Breastmilk alone is the best possible food and drink for a baby.
No other food or drink is needed for about the first six months of life.

Supporting Information

From the moment of birth up to the age of about six months, breastmilk is all the food and drink a baby needs. It is the best food a child will ever have. All substitutes, including cow's milk, infant formula, milk-powder solutions, and cereal gruels, are inferior.

Even in hot, dry climates, breastmilk contains sufficient water for a young baby's needs. Additional water or sugary drinks are not needed to quench the baby's thirst. They can also be harmful. If the baby is also given water, or drinks made with water, then the risk of getting diarrhoea and other illnesses increases.

Other food and drink are necessary when a baby reaches the age of about six months. If monthly weighing shows that a child under six months of age is not growing well, then the child may need more frequent breastfeeding. If the child is already being breastfed frequently, then lack of weight gain shows either that the child has an illness or that other foods, in addition to breastmilk, are now necessary.

Until the age of nine or ten months, the baby should be breastfed before other foods are given. Breastfeeding should continue well into the second year of life - and for longer if possible.