Fig. 1.

Patterns of infant feeding in the first 6 months of life. DBF-3 m - Direct feeding at the breast i.e., feeding directly at the breast for at least 3 months, not including pumping methods or any other additional food or liquid, followed by mixed feeding - this group constituted our reference group; DBF/BM - Direct feeding at the breast as well as pumping and feeding includes direct feeding at the breast and feeding of stored breast milk (BM) for the first 3 months, followed by mixed feeding; DBF/BM/FF - Concurrent application of direct feeding at the breast, pumping and feeding and formula feeding in the first 6 months; DBFShort - Direct feeding at the breast for a month and then mixed modes of feeding; FF-2-3 - Formula Food for the first 2 to 3 months followed by formula and/or solid food; FF/SF - Parallel use of formula or solid food since the first month; FAS -Food allergy symptomatic children; DDFA – Doctors’ diagnosed food allergy