Özet:

Objective: This study aimed to determine the behaviors of mothers in the complementary infant feeding of their 6-12-month-old babies. Materials and Methods: The research is descriptive and cross-sectional. The sample of the study consisted of mothers with 6-12-month-old babies registered in two family health centers selected by using the purposive sampling method in the city center of Manisa (n:190). The data were collected with a data collection form consisting of 65 questions prepared by the researchers. In the evaluation of the data, categorical variables were shown as numbers and percentages, and continuous variables as mean and standard deviation. Result: The mean age of the mothers participating in the study was 28.74±4.55 years. It was determined that 53.2% of them had 6-9-month-old babies and 80.5% of them continued to breastfeed. It was stated that 22.6% of the mothers started giving complementary foods to their babies at the fifth month and before, 33.2% of them tried a new food every day, and about 20% of them gave complementary foods to their babies for more than three meals. 83.4% gave their babies a regular breakfast. In this period, the most frequently used complementary foods were yogurt (68.4%), soups (51.6%), mashed fruit (48.4%), and mashed vegetables (36.3%). Conclusion: It was determined that mothers exhibit faulty behaviors in starting complementary feeding at the right time, giving nutrients in amounts appropriate to the baby’s age, and starting new foods at appropriate intervals. It is important to educate mothers about complementary feeding and to support them.

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