Background: Globally, there is a declining in the trend of breast feeding. Moreover, inappropriate practice of
timely initiation and exclusive breastfeeding affects negatively on child survival, growth and development. One in every 11
and 17 Ethiopian children dies before the first birthday and the fifth birthday, respectively. However, one of the priorities,
in the Health Sector Development Plan (HSDP) IV is improving child health, with a goal to reduce the under-five mortality
rate. This study aimed at assessing the proportion and factors associated with timely initiation and exclusive breastfeeding
among mothers in Axum town. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted in Axum Town from May 10-26, 2013 to
collect data from 418 mothers having children less than one year old using a systematic random sampling. Descriptive and
multiple logistic regression analyses were performed using SPSS 20 for windows to estimate indicators and effect sizes of
the predictors on timely initiation and exclusive breastfeeding. Results: The overall proportion of timely initiation and
exclusive breastfeeding was, 41.6 and 40.9%, respectively. Mothers with female child and those who didn’t give colostrums
to their newborn within an hour after birth had a positive association with timely initiation of breastfeeding with AOR of
2.09 (95% CI: 1.37, 3.17) and AOR of 0.31 (95% CI: 0.20, 0.48). Moreover, mothers who didn’t give the colostrum to their
newborn within an hour after birth were less likely to practice exclusive breastfeeding than their counterparts AOR of 0.13
(95% CI: 0.08, 0.21). Conclusion: The proportion of timely initiation and exclusive breastfeeding was low. Giving
colostrums could have an influence on timely initiation and exclusive breastfeeding. Besides, child sex could have an
influence on timely initiation of breastfeeding.