Infant weaning practises of some Idoma women in Makurdi, Nigeria

The weaning practices in infants aged 4-9 months of two hundred Idoma women resident in Makurdi were examined. A pre-tested standard questionnaire was used to collect data from mothers who regularly visited the post-natal health clinics in Makurdi. The results showed that better educated mothers breast fed for a shorter time or planned to cease breast feeding after a shorter period than mothers who had little education or no formal training. Most mothers (97%) fed milk formula which they claimed was used to supplement breast milk and was good for their babies. The most influential factors were the hospital and the husband. The majority of the mothers fed pap; 73% using corn in its preparation, with 91% of them storing such paps in flask. More than half of the mothers used a bottle in feeding the paper or gruel to their infants while a similar proportion (65.5%) fed legumes to their infants in addition to fruits. The implications of these practices in comparison with other ethnic groups is discussed.