Food preparations used in weaning urban Bantu infants.

In South Africa, it is customary for Bantu mothers to feed their babies almost exclusively at the breast for from 6 to 9 months, and subsequently to feed them partly at the breast for a variable period, sometimes as long as 3 years. In urban centres, in contrast with'rural areas, the position differs somewhat, for Bantu women are often employed in domestic service or factories. When such women become mothers, they often want to return to work as soon as possible after parturition. Occasionally, therefore, their babies are cared for by relatives, so that premature weaning occurs. As is well known, the most critical period in the nutritional life of the Bantu commences with weaning. The occurrence of the crisis is ascribed to ignorance, to the limited ability to buy milk products or nutritionally satisfactory milk-substitute foods, and to the fact that the weaned child is not given preferential treatment, but has to compete for the available food with the older members of the family group (Brock & Autret, 1952). The commonness of undernutrition and malnutrition among Bantu children at weaning suggested to us that it would be of value to determine the composition of the food actually prepared by Bantu mothers for their children.