Breastfeeding beyond infancy supports adequate growth, development, and nutritional intake.

Abstract

Background and objective: The objective of this study was to examine the associations of breastfeeding beyond infancy (BBI, >1 year) on toddler growth, development, and diet.

Methods: Participants (n = 185) of a prospective longitudinal study were categorized into 3 groups: formula fed (FF, N = 22), breastfed up to 12 months (BF, N = 108), and breastfed up to 24 months (PBF, N = 55). Data collected included demographics, anthropometrics, toddler Healthy Eating Index (HEI), Child Feeding Questionnaire (CFQ), and Bayley scales of infant and toddler development (BSID).

Results: At age 24 months, linear modeling showed PBF children had lower weight-for-length z-scores in comparison to both FF and BF children. FF infants had lower HEI scores for total fruit compared to BF and PBF infants, whereas PBF infants had higher seafood HEI scores. Feeding responsibility was lower in BF parents than FF parents. Restriction was lower in BF and FF groups compared to PBF, and pressure feeding was less common in PBF. Developmental testing revealed no significant differences between the three groups.

Conclusion: These results strengthen evidence that BBI supports adequate childhood growth, nutritional status, and development. Further studies are needed to evaluate the effect of BBI on health status in childhood.

Clinical trial id: #NCT01131117 IMPACT: This research supports the current recommendations to continue breastfeeding up to 24 months. This research indicates that breastfeeding beyond infancy supports adequate growth, nutritional status, and overall development. This article adds to the growing body of literature that breastfeeding beyond 12 months should be supported. This article is one of the first prospective longitudinal studies to investigate breastfeeding beyond infancy.