Table 2.

List of terms and definitions related to the infant population group and adopted by EURRECA Research Activity ‘infant nutrition’

Term	Definition
Infant	A person in the first year of life. The first 12 months of life have been defined as an age group to set reference values by national and international committees. Within this age group, reference values are set for one to four different age subgroups. Most European countries defined one or two age subgroups. For the purposes of EURRECA, the infant group is defined from birth up to 12 months of age.
Young infant	An infant up to the 6th month of life (completed 180 days).
Older infant	An infant from about the 6th month of life up to 1 year of age.
Newborn	An infant from birth to 28 completed days. The term newborn includes premature infants, post‐mature infants and full term newborns. [1]
Pre‐term birth	Delivery before 37 completed weeks of gestation. [1]
Full‐term	Infant born between 37 completed weeks of gestation and less than 42 weeks.
Post‐mature neonate	Infant born after 42 weeks gestation.
Gestational age	Time elapsed between the first day of the last menstrual period and the day of delivery. Measured in completed weeks. [Note: If pregnancy was achieved using assisted reproductive technology, is calculated by adding 2 weeks to conceptional age (time elapsed after conception)]. [2]
Chronological age	Time elapsed since birth. Measured in days, weeks, months or years. [2]
Post‐menstrual age	Gestational age + chronological age. Measured in days, weeks, months or years. [2]
Corrected age (similar term: adjusted age)	Chronological age reduced by the number of weeks born before 40 weeks of gestation. Measured in weeks or months used for preterm children until 3 years old. [2]
Toddler	Young child who is of the age of learning to walk between infancy and childhood. Toddling usually begins between age 12 and 24 months
Low birthweight (LBW) infant	A neonate weighing less than 2500 g at birth (up to and including 2499 g), irrespective the gestational age. [1]
Very low birthweight (VLBW) infant	A neonate weighing less than 1500 g at birth. [1]
Extremely low birthweight (EXLW)	A neonate weighing less than 1000 g at birth. [1]
Small for gestational age (SGA) infant	Neonates with birthweight and/or length at least 2 standard deviations (SDs) below the mean for gestational age (≤−2 SD) based on the data derived from a reference population. [3]
Exclusive breast‐feeding	Exclusive breast‐feeding implies that the infant receives only breast milk (including milk expressed or from a wet nurse) and no other liquids or solids except for Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS) drops or syrups consisting of vitamins, mineral supplements, or medicines. [4]
Predominant breastfeeding	Predominant breastfeeding implies that breast milk (including milk expressed or from a wet nurse) is the predominant source of nourishment, in combination with the supply of certain liquids (water and water‐based drinks, fruit juice) ritual fluids and ORS, drops or syrups (vitamins, mineral, medicines). [4]
Full breastfeeding	Exclusive breastfeeding and predominant breastfeeding together. [5]
Breastfeeding	Breastfeeding implies that the infant receives breast milk (including milk expressed or from a wet nurse) and can also receive any food or liquid including non‐human milk and formula. [4]
No breastfeeding	The infant receives no breast milk. [5]
Complementary feeding (similar terms: weaning, weaning foods, Beikost)	The term ‘complementary feeding’ should embrace all solid and liquid foods other than breast milk or infant formula and follow‐on formula. [6]
Bottle‐feeding	Any liquid (including breast milk) or semi‐solid food from a bottle with nipple/teat. [4]
Infant formulae	Foodstuffs intended for particular nutritional use by infants during the first months of life and satisfying by themselves the nutritional requirements of such infants until the introduction of appropriate complementary feeding. [7]
Follow‐on formulae	Foodstuffs intended for particular nutritional use by infants when appropriate complementary feeding is introduced and constituting the principal liquid element in a progressively diversified diet of such infants. [7]
Breast milk substitutes	Any food being marketed or otherwise presented as a partial or total replacement for breast milk, whether or not suitable for that purpose. [8]

^[1] WHOSIS (WHO statistical information system).

^[2] American Academy of Pediatrics. Age Terminology During the Perinatal Period. Pediatrics 2004;114:1362–1364.

^[3] International Small for Gestational Age Advisory Board consensus. Development conference statement: management of short children born small for gestational age, April 24–October 1, 2001. Pediatrics. 2003 June;111(6 Pt 1):1253–61.

^[4] Indicators for assessing infant and young child feeding practices: conclusions of a consensus meeting held 6–8 November 2007 in Washington D.C., USA. WHO 2008.

^[5] Indicators for assessing breastfeeding practices. Report of an informal meeting in June 1991, Geneva. World Health Organization, Geneva.

^[6] Agostoni et al. Complementary Feeding: A Commentary by the ESPGHAN Committee on Nutrition Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition 2008, 46:99–110.

^[7] Commission Directive 2006/141/EC of 22 December 2006 on infant formulae and follow‐on formulae and amending Directive 1999/21/EC.

^[8] International Code of Marketing of Breast‐milk Substitutes. World Health Organization Geneva, 1981.