WHO Recommendations

Continued breastfeeding

• Infants should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life to achieve optimal growth, development and health.
• Breastfeeding should continue up to 2 years or beyond (strong, very low-certainty evidence)

Milks for children fed milks other than breast milk 

1. Milks 6–11 months: for infants 6–11 months of age who are fed milks other than breast milk, either milk formula or animal milk can be fed (conditional, low-certainty evidence).
2. Milks 12–23 months: for young children 12–23 months of age who are fed milks other than breast milk, animal milk should be fed. Follow-up formulas are not recommended (conditional, low-certainty evidence) 

Age of introduction of complementary foods

• Infants should be introduced to complementary foods at 6 months (180 days) while continuing to breastfeed (strong, low-certainty evidence).

Dietary diversity 

• Infants and young children 6–23 months of age should consume a diverse diet: 
1. Animal-source foods, including meat, fish, or eggs, should be consumed daily (strong, low-certainty evidence). 
2. Fruits and vegetables should be consumed daily (strong, low-certainty evidence), and 
3. Pulses, nuts and seeds should be consumed frequently, particularly when meat, fish, or eggs and vegetables are limited in the diet (conditional, very low-certainty evidence).

Unhealthy foods and beverages

• Foods high in sugar, salt and trans fats should not be consumed (strong, low-certainty evidence). 
• Sugar-sweetened beverages should not be consumed (strong, low-certainty evidence). 
• Non-sugar sweeteners should not be consumed (strong, very low-certainty evidence). d. Consumption of 100% fruit juice should be limited (conditional, low-certainty evidence).

Nutrient supplements and fortified-food products 

• In some contexts where nutrient requirements cannot be met with unfortified foods alone, children 6–23 months of age may benefit from nutrient supplements or fortified food products. 
1. Multiple micronutrient powders (MNPs) can provide additional amounts of selected vitamins and minerals without displacing other foods in the diet (context-specific, moderate-certainty evidence).
2. For populations already consuming commercial cereal grain-based complementary foods and blended flours, fortification of these cereals can improve micronutrient intake, although consumption should not be encouraged (context-specific, moderate-certainty evidence).
3. Small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements (SQ-LNS) may be useful in food insecure populations facing significant nutritional deficiencies (context-specific, high-certainty evidence).

Responsive feeding

• Children 6–23 months of age should be responsively fed, defined as “feeding practices that encourage the child to eat autonomously and in response to physiological and developmental needs, which may encourage self-regulation in eating and support cognitive, emotional and social development” (strong, low-certainty evidence).