Solid foods can help babies sleep longer

A new study found that babies fed early on solid foods may have fewer sleep problems than babies who are badfed. The researchers found that babies fed solid foods slept earlier and woke less often at night and had less severe sleep problems than babies who were exclusively badfed for the first six months of life. This study suggests that this advice needs to be reconsidered in light of the evidence we have gathered, "said lead author Gideon Lack, a professor at King's College London

. ] For the study published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, the researchers involved 1,303 three-month-old exclusively badfed children, divided into two groups.

One group followed the normal infant feeding guidelines and was encouraged to badfeed exclusively for approximately six months. The second group, while continuing to badfeed, was asked to introduce solid foods.

Parents completed online questionnaires every month until their baby was 12 months old, then every three months until three years old.

The questionnaires recorded the frequency of food consumption and included questions about the frequency and duration of badfeeding, in addition to the duration of sleep.

Of the 1,303 newborns participating in the study, 94% (1,225) questionnaire – 608 exclusive badfeeding group and 607 group early introduction of the food group.

The differences between the two groups peaked at six months, the early introduction group sleeping for a quarter of an hour (16.6 minutes) more per night (almost two hours more per week ). Its nocturnal waking frequency increased from just over twice a night to 1.74

Observations on maternal well-being showed that sleep problems (defined by parents) , significantly badociated with maternal quality of life, were less frequently observed in the group. introduction of solids before six months.