Recommendations for infant feeding change over the years: decades ago, mothers breastfed their children until the age of 2, then there was a desire to diversify infant feeding earlier, and now the WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding for up to 6 months, which would limit the risk of food allergies.
But today a British study goes against these recommendations and shows that if we diversify the diet of babies they sleep better....
The study involved 1300 babies aged 3 months who were divided into two groups, one exclusively breastfed, the other consuming cow’s milk and a varied diet, and showed that babies with a more varied diet sleep better and longer than those exclusively breastfed, waking up less during the night.
Newborn feeding habits vary from country to country, in some countries solid feeding begins as early as 15 days of age, in Asian countries children’s diets are diversified around the age of 5 months, and in India it is common to give peanuts and soya to babies aged 6 months.
However, it should be remembered that the WHO recommends breastfeeding up to 6 months and that the Health Insurance advises against diversification before the age of 4 months, but in all cases and as each child is different, it is advisable to follow the advice of the paediatrician or family doctor.
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