Non-Parental Child Care May Reduce Likelihood of Breastfeeding

A new study reported in the July issue of Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine shows an association between early surrogate child care, a reduced rate of breastfeeding, and increased excess weight gain in infants. The results of the research demonstrated that part-time non-parental child care before the age of 3 months decreased breastfeeding by 40 percent and increased early use of solid foods by 75 percent. As far as weight gain is concerned, the authors, Dr. Juhee Kim and Dr. Karen E. Peterson, state, "Increased exposure to nonparental child care has coincided with a growing prevalence of overweight among children ages six to 23 months."

It is important to note, however, that this study does not prove that nonparental child care causes the reported problems. The authors note, ""The effects of early child care on breastfeeding and introduction of solid foods warrant longer follow-up to determine subsequent risk of childhood overweight." So don't fret...keep plugging away with your pumping if you're going back to work or simply need a break and have child care already set up. We can always change those statistics!