The Necessity of Maternal Acquaintances and Learnings Towards Complementary Feeding to Prevent and Manage the Major Micronutrient Deficiencies for Under Five Children in Bangladesh

Author(s): Mohammed Reaz Mobarak, Rafiqul Islam, Fazlul Haque, Shah Mohammed Masuduzzaman, Mohammed Kamruzzaman, Md. Nurunnabi, Tonmoy Karmokar

When most infants reach a general and neurological stage of development (chewing, swallowing, digestion, and excretion), the target age range for complementary feeding is between the ages of 6 and 23 months (while breastfeeding is continued). At this point, they are able to be fed other foods instead of breast milk in order to fill the gaps between an infant's and young child's daily energy and nutrient requirements and the amount obtained from breastfeeding, complementary foods may be specifically designed transitional foods (to meet specific nutritional or physiological needs of infants) or general family foods. The undernutrition of children may be reduced with the help of health workers who have undergone nutrition training. By improving child feeding practices, the risk of undernutrition in children of recommended caregivers may be reduced. Infants and young children are at an increased risk of malnutrition from six months of age on, when breast milk alone is no longer sufficient to meet all of their nutritional demands and supplemented feeding should be started. The first two years of life require proper nutrition in order for everyone to reach their full potential. The importance of this time period for promoting healthy development, growth, and development is still recognized today. Thus, adequate eating affects children's health, nutritional status, growth, and development during this stage of life not just in the short term but also in the medium and long terms. This paper provides complementary feeding (CF) recommendations that are presented as questions or statements for those who are responsible for caring for children throughout this time of life. Examples include knowing when to offer complementary feedings, introducing meals in the correct order, and taking into account how foods vary in consistency as a child's nervous system develops. Quantities for each meal, poor complementary feeding techniques, myth