Baby feeding

© 2024 by Gwen Dewar, Ph.D. all rights reserved.

Like all mammals, we begin our lives dependent on milk.

But what exactly is in breast milk?

Is it true that the composition of breast milk changes over time? If you eat a garlicky meal, will the flavor make its way into your milk?

Does breastmilk naturally contain more sleep-inducing ingredients if it produced at night? (Hint: It looks that way, so if you pump and store breast milk, it’s probably a good idea to note when it was expressed, and then avoid feeding your baby “mistimed” milk.)

And — regardess of whether your baby consumes breast milk or formula — how often should you offer meals? When during development is it a good time to wean? How and when do you introduce solid foods?

Baby feeding is about more than fuel

Feeding babies might seem like a mundane, or even boring task. At times, it can be frustrating, especially if your infant is a fussy eater.

But if we consider things from the perspective of evolution, developmental biology, and cognitive science, things make more sense.

For example, once we understand the science of picky eating, it’s easier to cope.

And we can find consolation for the occasional frustration or tedium of helping babies eat. It isn’t simply that we’re providing our infants with the fuel they need to survive and grow. We’re also teaching our babies how to communicate, bond, and even learn language. As I note in my article about your baby’s first words, meal time conversation can really help infants “crack the code” and decipher new vocabulary. This is a special time for learning. Definitely something worth putting away your phone for.

So check out my evidence-based articles about infant feeding — where I apply my training in evolutionary anthropology, feeding cues, and science of social learning.