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INTRODUCTIONBreast milk is life line for the new born. It is the best gift a mother can give to her baby. It contains all the nutrients for normal growth and development of a baby from the time of birth to six months of life in proper proportion and in a form that is easily digested and absorbed. Breast milk helps in sensory and cognitive development, and protects the infants against infectious and chronic diseases. It has long been recognized that the breast fed infant is better protected against infections and has better chance of survival than a bottle fed. 1Promotion of exclusive breastfeeding practices for the first six months of an infant's life is one of the most effective interventions for reducing infant morbidity and mortality in resource-constrained settings. 2,3Worldwide, more than 9 million children under 5 years of age die each year. Malnutrition underlies a majority of these under-five deaths, 70% of which occur in the first ABSTRACT Background: The art of infant feeding is a blend of biology and culture. A large no of women in India are already traditionally inclined towards infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices. The need is to identify specific problems in local community. The strong influence of socio-cultural milieu is detrimental to health of the child. It is important that every opportunity of contact of health personnel with care givers should be taken to counsel on infant feeding. Methods: A Focus group discussion Study was conducted between February and May 2017. Mothers with child less than 2 years of age, grand-mothers and health care providers (ASHA's and ANM's) who form the stake holders population of IYCF were involved after taking consent. Each Homogenous group had 6-12 participants. Qualitative information was collected till saturation was achieved. Results: 6 FGD's in each homogenous group were conducted. Colostrum was considered impure, giving honey as pre lacteal feed was a ritual, inadequate milk secretion, lack of knowledge about when and what complementary feeds to be given and also about importance of breast feeding till 2 years of age and giving artificial feeds. These were reasons for improper IYCF practices. Conclusions: This study emphasises the importance of group opinion prevailing in the local community for IYCF practices which is essential for instituting health education.