Infant formula safe and healthy for one-year-olds
Health practitioners have insisted that infant formula milk and breast milk substitutes can be given to children under three years of age without harming their development.
Health practitioners have insisted that infant formula milk and breast milk substitutes can be given to children under three years of age without harming their development.
Please join us on our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/bangkokpostlearning
Nutritional experts back infant formula for infants
Prangthong Jitcharoenkul
Health practitioners have insisted that infant formula milk and breast milk substitutes can be given to children under three years of age without harming their development.
Contrary to the draft bill that would strictly regulate advertisements promoting infant formula milk and breast milk substitutes for children aged under three years old, representatives from the Medical Council of Thailand and the Royal College of Paediatricians of Thailand recently said babies can be fed with complementary foods after they turn one to help with improved development.
"During the infant's first year of life, a mother's milk is the main food, but infant formula milk, breast milk substitutes and other food items like rice, vegetables, fruits, eggs and milk play key roles in strengthening physical and brain development for children aged above one," said Kraisid Tontisiin, former director of the food and nutrition division at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in Rome.
Speaking at a press conference held at the Public Health Ministry, Dr Kraisid said exclusive breastfeeding can last over four months, but should not extend for more than six months, claiming that the longer breastfeeding period can cause developmental delays and stunted growth in children which are common features among those living in Cambodia and Laos.
"The bill should focus more on promoting a healthier diet for mothers and infants, rather than strictly prohibiting complementary foods and a mother's milk substitutes which are very necessary when breast milk is no longer enough to meet a child's nutritional needs," he noted.
Dr Kraisid, who partly supported the draft bill, also suggested the bill drafters target snacks and sweetened drinks advertisements which cause children to think it is okay to consume unhealthy foods. However, he said he agrees with the draft bill's extension of maternity leave for mothers from three to six months with full pay. "In some developed countries, fathers are able to take three months off to look after their wife and newborn," Dr Kraisid said.
The draft bill is now being vetted by the National Legislative Assembly.
Chalerat Direkwatanach, president of the Allergy, Asthma and Immunity Association of Thailand, pointed out that infant formula helps build stronger immune systems and helps to prevent infants from developing allergies when they grow up.
สามารถฝึกอ่านออกเสียงและดูคำแปลได้ที่ : http://www.bangkokpost.com/learning/learning-from-news/1161148/infant-formula-safe-and-healthy-for-one-year-olds
