Feeding patterns in the first two years of life in Basra, Iraq

The feeding patterns of 694 children ranging from 12 to 24 months of age were studied. Approximately 91% were exclusively breast-fed at 1 week of age with a further 4% receiving supplementary foods at this stage. At 1 year of age, 52% were receiving breast milk as the only source of milk and 13% were receiving infant formula in addition to breast milk. Inadequate breast milk was the most common reason reported by mothers for discontinuing breast-feeding. Of children receiving formula, 42.9% were receiving diluted formula. 70.9% of mothers introduced solid foods at 4 to 6 months of age while 5.8% did not introduce solid foods until after the age of 8 months