Child malnutrition is intimately associated to poverty and may be due to sub-optimal feeding behaviours, food insecurity at household level, or a combination of both. Acute malnutrition is a major contributor to under-5 mortality and morbidity in low and middle income countries. Clinical guidelines for the management of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) have been available for a decade and have yielded excellent results. However, the corresponding research on the management of moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) has lagged behind, even if MAM is much more incident than SAM, increases mortality risk on its own and requires special nutritional treatment. Currently, the main management of MAM, in Burkina Faso as in most African countries, consists of giving nutritional advice to the caretakers, but mothers of MAM children are usually given the same general dietary advice as mothers of well-nourished children. A more efficient, child-centred approach must be developed, by adapting the counselling to the needs of the family, by developing a more child-centred approach, by providing operational recommendations for MAM children, and by providing an adequate follow-up post-treatment.