Feeding recommendations for infants from 6 - 12 months old.By six months of age, all children should be receiving a soft, nutritious complementary food. Exclusive breastfeeding is not enough for a child over six months of age. A variety of thick, nutritious foods is needed to prevent malnutrition (Figure 1.5 below). You can advise the mother that she should also give mashed, and boiled kale (gommen), carrots, bananas, oranges and other fruits such as avocado or papaya to ensure her child has a healthy, balanced diet:- Give the adequate amount of freshly prepared and enriched foods e.g. porridge made of cereal and legume mixes, Shiro fit-fit, Merek fit-fit, mashed potatoes and carrot, mashed gommen, undiluted milk, egg and fruits.
- Enrich the food by adding some oil or butter; also give animal foods (meat, liver, fish, and eggs), legumes, vegetables (green leafy and carrots) and yellow fruits (orange, papaya, mangos).
- Give these foods three times per day if the child takes breastfeeding and Give these foods five times per day if the child is not take breastfeeding (three main meals and two snack or mekises).
- Babies who stopped breastfeeding at six months should also get adequate replacement milk besides semi-solid complementary feeds.
- Increase intake of food and fluids during illness, and give one additional meal of solid food for about two weeks after the illness to help the child recover faster.
- Give vitamin A supplements from the age of six months, every six months.
- Expose the child to morning sunshine.
Fig. 1.5. Complementary feeding
Feeding recommendations for children between 12 months and 2 years.
Give breastfeeding as often as the child wants.Give the adequate amount of enriched family foods: porridge made of cereal and legume mixes, shiro, kik, merek fit-fit, mashed potatoes and carrot, gommen, undiluted milk, eggs and fruits.- Add some extra butter or oil to the child‘s food. Also give animal foods (meat, liver, fish, eggs), legumes, vegetables (green leafy, carrots) and yellow fruits (orange, papaya, mangos).
- Give these foods, at least, five times per day (three meals and two snacks or mekises).
- Children who stopped breastfeeding at an early age should also get adequate milk replacement besides complementary feeding.
- The child should take his food regularly, and the mother should actively feed the child.
- Give freshly prepared food and use clean utensils.
- Increase intake of food and fluids during illness, and give one additional meal of solid food for about two weeks after illness to help the child recover quickly.
- Give vitamin A supplements and Mebendazole every six months.
- Give the adequate amount of freshly prepared enriched family foods, three or four meals every day. In addition to this meal give nutritious food twice daily such as egg, milk, fruits, kitta, dabo, ripe yellow fruits.
- Give freshly prepared food and use clean utensils.
- Increase intake of food and fluids during illness, and give one additional or snack meal of solid food for about two weeks after the illness to help the child recover faster.
- Give vitamin A supplements and Mebendazole every six months.