CAGAYAN de Oro City — About one in four children aged 6 to 23 months in the Philippines gets food from at least five recommended food groups daily, highlighting the nutrition gap that health workers want parents to address during a child’s first two years.
The National Nutrition Council in Northern Mindanao (NNC-10) is urging parents to introduce nutritious, age-appropriate foods when babies reach six months while continuing breastfeeding.
During its Nutrition School On-the-Air episode on Sept. 28, NNC-10 Project Development Officer Candice Margarette Mongas said breast milk provides about half of a child’s nutritional needs from 6 to 12 months, but about one-third from 12 months onward.
“Kung ang complementary feeding musugod beyond sa 6 months, adunay posibilidad nga dili masakto ang pagdako o pagtubo ni baby,” Mongas said.
(If complementary feeding starts beyond six months, the baby may not grow and develop properly.)
NNC-10 cited the 2025 National Nutrition Survey of the Department of Science and Technology–Food and Nutrition Research Institute, which showed that stunting rates rise when children reach six months and increase further between 12 and 23 months.
The agency linked the pattern largely to suboptimal breastfeeding practices and inadequate food quality and quantity.
What babies need
NNC-10 recommends introducing soft, cooked foods such as carrots, sayote and squash at six months, alongside continued breastfeeding. As babies grow and develop their ability to eat, parents can gradually offer other suitable foods, including soft, ripe banana pieces.
Children aged 9 to 24 months may also receive one to two nutritious snacks daily in addition to regular meals, the agency said.
Under its MOVABA principle, complementary feeding should promote moderation, variety and balanced food groups. NNC-10 also recommends that children aged 6 to 23 months consume foods from at least five of eight food groups daily.
These include breast milk, grains and tubers, legumes and nuts, dairy products, eggs, and fruits and vegetables.
The agency said only about 23% of children in this age group meet the minimum dietary diversity recommendation. That means roughly three in four do not meet the benchmark, based on the figure it cited.
Beyond nutrition advice
The figures point to a challenge beyond informing parents about what babies should eat: families also need access to enough nutritious food to follow the recommendations.
The NNC-10 radio program provides nutrition information to parents and caregivers, but the information provided for the Sept. 28 episode did not specify how many families the campaign has reached, whether dietary diversity has improved in Northern Mindanao, or what support is available to households struggling to provide varied meals.
Those details would help the public assess whether nutrition education is translating into better diets for infants and young children.
For parents, the agency’s central advice is to begin complementary feeding at six months, offer varied and age-appropriate foods, and continue breastfeeding. For nutrition officials, tracking whether children are actually receiving diverse diets remains an important measure of progress.
(With a report from Desiree S. Jacaba/PIA-10)
