Weaning: a crucial period in baby nutrition

The greatest changes of a child feeding habits take place during the first year of life. This is the period known as weaning, and it?s of great significance in the life of a child. The kind of baby feeding, duration of breastfeeding and starting of solid feeding have been considered important items in the pathogenesis of some diseases. This is the reason why it is of fundamental importance to analyse the feeding recommendations at this crucial period of life, the weaning. The key to understand feeding infant?s rules is the knowledge of the scientific basis on the age of solid diet introduction. Early complementary feeding has immediate effects on baby?s health; moreover, continuously it is emerging more evidence about the influence that baby?s diet may have on health during childhood and adulthood. International recommendations support exclusive breastfeeding six months and WHO in may 2001 recommended it as a public health global politic. Nevertheless, considering some circumstances we should be flexible in this peace of advise, but there should not be introduced any complementary food before the end of the fourth month.