Maternal factors as determinants of food intake during the suckling period

In experimental animals, three ways in which maternal factors may have an important influence on food intake are described. The first is the olfactory cues which attract the infant to the mother, and specifically to the nipple. The second is the volume of milk ingested, which may be primarily determined by milk availability rather than by the infant appetite (if appetite even exists in the infant). The third is the available evidence which suggests that it is the mother who plays the active role in the process of weaning. It is concluded that the possibility that these factors are also operative in the human mother-infant dyad has not been subjected to systematic investigation.