Feeding the normal infant, child and adolescent

Normal infants and children from around the world, when placed in a healthy environment, grow and develop at a similar rate as a matter of course by effectively utilizing the energy and nutrients derived from the diet. The form in which food is best provided varies with age. Infants should be given human milk as the sole source of dietary intake for the first 6 months of life, and as part of an increasingly varied diet up to the age of 2 years. Other foods should be introduced to the diet from around 6 months of age, initially in small amounts and in a consistency that the infant can cope with. By 3 to 5 years of age the diet of the child should be similar to that of the rest of the family. Growth may fail if the food is limited in amount or of poor quality, or the child is exposed to frequent infections. This carries risk of increased infection and other measures of ill-health in the short term, and greater susceptibility to chronic non-infective disease during adult life. Poor feeding practices during infancy and childhood are associated with an enormous burden of ill-health, poor development and lost opportunity. There is broad agreement with clear international guidelines on how best to feed children.