ABSTRACT
This chapter describes contemporary methods of feeding young children in a number of developing countries: Kenya, Nigeria, Zaire, India, Malaysia, Mexico and the English-speaking Caribbean. The feeding of various substances prior to the first breast-feed has been reported in many communities around the world. A common reason for giving pre-lacteal feeds is the rejection of colostrum as unclean or unwholesome. The practice of giving pre-lacteal medicinal teas to newborn infants is common in both western Nigeria and the Caribbean, where teas made from herbs, known as agbo and bush tea respectively, traditionally formed the first supplement. In traditional societies such as India and West Africa, the use of pre-lacteal feeds is compatible with prolonged lactation. Traditionally, among the Luo, supplementation began as early as 2-3 weeks when the mother’s milk was deemed insufficient and generally between 1-3 months when breast milk and gruel played almost equal parts in the diet.
