Promotion of Complementary Feeding for Children

As an infant reaches the age of 6 months, breastmilk alone is insufficient to meet the nutritional requirements to ensure optimal growth and development. The practice of introducing other foods and liquids along with breastmilk is called ‘complementary feeding. Scientific evidence suggests that the period between 6-23 months is a crucial window for a child’s overall growth and development.

Healthy complementary feeding practices not only provide infants with the essential nutrients required for survival, growth, and development but also help establish early food habits and taste preferences. These early dietary patterns play a crucial role in shaping long-term eating behaviors and overall quality of life.

The latest National Family Health Survey (NFHS 2019–2021) highlights the persistent challenge of undernourishment in India. The NFHS 2019-2021 report shows that ‘children age 6-8 months receiving solid or semi-solid food and breastmilk’ was only 45.9%, and ‘Breastfeeding children age 6-23 months receiving an adequate diet’ was only 11.1%.

Anuvaad has been working on the promotion and dissemination of information on complementary feeding by putting together resources such as policy briefs promoting the prioritization of complementary feeding practices in the Poshan program, a compendium on complementary feeding recipes that are affordable and nutritious, creating short videos in local languages for promoting healthy complementary feeding recipes, and partnership across various stakeholders for prioritization of Maternal, Infant, and Young Child Nutrition.