Babies grow and develop best when they are breastfed
exclusively. Much emphasis has been placed on exclusively
breastfeeding an infant during the first six
months after birth. However, many women especially
in the developing countries continue to introduce
complementary feeding before the first six months. In
Nigeria, high infant mortality rate still remains a
major issue of concern. Several studies indicate that
the cause of childhood mortality is due to lack of proper
breastfeeding. In this review, we focus on the trends
and patterns of breastfeeding, causes of infant mortality
and breastfeeding of infants from birth to six months,
followed by appropriate and adequate complementary
feeding for two years and above, as a strategic intervention
against infant mortality and the need to create
awareness about the benefits of breastfeeding.