UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative response to the Infant Feeding Survey 2024

The first national picture of how babies are fed in England since 2010 shows encouraging progress on breastfeeding and standards of care, alongside clear and persistent gaps that continue to shape families’ experiences. 

As the report itself sets out, the 2024 survey is not directly comparable with previous surveys – the sample, method, and questions have all changed, and it now covers England rather than the whole of the UK. We hold these caveats in mind throughout. Where the statistics have moved, however, they have moved in an encouraging direction.  

More than four in five mothers (86%) initiated breastfeeding, either putting their baby to the breast or giving expressed breastmilk at least once, up from 83% in the 2010 survey. Encouragingly, this includes 80% of mothers in the most deprived areas. As in other research studies there continues to be inequalities where rates were typically higher among older mothers, mothers from minority ethnic groups, and mothers in less deprived areas. 

The most significant change comes after the early days. Among mothers who started breastfeeding, far more are continuing into the weeks and months that follow than in previous surveys. In the 2024 data, 51% were still breastfeeding exclusively at six weeks, compared with 34% in 2010, and 68% of mothers who started breastfeeding are still giving their babies some breastmilk at six months, against 43% previously. This reinforces an important message: starting breastfeeding is one part of the story, and what also matters equally is whether families are supported to continue for as long as they want. These findings are consistent with the improvements in breastfeeding continuation rates reported by Baby Friendly accredited services, including those working at Achieving Sustainability (Gold) level. 

There is encouraging evidence that the standards we promote through the Baby Friendly Initiative are becoming more consistently embedded in care. Skin-to-skin contact between mother and baby is now standard practice, with 93% of mothers experiencing it within 24 hours of birth, and breastfeeding began within the first hour far more often where skin-to-skin had taken place – 62%, against 11% where it did not. These early moments offer a strong foundation on which to continue improving care and support for families.

Where challenges persist

Still, there remains a persistent gap between feeding intentions and experiences. A striking and consistent finding is that mothers stop breastfeeding earlier than they would like. Around 72% (approximately 7 out of ten) of mothers who stopped breastfeeding before 6 months said they would have liked to continue, with reasons such as difficulties with latch (positioning and attachment), pain, and concerns about milk supply.  

These are well-recognised challenges that are responsive to skilled, compassionate support. However, the survey suggests that support does not always reach families when they need it most. Many mothers report not receiving enough help in the early days, including guidance on positioning, attachment, and recognising effective feeding. 

The survey also highlights frequent early supplementation with formula in hospital settings, with 29% of mothers saying they were advised to give something other than breastmilk by a healthcare professional. This suggests a need to strengthen both support and communication at this critical stage, particularly given the pressures on maternity services, including workforce constraints and increasing maternal health complexity. 

We are concerned that inequalities remain a central issue. The findings show clear inequalities in feeding outcomes linked to deprivation, age and other factors. Mothers living in deprived areas, as well as younger mothers, are less likely to initiate and continue breastfeeding. 

There are also important differences in access to information and support. 19% of mothers living in the most deprived areas were less likely to be aware of the health benefits of breastfeeding, which may further contribute to these inequalities. In addition, only 77% of mothers in the most deprived areas reported discussing feeding at an antenatal check-up, suggesting further variation in access to support. 

At the same time, the survey highlights that feeding experiences are shaped by a wider social context. Many mothers report feeling uncomfortable breastfeeding in public or even in their own homes, and awareness of legal protections remains limited. Data from the survey shows that issues such as anxiety, financial pressure, and food insecurity are also common, and parental experiences around these areas shape choices on whether to breastfeed, the experience mothers have while breastfeeding, and ultimately how long they are able to continue. 

Survey data as a roadmap for action

The survey points clearly to where action is most needed. It highlights the importance of maintaining a strong, system-wide focus on evidence-based, consistent support for families. 

In particular, we see the following key areas for action based on the data: 

• The early postnatal period is a key window for support, where timely, skilled infant feeding support can make a lasting difference to feeding outcomes. 
• Consistent, evidence-based approaches across maternity, neonatal, hospital-based children’s services, and community services are critical, helping to ensure that families receive the support they need at the moments that matter most, particularly those currently least well served. 
• Reducing inequalities must remain a central priority, ensuring that support and information reaches those who face the greatest barriers. 
• The broader context of families’ lives must be recognised, including financial pressures, maternal wellbeing, and the social and commercial environment for feeding. 

The survey also introduces valuable new areas of inquiry, including maternal wellbeing, food security, donor human milk and infant diet. Alongside this, it highlights emerging concerns around the increasing use of non-standard and specialist infant formulas, and higher levels of dietary avoidance in early infancy. Together, these findings provide important opportunities for further research and should be built on in future analysis. 

The Infant Feeding Survey 2024 provides encouraging evidence of progress, particularly in relation to breastfeeding continuation and standards of care. At the same time, it highlights a clear and persistent gap between what families want to achieve and the support they experience in practice. 

The survey reinforces that improving infant feeding outcomes depends not only on individual choices, but on the systems of care around families. Where support is timely, skilled and consistent, families are more likely to be able to feed their babies in the ways they had hoped. 

For Baby Friendly, this underlines the continued importance of approaches that embed evidence-based care across services, support staff, peer supporters and volunteers to develop the skills and confidence needed to help families effectively, and ensure that support is delivered consistently, particularly in the early days and weeks after birth. 

In doing so, there is an opportunity to build on the progress reflected in this survey and extend it to all families, recognising that while implementation of the standards is progressing well, there is more to do to achieve consistency for all, in line with a child-rights based approach that places the best interests of babies at the centre of care.  

Baby Friendly looks forward to working with Government, the NHS, and partners across the sector to build on this progress. We remain committed to ensuring that every family receives the support they need to feed their baby in the way that is right for them, so that every baby gets the best start in life. 

For any further enquiries on UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative’s position, please contact [email protected]