Neonatal Medicine

Growth & Nutrition

Feeding

  • Breast feeding is the gold standard; the World Health Organisation recommends that infants should be exclusively breast fed until 6 months of age
  • Solids should not be introduced before 4 months
  • Bottles for formula milk must be sterilised and milk made up according to instructions with boiled water

Benefits of Breast feeding

- Nutrition, protection from disease, development, allergy, autoimmune, reduced obesity and long term health.


UK has amongst the lowest breast feeding rates in the world with <1% of babies exclusively breast feeding at 6 months


WPA poster from 1938, Public Domain