Table 5.

Summary of guiding principles for complementary feeding for both the breastfed and non‐breastfed infant and child, adapted from references: 35, 36)

Recommendation	Age in months
	6–8	9–11	12–24
Energy needed from complementary food assuming average breast milk intake, kcal/day	200	300	550
Kcal/day for the non‐breastfed infant/child	600	700	900
Number of meals and snacks/day in addition to breast milk	2–3 meals	3–4 meals	3–4 meals
	1–2 snacks	1–2 snacks	1–2 snacks
Number of meals and snacks/day for the non‐breastfed infant/child, includes breast milk substitutes (36)	4–5 meals	4–5 meals	4–5 meals
	1–2 snacks	1–2 snacks	1–2 snacks
Consistency	Pureed, mashed and semi‐solid foods	Also finger foods	Increase consistency as the child's eating skills improve to consume family foods
Responsive feeding	Spoon feed infants to start, and assist to develop eating skills. Be sensitive to hunger and satiety cues. Feed slowly and patiently. Encourage but do not force to eat. Experiment with a variety of foods. Interact with child during meals, but minimize distractions
Good hygiene and proper food handling	Wash caregivers' and children's hands before food preparation and eating. Store foods safely and serve foods immediately after preparation. Use clean utensils to prepare and serve food. Use clean cups and bowls when feeding children, and avoid the use of feeding bottles, which are difficult to keep clean.
Variety	Meat, poultry, fish or eggs daily or as often as possible; vitamin A‐rich fruits and vegetables daily; diet with adequate, but not excessive, fat content
Fortified complementary foods or vitamin/mineral supplements	As needed*	As needed*	As needed*
During and after illness	Increased fluids, more frequent breastfeeding. Encourage soft, varied, appetizing, favourite foods

^* Based on quantitative studies of dietary intake and/or surveys of micronutrient status.