Breast-feeding Basics

Breast-feeding provides the best nutrition for a newborn, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The AAP recommends that mothers exclusively breast-feed their infants for about the first 6 months, then gradually introduce iron-enriched solid foods in the second half of the year, while continuing to breast-feed. An infant who is weaned before a year old should not be given cow's milk, but iron-fortified infant formula.