In this article i'm reading how babies who get solid food early sleeping 17 minuets early night than those that had breast fed.British researchers randomized 1,303 mother-infants paris either exclusive breast feeding for six months for six months. I wonder if a baby sleeps 17 minutes longer will it or can it affect its health? In this article they say "Parental experts typically say six months of exclusive breast feeding is ideal". Parents who had exclusively breast-fed would more likely to report serious sleep problems.
So what if the baby sleeps 17 minutes longer, what about it's health? What are the long term effects? Until a large study is done I wouldn't trust this at all.
6
Whatever works best for your child is the best path. My 4 breastfeed children slept thru the night at 6 weeks after their birth. Solid food was introduced much later in their wee lives.
2
Who thinks about 17 minutes? As a new mother 25 years ago, I used to fantasize about hours, days, years of sleep, but would not have changed the way I fed my babies for 17 minutes! The thing about breastfeeding is that it is so easy, especially in the middle of the night. No equipment, no lights to turn on, no warming up or mixing or pouring. And anyone who tells you that they don't fall asleep with the baby nursing and sleep that way for the rest of the night, at least sometimes, is telling tales. It's the best!
7
UptoDate recommends introducing solids earlier, especially highly allergenic foods like peanut products, to reduce food allergies, which have increased since the onset of Exclusive Breastfeeding.
Restricting the amount and variety of foods that babies eat in order to promote the "correct" microbiome that only Exclusive Breastfeeding provides is not science.
This is yet another study that is trying to provide basic information about infant nutritional needs based on science, not the dogma of Exclusive Breastfeeding.
@Susan Lemagie - as the mother, you can deal with the whole allergen issue by eating those foods (peanuts, etc.) yourself during the pregnancy and then while breastfeeding. The infant is then exposed in an optimal way. During my third pregnancy, my pediatrician was horrified when I told her how much peanut butter I was eating (I never gave it a thought because none of us is allergic to anything); several years later, she laughed and told me of a study that showed that eating peanut butter during pregnancy and breastfeeding was effective in lowering allergy rates.
3
@RE
That's not what the food allergy experts believe. Food allergy is a serious, potentially life-threatening condition. Recommendations about early exposure to allergens were changed over a year ago; https://www.foodallergy.org/life-food-allergies/food-allergy-101/prevent...
Thank you to everyone who is chiming in to remind every reader of the obvious flaws in this article. I would love to know who funded the research... baby food markers anyone? Feeding solid food to babies when they are not ready is DANGEROUS. Everyone needs to stop making hard line "rules" that can be applied to the wide spectrum of human variability. Parents, know that NO ONE is looking out for your babies well being other than you. They are just trying to sell you stuff through fear or false promises. Follow your babies cues for solid food readiness and know that (like others have said) you cannot underestimate the importance of breast milk and the act of nursing.
11
17 minutes? You're getting excited about 17 minutes?
12
We are just beginning to understand the importance of our human microbiome and the bugs in our guts. Timing is so crucial when it comes to allergies, gut development, and life-long problems with autoimmune disorders like type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and lupus. I think we don't understand the implications of early feeding of solids when it comes to the gut microbiome.
14
My daughter slept through the night after the eighth day and was not introduced to solid food until the fifth to sixth month. She was breast-fed but I did augment with one bottle of milk in the evening starting at the sixth week. She usually slept for eight hours straight but occasionally woke us in the middle of the night. She took two naps during the day. I breast-fed her for one year. Now in her thirties, she is still a good sleeper and she is healthy and fit and not obese.
5
Is 17 minutes worth the health impact of less breastmilk for a baby? The AAP recommends 6 months of exclusive breastfeeding for a reason. Research shows the incredible health benefits of breastmilk and giving food would decrease the amount of breastmilk the baby receives. In addition, breastfeeding decreases the risk of SIDS, partially because a baby wakes to feed. Mothers should nap when babies nap and not risk their health to gain a few minutes of sleep.
13
"Parents who had exclusively breast-fed were also more likely to report serious sleep problems in their children."
What were those "serious sleep problems"? Possibly, waking every 2 hours to breast-feed? Is waking up during the night a problem for the baby, or just for the parents, who feel bad when comparing their child's sleep habits to those of their friends?
18
@maggie sleep for parents is important - at every stage of parenting. Sleep is one of th most important things a person can do in order to function in a healthy way in order to be able to take care of kids. I’m a mom of three. Why can’t we also worry about the health of parents??
9
I breast fed my two children until they were one year old. At two weeks I started introducing them to solid foods with a thin pablum and then went on to more solid foods. At eight weeks they both started sleeping through the night and had two naps during the day. They were healthy and happy babies. How many of you could sleep well on a liquid diet?
3
@Carole A. Dunn
Milk curdles in the stomach and is no longer completely liquid.
Babies don't digest many other foods until they are a few months old.
3
@Carole - Interestinf point. Now I wonder -when do babies start needing fiber...or when can they handle it? Liquids without fiber would leave me very hungry.
Sleeping longer and waking less could also be associated with SIDS.
This seems like an extremely weak study - stuff in some food to a baby who can just hold their head up, let alone sit up and isn’t interested in food (the usual requirements for food readiness).
Some babies may be ready for food at 3 months but I really doubt it. Follow the lead of your child rather than “experts” — some might be ready at 4 months and some at 10.
15
@An American In Germany
There was a time when common sense ruled. if a baby at 3 months is still getting hungry it was obvious they needed more to eat. Once you are sure the baby isn't asking for more cuddling , perhaps a loose kind oh gruel will satisfy the
Them . They have the swallowing reflex down so feed them during the day when they and you are more alert and can watch them after earring for a more extended time. How long do adults wait once they realize they are hungry?
T
2
“Parents filled out standardized questionnaires about their infants’ sleeping habits and their own quality of life.”
As a sleep deprived mother of two I can tell you that my accuracy in telling someone precisely my children’s sleep schedule would be highly doubtful. I no doubt that people feel like their children are sleeping better (some may be) because it’s their expectation they would do so after eating solid food.
Very weak study.
18