High Baby Food Price: Nursing Mothers Dey Grind Local Cereals To Feed Babies

For early and late 60s, nursing mothers for Nigeria dey proud to feed dia babies with local cereals after one year or small pass of exclusive breastfeeding. But as modernisation and western media, especially television, enter Nigerian homes, things start change. Breastfeeding mothers begin rely mainly on ready-made baby food. By di millennium, plenty mothers, especially career ones, abandon breastfeeding completely, even as doctors and WHO warn against am. But now economic wahala don make mothers return to old ways because baby food don too expensive, with tins dey sell between N20,000 to N50,000. Mothers with average income dey now feed babies with homemade alternatives like potato, rice, banana puree, semolina, amala and ewedu soup. Mrs. Doris Erabor yarn say she make semolina paste with milk and salt to feed her four-month-old baby after she no fit afford ready-made baby food for two months.

Cost of having baby for Nigeria don now high pass buying plot of land, as delivery, baby clothes, diapers, and feeding don rise over 100% compared to few years back. High living cost, low income and poverty don make six months mandatory breastfeeding almost disappear. Mothers dey work double shifts or run multiple businesses just to meet expenses, so many dey embrace baby food, but as prices dey climb every day, ready-made baby food still dey expensive. Mrs. Grace Osunde, wey get twins, yarn say she had to cook rice mash with milk and banana for puree after baby milk too expensive. Mrs. Ramat Yusuf, trader, say her four-month-old baby no dey accept pap or many infant foods, so she dey make semolina paste with milk and banana. Many mothers dey try balance work and breastfeeding, because survival for Nigeria no easy and dem no fit carry babies everywhere.