Suboptimal feeding can make the baby grow sideways, becoming too fat, due to the excess of energy intakes, especially when the variety of nutrients provided is not balanced. When this happens during the fetal periods, the risk factors for growth restriction and being born underweight (less than 2500 grams) or abnormally short (less than 48 cm) is higher. However, when there is intervention after a baby is born, the suboptimal complementary feeding may cause the baby to be at risk of heavier weight, or over-nutrition. So the consequences of being overweight or obese extend into adulthood. This knowledge is also important if one wishes to understand budget management, and a companion who will prepare meals for children under two-years of age (Baduta), so that the assistance provided does not backfire or become inefficient.
Read: The six keys to stunting reduction
The provision of complementary feeding in spite of breast-milk for children under two years of age should be based on philosophy of knowing and being willing to change a baby’s care, by the family. Changes in people’s behavior so that babies in the womb to be healthy, born with a proper weight, and nurture optimally. To achieve such an objective, a simultaneous break through is required . Appropriate social marketing, curriculum adjustments in the academic field, improvement of sanitation and provision of clean water, basic immunizations for the baby, provision of sufficient and affordable food, campaigns for healthy and nutritious food by professional organizations and health workers, as well as the use of social media, can make policy more effective and efficient.
Finally, the consideration of the Stunting Fostering Father’s Program requires a technical agreement on who does what, and which efforts should be prioritized, through strengthening the role of civil society. The function of the government is to facilitate, so that movement can be monitored substantively. As a civil society initiative, stewardship should be justified locally, with fairness, because it mobilizes non-government resources, ensuring transparency and social accountability in an inseparable effort.