Infant weaning practices of some Tiv women resident in Makurdi, Nigeria.

The weaning practices in infants aged 4 to 9 months of two hundred Tiv mothers in Makurdi, Nigeria were examined. The data was collected using a questionnaire from these randomly selected women from a known population and who regularly visited the public post-natal clinic in Makurdi. The study showed that all the mothers breast-fed their infants and most introduced supplementary feed at 3 to 4 months. Most also fed the traditional pap or "akamu' usually prepared by adding boiling water to fermented maize-sorghum paste. However, only a few of these (34%) enriched such paps. Price was a major determinant influencing the choice of feed fed to the infants. Only a few of the mothers (19%) used commercial milk formula, about a quarter fed legumes (24.5%) and fruits and vegetables (30%). The study showed that the mother's educational level and occupation influenced both time and duration of breast feeding and introduction of milk formula. Three-quarter of the mothers used bottle feeding while a quarter used spoon and cup and the feeds were improperly stored. The significance of these findings is discussed.