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Bottle feeding in the bed or crib before sleep time and wheezing in early childhood

Juan C Celedón1, Augusto A Litonjua, Louise Ryan

  • 1Channing Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. juan.celedon@channing.harvard.edu

Pediatrics
|November 29, 2002
PubMed

Insights

Bottle feeding infants in bed before sleep increases the risk of wheezing up to age 5. This practice is a significant risk factor for developing recurrent wheezing and asthma in early childhood.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Respiratory Medicine
  • Environmental Health

Background:

  • Bottle feeding in bed before sleep is a known risk factor for infant wheezing.
  • The long-term effects of this practice on respiratory health in early childhood require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine if bottle feeding in bed before sleep in the first year of life is associated with wheezing up to age 5.
  • To assess the association between early-life bottle feeding in bed and recurrent wheezing, and physician-diagnosed asthma at age 5.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective cohort study of 448 children with a parental history of atopy.
  • Data collected via bimonthly parental reports on bottle feeding in bed before sleep during the first year.
  • Wheezing, recurrent wheezing, and asthma assessed up to age 5.

Main Results:

  • Each report of bottle feeding in bed before sleep in the first year increased the risk of wheezing between ages 1-5.
  • The risk of recurrent wheezing and asthma at age 5 significantly increased with each report of early-life bottle feeding in bed.
  • Children with 3 such feeding instances had 1.5 times higher risk of wheezing (95% CI: 1.12-2.12).

Conclusions:

  • Bottle feeding in bed before sleep during infancy is a significant risk factor for wheezing up to age 5.
  • This practice is associated with recurrent wheezing and asthma development in children with a history of atopy.
  • Recommendations for infant sleep safety should consider this feeding habit.
Abstract

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