Promoting breastfeeding and complementary foods
Overview
Breastfeeding is the best start in life for any child. Protecting, promoting and supporting breastfeeding is vital to maternal and child health, as well as the key to achieving multiple Sustainable Development Goals.
WHO recommends that mothers start breastfeeding within 1 hour of birth and breastfeed exclusively for an infant’s first 6 months to achieve optimal growth, development and health. In addition, the timely introduction of complementary foods should occur after 6 months of age, and breastfeeding should continue up to or beyond 2 years of age.
The WHO European Region has some of the lowest rates of exclusive breastfeeding of all WHO regions, with just 13% of infants exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months. Countries have expressed their commitment to improving breastfeeding levels in the Region and requested support in doing so. The NCD Office supports Member States in developing and promoting breastfeeding policies, including through:
- scaling up implementation of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative
- strengthening the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes
- improving health literacy and surveillance of breastfeeding practices.
