Hello LactNetters. We've been having a "terminology discussion" on parent-l, and I looked up the official WHO definitions for them, and thought I would pass it along. It came up in the context of whether or not the term "exclusive" breastfeeding meant no solids at all, or no formula at all but solids implied. Does that make any sense? In other words, if someone says their one year old is "exclusively breastfed" does that mean the child gets nothing else or does it mean that the child gets no formula but does eat food. According to WHO definitions, it's supposed to mean the former (nothing else). I know I've been promising this for days -- finally got to my office today, so here's what I promised: "In 1988, the Interagency Group for Action on Breastfeeding (IGAB), composed of the United States Agency for International Development (A.I.D.), the Swedish International Development Agency, the World Health Organization (WHO), and UNICEF, proposed standard terminology for the collection and description of data on breastfeeding behavior. Categories of . . . . were adopted. However, in 1991, the WHO proposed modifications to these definitions, and it is widely assumed that the new terminology will supersede the IGAB categories." WHO breastfeeding terminology: EXCLUSIVE BREASTFEEDING Requires that the infant receive breast milk (including milk expressed or from wet nurse) Allows the infant to receive drops, syrups (vitamins, minerals, medicines) Does not allow the infant to receive anything else PREDOMINANT BREASTFEEDING Requires that the infant receive breast milk (including milk expressed or from wet nurse) as the predominant source of nourishment Allows the infant to receive liquids (water, and water-based drinks, fruit, juice, oral rehydration solution), ritual fluids and drops or syrups (vitamins, minerals, medicines) Does not allow the infant to receive anything else (in particular non-human milk, food-based fluids) COMPLEMENTARY FEEDING Requires that the infant receive breast milk and solid or semi-solid foods Allows the infant to receive any food or liquid including non-human milk BREASTFEEDING Requires that the infant receive breast milk Allows the infant to receive any food or liquid including non-human milk BOTTLE-FEEDING Requires that the infant receive any liquid or semi-solid food from a bottle with nipple/teat Allow the infant to receive breast milk by bottle Exclusive and predominant breastfeeding categories together constitue "full breastfeeding." Fuller discussion of terminological issues, and references to the original IGAB and WHO discussions can be found in "Infant Feeding Practices and Growth" by Katherine A. Dettwyler and Claudia Fishman, Annual Review of Anthropology, 1992, volume 21, pages 171-204. Hope this helps clarify the situation. Kathy Dettwyler e-mail to [log in to unmask] Queen of Cinnamon Buns today