A proper nutrition during the first two years of life is critical to reach the full potential of every human being; now, this period is recognized as a critical window for promoting optimal growth, development, and good health. Therefore, adequate feeding at this stage of life has an impact on health, nutritional status, growth and development of children; not only in the short term, but in the medium and long term. This paper provides recommendations on complementary feeding (CF) presented as questions or statements that are important for those who take care for children during this stage of life. For example: When to start complementary feedings: 4 or 6 months of age?; Exposure to potentially allergenic foods; Introduction of sweetened beverages; Use of artificial sweeteners and light products; Food introduction sequence; Food consistency changes according to neurological maturation; Number of days to test acceptance and tolerance to new foods; Amounts for each meal; Inadequate complementary feeding practices; Myths and realities of complementary feeding; Developmental milestones; Practice of "Baby Led Weaning" and practice of vegetarianism.

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ObjectiveWe aimed to study the correlation between neck circumference (NC) and anthropometric adiposity indicators, and to determine cut-off points of NC for both sexes to identify elevated central adiposity in schoolchildren in western Mexico.DesignCross-sectional study.SettingRural settings in western México.ParticipantsChildren from a convenience sample of six schools in Acatlán, Jalisco, Mexico (n 1802).ResultsNC showed a strong positive correlation with all anthropometric adiposity indicators in both sexes, which were notably higher in boys regardless of age. Noteworthy, waist circumference displayed the highest significant correlation when analysed by both age and sex. As age increased, NC cut-off points to identify elevated central adiposity ranged from 25·7 to 30·1 cm for girls and from 27·5 to 31·7 cm for boys.ConclusionsNC could be used as a simple, inexpensive and non-invasive indicator for central obesity assessment in Mexican schoolchildren.

Neck circumference was studied for the first time in a pediatric population in 2010. Since then, various countries have proposed cutoff values to identify overweight, obesity, and metabolic syndrome. However, no reference values have been established for the Mexican child population. The aim of this study is to provide percentile reference values for the neck circumference of Mexican schoolchildren. Only normal-weight schoolchildren aged 6–11 years were included. Percentiles and growth charts were constructed based on the “Generalized Additive Model for Location, Scale and Shape” (GAMLSS). A total of 1059 schoolchildren (52.9% female) was evaluated. Weight, height, and BMI values were higher for males; however, this difference was not statistically significant. The 50th percentile for females was 24.6 cm at six years old and 28.25 cm at 11 years old, and for males, it was 25.75 cm and 28.76 cm, respectively. Both males and females displayed a pronounced increase in neck circumference between 10 and 11 years of age. The greatest variability was found in the 11-year-old group, with an increase of 5.5 cm for males and 5.4 cm for females. This study presents the first reference values for neck circumference for a Mexican child population.