Exclusive breastfeeding and developmental and behavioral status in early childhood

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Child Development
• Nutrition

Background:

• Breastfeeding is associated with positive infant development.
• Optimal timing for introducing complementary foods (CF) alongside breastfeeding remains an area of research.
• Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) for six months is recommended by some health organizations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare developmental outcomes in infants introduced to CF at 4 months versus EBF to 6 months.
• To assess the impact of early CF introduction on gross motor development and parental concerns.

Main Methods:

• Randomized controlled trial comparing CF at 4 months (n=60) vs. EBF to 6 months (n=59).
• Developmental assessment using Parent's Evaluation of Developmental Status (PEDS) and Brigance Screens-II at 18 and 30-35 months.
• Parental concerns regarding child development were recorded via PEDS.

Main Results:

• No significant differences in Brigance Screens-II scores at 30-35 months between groups (p=0.82).
• Significantly fewer parents in the CF group reported concerns about gross motor development at 30-35 months (2% vs. 19%; p=0.01).
• This finding for gross motor development remained significant after adjusting for pre-randomization characteristics (p=0.03).

Conclusions:

• Introducing complementary foods at four months does not negatively impact overall child development by 30-35 months.
• Early introduction of complementary foods may be associated with reduced parental concerns regarding gross motor development.
• No sustained negative effects on developmental or behavioral status were observed at 18 months for either feeding group.