Dataset Information

Infant feeding: the effects of scheduled vs. on-demand feeding on mothers' wellbeing and children's cognitive development.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Many popular childcare books recommend feeding babies to a schedule, but no large-scale study has ever examined the effects of schedule-feeding. Here, we examine the relationship between feeding infants to a schedule and two sets of outcomes: mothers' wellbeing, and children's longer-term cognitive and academic development.

Methods

We used a sample of 10,419 children from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, a cohort study of children born in the 1990 s in Bristol, UK. Outcomes were compared by whether babies were fed to a schedule at 4 weeks. Maternal wellbeing indicators include measures of sleep sufficiency, maternal confidence and depression, collected when babies were between 8 weeks and 33 months. Children's outcomes were measured by standardized tests at ages 5, 7, 11 and 14, and by IQ tests at age 8.

Results

Mothers who fed to a schedule scored more favourably on all wellbeing measures except depression. However, schedule-fed babies went on to do less well academically than their demand-fed counterparts. After controlling for a wide range of confounders, schedule-fed babies performed around 17% of a standard deviation below demand-fed babies in standardized tests at all ages, and 4 points lower in IQ tests at age 8 years.

Conclusions

Feeding infants to a schedule is associated with higher levels of maternal wellbeing, but with poorer cognitive and academic outcomes for children.

SUBMITTER: Iacovou M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3553587 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Infant feeding: the effects of scheduled vs. on-demand feeding on mothers' wellbeing and children's cognitive development.

Iacovou Maria M Sevilla Almudena A

European journal of public health 20120314 1

<h4>Background</h4>Many popular childcare books recommend feeding babies to a schedule, but no large-scale study has ever examined the effects of schedule-feeding. Here, we examine the relationship between feeding infants to a schedule and two sets of outcomes: mothers' wellbeing, and children's longer-term cognitive and academic development.<h4>Methods</h4>We used a sample of 10,419 children from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, a cohort study of children born in the 1990 s ...[more]

PMID: 22420982

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Project description:ObjectivesTo investigate the association between breast feeding and infant development during the first year of life using sibling comparison.DesignNationwide prospective birth cohort study with sibling pair analysis.Setting15 regional centres that participated in the Japan Environment and Children's Study.ParticipantsThis study included 77 119 children (singleton, term birth and no malformation/severe diseases) whose mothers were registered between January 2011 and March 2014, including 3521 duos or trios of siblings.Primary outcome measuresThe primary outcome was developmental delay at 6 and 12 months of age, assessed using the Japanese translation of the Ages and Stages Questionnaires, third edition. Multivariable regression analyses adjusted for confounders were performed to estimate the risk ratios of delay associated with any or exclusive breast feeding. Pairs of siblings discordant for statuses were selected, and conditional regression analyses were conducted with a matched cohort design.ResultsDevelopmental delay was identified in 6162 (8.4%) and 10 442 (14.6%) children at 6 and 12 months of age, respectively. Any breast feeding continued until 6 months or 12 months old was associated with reduced developmental delay at 12 months of age (adjusted risk ratio (95% CI): 0.81 (0.77 to 0.85) and 0.81 (0.78 to 0.84), respectively). Furthermore, exclusive breast feeding until 3 months was associated with reduced developmental delay at 12 months of age (adjusted risk ratio, 0.86 (95% CI 0.83 to 0.90)). In sibling pair analysis, the association between any breast feeding until 12 months and reduced developmental delay at 12 months of age persisted (adjusted risk ratio, 0.64 (95% CI 0.43 to 0.93)).ConclusionsThe present study demonstrated the association of continuous breast feeding with reduced developmental delay at 1 year of age using sibling pair analysis, in which unmeasured confounding factors are still present but less included. This may provide an argument to promote breastfeeding continuation.

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Dataset Information

Infant feeding: the effects of scheduled vs. on-demand feeding on mothers' wellbeing and children's cognitive development.

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Infant feeding: the effects of scheduled vs. on-demand feeding on mothers' wellbeing and children's cognitive development.

Similar Datasets

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