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Nutritional Needs for Infants and Toddlers

Nutritional Needs for Infants and Toddlers
Food Nutrition - pixabay.com

alergyfoodsforbabies.com - Malnutrition is estimated to be the cause of 3.1 million child deaths each year or about 45% of total child mortality. Feeding infants and toddlers are key to improving child survival and promoting healthy growth and development in children. The first two years of a child's life are an important period, as optimal nutrition during this period can reduce morbidity and mortality, reduce the risk of chronic illness, and support better child development.

Optimal breastfeeding is very important because it can save the lives of more than 800,000 toddlers each year. To that end, WHO and UNICEF recommend:

  • Early breastfeeding initiation within 1 hour after childbirth.
  • Exclusive breastfeeding during the first 6 months of life.
  • Introducing complementary foods of safe milk and nutritional content at 6 months of age while continuing breastfeeding until the age of 2 years or older.

However, there are still many babies and children who are not getting optimal nutrition. For example, only about 36% of infants aged 0-6 months worldwide receive exclusive breastfeeding in 2007-2014.

This recommendation also applies to babies born to mothers with HIV. Available antiretroviral drugs currently support these infants for exclusive breastfeeding until the age of 6 months and can be continued until at least 12 months of age with a lower risk of HIV transmission.

Breast Milk (ASI)

Exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months provides many benefits for both mother and baby. The main one is protection against gastrointestinal infections found in many developing countries and in industrialized countries. Early breastfeeding initiation, within an hour of birth, protects the newborn from infection thus reducing the newborn mortality rate. The risk of death from diarrhea and other infections is increased in infants who are not exclusively breastfed or babies who are not breastfed at all.

Breast milk is also an important source of energy and nutrients for children aged 6-23 months. Breast milk can meet half or more energy needs of children aged 6-12 months, and one-third of the energy needs of children aged 12-24 months. Breast milk is also an important source of energy and nutrients when the child is sick, thus reducing the number of deaths from malnutrition.


Children and adolescents who are breastfed when they are babies are at lower risk for obesity or obesity. In addition, they show better levels of school intelligence and achievement. Breast milk is associated with a better life when the child grows up later. Children who grow and develop well will also save expenses so that the family economy will be better.

Older breastfeeding also contributes to maternal health. Breastfeeding may decrease the risk of ovarian cancer and breast cancer in the mother as well as stretch the gestational distance - since exclusive breastfeeding in infants less than 6 months gives hormonal effects that can affect the menstrual cycle. It is now known that natural (though not always successful) family planning methods with breast milk, called Lactation Amenorrhea Method.

Supplementary feeding

At 6 months of age, the energy and nutritional needs of infants begin to increase beyond the amount that can be met by breast milk so that there is a companion food to meet it. Infants aged 6 months according to its development is also ready to receive food other than breast milk. If complementary foods are not introduced since the age of 6 months, or if administered improperly, may interfere with the baby's growth process. Appropriate supplementary feeding guidelines are:

  • Continue breastfeeding as requested by children up to 2 years or older.
  • Perform responsive feeding (eg by feeding or encouraging children to feed themselves to older children, eating slowly, not being forced, while talking to.
  • Perform a clean habit and presentation of the right foods.
  • Starts at 6 months with small amounts of food then upgraded with age.
  • Increase the frequency of eating: 2-3 times a day for infants 6-8 months and 3-4 times a day for babies 9-23 months with 1-2 times snack interspersed.
  • Provide fortified companion foods or supplement additional vitamins as needed.
  • When the child is sick, increase fluid intake including more milk and soft foods.

Giving special food

Families and children in certain circumstances require special attention and more support. As much as possible, mother and baby should always be together and have the support to utilize the existing food choices. Breast milk remains the preferred form of feeding in infants in almost all conditions such as:

  • Premature infant or low birth weight.
  • Mother bears HIV.
  • A mother who is too young.
  • Infants and malnourished infants.
  • Families with complex problems.

HIV and infant feeding

Breastfeeding, especially early breastfeeding and exclusive breastfeeding, is an effective way to increase your baby's life expectancy. However, HIV can be transmitted from mother to child during pregnancy, childbirth, and also through breast milk. In the past, the challenge was to consider the risk of infants acquiring HIV through ASI with the risk of babies dying from malnutrition or other illnesses not getting breastfed.

Research shows that with the provision of antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) to HIV-infected mothers can reduce the risk of HIV transmission to children through breast milk and also can improve maternal health.


Since 2010, WHO recommends HIV-infected mothers to take ARVs and exclusively breastfeed until the age of 6 months, then introduce complementary supplementary foods by continuing Asi until the age of one year. Breast milk should only be discontinued if food is safe and contains adequate nutrients.

Even in the absence of antiretroviral drugs, HIV-infected women are still encouraged to breastfeed their children exclusively until social and environmental conditions are declared safe and support infant formula feeding.

Source: World Health Organization (WHO)
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