packed with healing properties that processed and imported foods cannot replicate. These foods are abundant in the environment as a testament to God's love and wisdom. The foods produced by nature are designed for the human body, providing suitable fuel that supports our ability to nurture, heal, and regenerate.
For instance, during the summer, nature produces juicy vegetables and fruits that help hydrate us. In the rainy season, nature provides sour vegetables and fruits (rich in Vitamin C) to boost immunity against colds and coughs, as well as fatty foods to keep us warm. Leafy vegetables are abundant year-round.
Goal 3:
Breastfeeding should continue for up to two years or beyond, while infants receive nutritionally adequate and safe complementary foods to meet their evolving nutritional requirements.
As the child begins to eat more complementary foods and gets a significant portion of their nutrition from them, breastfeeding remains important to help meet their nutritional needs.
When leaders of the Nurturers of the Earth met former Supreme Court Chief Justice Hilario Davide, who was working as the Philippine Ambassador to the UN in New York, he proudly declared, "I love my mother SO MUCH!" He shared that his mother breastfed him until he was four years old!
Breastfeeding beyond two years offers many advantages.
To maintain or even increase milk supply, breastfeed first before offering complementary foods to your baby at six months. Breast milk also has protective properties that shield your child from harmful microorganisms and allergens. It coats the immature gut and prevents the entry of foreign bodies into the child’s bloodstream.
Looking at a WHO graph, we can see that breast milk continues to be a significant source of nutrition for a child until about 2.5 years old, when 50% of their nutritional needs are met by breast milk. The gradual drop in the graph around three years old suggests that breastfeeding does not need to be abruptly ended; it can continue as long as mother and child wish. Anthropological studies show that mammals like us typically breastfeed between 2-7 years!
Breast milk remains a major source of nutrients for a young child. From 5-6 months onward, a child consumes around 750 ml (about 3/4 of a liter) of breast milk daily. Breast milk is essential in preventing malnutrition in young children.
However, the role of breastfeeding at this stage extends beyond nutrition and emotional bonding. It is also immunological. Breast milk contains 3 million germ-killing cells per teaspoon! For example, if a five-year-old child receives only five teaspoons of breast milk per day, they are getting 15 million germ-killing cells. A woman essentially carries a medicine cabinet within her breast!
Read: Follow-Up Milk is Not Necessary!
Nona D. Andaya-Castillo
International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (2004-2024)
In 2002, the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF issued the Global Strategy based on numerous scientific studies showing that breastfeeding is essential for maternal and child health. Nothing can replace a mother’s milk.
Breastfeeding not only protects the child from malnutrition and a host of life-threatening diseases like diarrhea and acute respiratory infections (ARI), but it also protects mothers from anemia, various forms of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis, and even rheumatism.
WHO and UNICEF jointly developed the Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding because malnutrition is responsible, directly or indirectly, for 60% of the 10.9 million deaths annually among children under five.
More than two-thirds of these deaths, often linked to inappropriate feeding practices, occur during the first year of life. Those who survive the harmful effects of formula milk often suffer from frequent illnesses and endure immediate, short-term, and long-term consequences.
In the Philippines, 16,000 children die annually due to the lack of breastfeeding. These deaths could easily be prevented if society actively promoted, protected, and supported breastfeeding for mothers and children. To put this into perspective, the Araneta Coliseum, one of the largest coliseums in Metro Manila, has the capacity to accommodate this number of children. This loss is nothing short of a massacre of innocent lives.
Next time you visit the supermarket, read the labels on formula milk cans. Formula is not sterile, and the WHO has identified Enterobacter sakazakii as a harmful microorganism that can be found in formula. It can cause serious infections like meningitis, necrotizing enterocolitis, and bacteremia.
Leaders from the Nurturers of the Earth exposed the dangers of formula milk and launched a national campaign that included a legal battle as one of the campaign's highlights.
Parents should follow these infant and young child feeding guidelines to maximize the health benefits of breastfeeding for both mother and child:
Goal 1:
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.
- No Formula: Parents expose their children to numerous hazards when giving formula milk. Even the U.S. Food and Drug Administration acknowledges that cow's milk is the top food allergen and may contain contaminants.
- No Water/No Glucose Water: Even in extremely warm climates, breast milk can satisfy a baby’s thirst. Giving water to babies under six months may cause diarrhea and malnutrition.
- No Teas/No Juices: There is no need to give infants teas or juices.
- No Vitamins: Breast milk is the only complete food for babies. If mothers are malnourished, they can receive additional nutrition from the community rather than giving supplements to the baby.
Goal 2:
Once infants are six months old, they should receive nutritionally adequate and safe complementary foods, along with continued breastfeeding.
Providing sound and culture-specific nutrition counseling for mothers, as well as encouraging the use of indigenous foods, can help ensure that local foods are safely prepared and fed at home.
Indigenous foods are nature’s potent medicines, packed with healing properties that processed and imported foods cannot replicate. These foods are abundant in the environment as a testament to God's love and wisdom. The foods produced by nature are designed for the human body, providing suitable fuel that supports our ability to nurture, heal, and regenerate.
For instance, during the summer, nature produces juicy vegetables and fruits that help hydrate us. In the rainy season, nature provides sour vegetables and fruits (rich in Vitamin C) to boost immunity against colds and coughs, as well as fatty foods to keep us warm. Leafy vegetables are abundant year-round.
Goal 3:
Breastfeeding should continue for up to two years or beyond, while infants receive nutritionally adequate and safe complementary foods to meet their evolving nutritional requirements.
As the child begins to eat more complementary foods and gets a significant portion of their nutrition from them, breastfeeding remains important to help meet their nutritional needs.
When leaders of the Nurturers of the Earth met former Supreme Court Chief Justice Hilario Davide, who was working as the Philippine Ambassador to the UN in New York, he proudly declared, "I love my mother SO MUCH!" He shared that his mother breastfed him until he was four years old!
Breastfeeding beyond two years offers many advantages.
To maintain or even increase milk supply, breastfeed first before offering complementary foods to your baby at six months. Breast milk also has protective properties that shield your child from harmful microorganisms and allergens. It coats the immature gut and prevents the entry of foreign bodies into the child’s bloodstream.
Looking at a WHO graph, we can see that breast milk continues to be a significant source of nutrition for a child until about 2.5 years old, when 50% of their nutritional needs are met by breast milk. The gradual drop in the graph around three years old suggests that breastfeeding does not need to be abruptly ended; it can continue as long as mother and child wish. Anthropological studies show that mammals like us typically breastfeed between 2-7 years!
Breast milk remains a major source of nutrients for a young child. From 5-6 months onward, a child consumes around 750 ml (about 3/4 of a liter) of breast milk daily. Breast milk is essential in preventing malnutrition in young children.
However, the role of breastfeeding at this stage extends beyond nutrition and emotional bonding. It is also immunological. Breast milk contains 3 million germ-killing cells per teaspoon! For example, if a five-year-old child receives only five teaspoons of breast milk per day, they are getting 15 million germ-killing cells. A woman essentially carries a medicine cabinet within her breast!
Read: Follow-Up Milk is Not Necessary!
