Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal, Vol. The feeding patterns of 694 children ranging from 12 to 24 months of age were studied. Inadequate breast milk was the most common reason reported by mothers for discontinuing breast-feeding. The well-being of the infant depends primarily on the quality and the quantity of food intake.
Breast milk is the ideal food to promote growth and to protect against infection in young infants.
Today, international and national efforts are designed to enable every mother at any age and any socioeconomic level to breast-feed her baby exclusively for the initial 4 to 6 months of life. The sample studied included 694 mothers who had children between 1 and 2 years of age and who were visiting the health centres for routine vaccinations. The data were collected using a standard questionnaire designed for the study. It asked the name, age, sex, address and birth order of the child, type of feeding, concentration of milk formula, reasons for discontinuation of breast-feeding, mother's opinion of the most suitable age to start weaning and introduce solid foods, age at introduction of solid food, type of food first given and differences in the feeding practices between oldest and youngest child. This may be due to misunderstandings about formula preparation or due to sanctions imposed on Iraq.