Assessment of complementary feeding practices among care givers in Ilorin, Kwara State.

Background: Appropriate feeding practices are of fundamental importance for the survival, growth and development of any child. Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess feeding practices of mothers in Ilorin, Kwara State. Methodology: A total of 210 nursing mothers and caregivers for children aged 6 to 36 months were studied. Data collection was with a structured questionnaire and data was analyzed using SPSS version 14.0. Results: Thirty eight (18%) of the mothers interviewed practiced exclusive breast feeding. Ninety (42.8%) of the respondents introduced complementary diets between 4-6 months while 24 (11.4%) introduced it before 4 months. Reasons for the introduction included “inadequacy of breast milk alone” 102(48.6%), “lack of sufficient breast milk” 24(11.4%) and “advice from health workers” 37(17.4%). Rice was the first complementary food introduced in 72(34.3%). The use of feeding bottles was reported in 67(31.9%). Conclusion: The rate of EBF practice was low, there was early introduction of inadequately nutritious complementary feeds and use of feeding bottles was also found to be common. We recommend the need for continuous education on appropriate feeding practices for children by health workers to mothers and caregiver. Key words: complementary feeding ; practices; caregive