The benefits of breastfeeding just keep growing! Not only do our breastfed children have better health, but better behavior. In a recent article from The Washington Post titled Breast-Fed Baby May Mean Better Behaved Child they discuss the results of a new study on breastfeeding.
The study reviewed over 100,000 interviews of parents and guardians of children between the ages of 10 months and 18 years.
“Parents of children who were breast-fed were 15 percent less likely to be concerned about their child’s behavior, compared to formula-fed infants. And the breast-fed children were 37 percent less likely to have a medically diagnosed behavioral or conduct problem, according to the study”
I have noticed this myself. Out of all the children I have been around, the children that were breastfed…especially those that were breastfed for an extended period of time, had less behavioral issues.
“Both Bogen and Knutson said the nutritional composition of breast milk might have an effect on the way a baby’s brain develops, and that better nutrition could explain the behavioral differences.”
Are you among the lucky? Do you think breastfeeding has helped your child’s behavioral development?
Im not sure if its helped behavior. I have had 2 formula fed and 3 breastfed babies. They all have their own personality and their own wills. Some of their wills are harder then others. But Im not so sure that breastfeeding has anything to do with it. I consider my children well behaved and am a strong advocate of extended breastfeeding but I cant confirm the two are linked.
Thanks for your feedback Christi! It is great to hear from a mom with such a wide-range of experience!
I don’t know. I know son #1 nursed til he was 2 1/2 and was VERY much a moma’s boy. Still is. He is well-behaved but still, a 4 year old boy is a 4 year old boy, right?
Son #2 is calm and so different than son #1. He self-weaned at 16 months.
Between the two, they are night and day and both were breastfed. ???
Interesting…. I knew there were tons of benefits to breastfeeding but I hadn’t heard this one before! Cool!
I definetly believe the better behavior thing, because my 3yr old was breastfed and the other 3 of my kids were not and she was by far the best baby of them all! And I believe it was from breastfeeding! I wish I would’ve been able to breastfeed the other 3 as well!