tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/weaning-2291/articlesWeaning – The Conversation2020-01-17T12:32:49Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1299612020-01-17T12:32:49Z2020-01-17T12:32:49ZLet babies be in charge of how much they eat – it could help them stay a healthy weight<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/310281/original/file-20200115-134784-d8ea7d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=62%2C55%2C4539%2C3393&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Don't mind the mess.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/baby-girl-eating-vegetable-first-time-577712248">shutterstock/Mcimage</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>How babies are fed is often a topic of hot discussion. It’s known that babies should be introduced gradually to solid foods <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/solid-foods-weaning/">at around six months old</a>. But in recent years, another question has arisen: should parents be spoon-feeding babies special pureed baby foods or could they just join in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/feb/08/baby-led-weaning">with the family and feed themselves</a> from the very start?</p>
<p>Known as <a href="http://www.babyledweaning.com">baby-led weaning</a>, parents who follow the method believe it has lots of <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1740-8709.2011.00360.x">benefits for their baby</a>, such as encouraging them to eat a range of foods and stay a healthy weight. Research suggests that babies who feed themselves are <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.2047-6310.2013.00207.x">less likely to be fussy</a> and more likely to <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jhn.12616">eat a wider variety of food</a>. But what about their weight? </p>
<p>Research examining this so far <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13668-017-0201-2">has been mixed</a>. But in <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/mcn.12941">our new study</a> of 269 babies, we found that when babies were breastfed, there was no difference in weight for those who were spoon-fed or self-fed. But when babies were bottle fed, those who were spoon-fed were heavier than those who self-fed. </p>
<p>This is potentially because as long as babies have some opportunity to be “in charge” of how much they eat, they may be better able to eat according to what they need rather than how much food a caregiver might encourage them to eat.</p>
<h2>Milk matters too</h2>
<p>Previous research into the impact of solid foods and weight has not really explored how the other part of a baby’s diet – their milk feeds – might play a role. </p>
<p>Indeed, solid foods should only be part of a baby’s diet. Babies who are between six and 12 months should still be getting lots of energy <a href="https://www.unicef.org/parenting/food-nutrition/feeding-your-baby-6-12-months">from breast or formula milk</a>. In fact, at six to eight months old, babies only need <a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/59f75004f09ca48694070f3b/t/5ceed06a15fcc07f8822270b/1559154825802/Eating_well_first_year_April19_for_web.pdf">less than 200 calories a day</a> from solid foods. </p>
<p>Research with older children shows that using a “<a href="http://www.aijcrnet.com/journals/Vol_7_No_2_June_2017/9.pdf">responsive feeding style</a>”, where lots of healthy options are offered but parents don’t put too much pressure on how much children eat, is associated with <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01849">a healthier weight and more varied diet</a>. Children are better able to listen to their own hunger cues and don’t crave foods that are “banned” so much – meaning they are less likely to overeat. </p>
<p>Research with younger babies shows that <a href="https://kellymom.com/ages/newborn/bf-basics/importance-responsive-feeding/">being “responsive” during milk feeds</a> also matters. For example, bottle fed babies who are fed responsively – with parents looking for cues they are full – <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3572635">drink less than those who are encouraged to finish a bottle</a>. </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/310284/original/file-20200115-134768-5cbe8d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/310284/original/file-20200115-134768-5cbe8d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/310284/original/file-20200115-134768-5cbe8d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/310284/original/file-20200115-134768-5cbe8d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/310284/original/file-20200115-134768-5cbe8d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/310284/original/file-20200115-134768-5cbe8d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/310284/original/file-20200115-134768-5cbe8d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Breastfeeding allows babies to self-regulate.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/horizontal-shot-happy-young-mixed-race-1104404429">shurkin_son/Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>Breastfeeding might <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0083893">make responsive feeding easier</a> as you cannot see how much a baby has drunk, so you have to trust they will feed if they are hungry. It’s also difficult to persuade a baby who doesn’t want to breastfeed to do so. But if you are bottle feeding you can see how much is left and might worry that baby <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1365-277X.2010.01145.x">needs to finish the bottle</a>. </p>
<p>This might explain why babies who are breastfed are more likely to be able <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.2047-6310.2012.00071.x">to control their appetite</a> as toddlers and are <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/17477160902763309">less likely to be overweight</a>. </p>
<h2>Feeding your baby responsively</h2>
<p><a href="http://orca.cf.ac.uk/91927/">Decisions around feeding babies are complicated</a> and some mothers <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jan.12832">might face challenges breastfeeding</a> or <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/mcn.12166">worry about giving their baby solid foods</a>. But the good news is that most babies, unless there is a particular medical worry about their growth, should be able to have opportunity to be “in charge” of how much they eat. </p>
<p>If you are bottle feeding, try not to worry too much about when and how much your baby feeds. Instead, try <a href="https://www.unicef.org.uk/babyfriendly/baby-friendly-resources/bottle-feeding-resources/infant-formula-responsive-bottle-feeding-guide-for-parents/">“paced” or “responsive” feeding</a>, where smaller amounts of milk are made up and you watch carefully for signs your baby is full. </p>
<p>To do this gently, offer your baby the bottle by stroking their lip and wait for them to show they are ready –- they will open their mouth if they are hungry. Pause regularly and stop when your baby starts to show signs of being full, such as turning their head or pushing the bottle out. Don’t try to encourage them to finish the bottle. </p>
<p>If you are spoon-feeding, <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/solid-foods-weaning/">let your baby set the pace of the meal</a>. Offer them small spoonfuls and, again, pause in between, looking for signs they have had enough such as turning their head or pushing lots back out. Don’t try to persuade them to finish a jar or eat too quickly. </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/310466/original/file-20200116-181617-aokkjo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/310466/original/file-20200116-181617-aokkjo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/310466/original/file-20200116-181617-aokkjo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/310466/original/file-20200116-181617-aokkjo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/310466/original/file-20200116-181617-aokkjo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/310466/original/file-20200116-181617-aokkjo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/310466/original/file-20200116-181617-aokkjo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Feeding themselves allows babies to be more in control of the pace and amount they eat.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/young-father-feeding-his-son-park-408647689">Air Images/Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>Remember, guidelines suggest that however you feed your baby you <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/solid-foods-weaning/">can give them finger foods from the start of weaning</a>. Try foods such as soft cooked sticks of parsnip, broccoli or yam, flakes of fish or toast fingers. Cut food into pieces large enough for them to pick up, so that the food sticks out of the top of their fist. But make sure you avoid foods that could snap off in your baby’s mouth such as hard apple slices or raw carrot sticks or small hard foods such as nuts or popcorn. </p>
<p>Some babies might not eat much at first when they self-feed, but don’t worry. Remember, the <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13679-018-0297-8">experience of learning to eat is important too</a>. Letting babies play with food, feeling its texture and learning how it tastes is all part of their development – just put a mat down and try not to worry too much about the mess!</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/129961/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sara Wyn Jones received funding from Swansea University for her PhD research.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Amy Brown has previously received research funding from the ESRC, NIHR, Public Health Wales, the Breastfeeding Network and First Steps Nutrition Trust. She is author of four books published by Pinter and Martin Ltd - 'Breastfeeding Uncovered: who really decides how we feed our babies', 'Why starting solids matters' , 'The Positive Breastfeeding Book', "Informed is best', 'Why breastfeeding grief and trauma matter' alongside a Routledge textbook 'A guide to breastfeeding for the medical profession'. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michelle Lee receives funding from the BBSRC. </span></em></p>It’s important for babies to be in control of the pace and amount they eat.Sara Wyn Jones, PhD researcher in Public Health, Swansea UniversityAmy Brown, Professor of Child Public Health, Swansea UniversityMichelle Lee, Professor of Psychology, Swansea UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1288122019-12-17T15:03:56Z2019-12-17T15:03:56ZHow breastfeeding sparked population growth in ancient cities<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/306863/original/file-20191213-85417-1k6lqe.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A Middle Bronze Age child from the Lebanese site of Sidon buried in a large jar. Smaller ceramics were placed with the dead as funerary objects.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Claude Doumet-Serhal</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Historians down the ages have examined the ebb and flow of populations in ancient societies. But most of these examinations have tended to focus on male dominated events – the wars, the politics and the money. But there is another side to the past that struggles to be heard over the clashing of swords. It is this unreported history that our new research focuses on.</p>
<p>My colleagues and I at Bournemouth University and the University of Warsaw used advanced chemical techniques <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ajpa.23980">to study breastfeeding</a> in some of the world’s early cities in ancient parts of Syria and Lebanon. We analysed small pieces of bone from infants, children and mothers interred in ancient Bronze Age cemeteries between 2800 and 1200 BC by using a technique known as <a href="https://www.nature.com/subjects/stable-isotopes#:%7E:targetText=Stable%20isotopes%20are%20alternative%20forms,webs%20and%20assess%20trophic%20levels.">stable isotopes analysis</a>. From this we built computer models that estimated the age of weaning (the introduction of complementary foods to a breastfeeding child’s diet) and complete weaning (stopping breastfeeding entirely) in these populations. </p>
<p>Our research found that women seem to have exclusively breastfed their children until about the age of six months and completely stopped around the age of two and a half – earlier than was common elsewhere at this point in history. These earlier weaning times may have helped boost the <a href="https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/695983">population of these cities</a>, which became flourishing centres of civilisation. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/discovery-of-prehistoric-baby-bottles-shows-infants-were-fed-cows-milk-5-000-years-ago-124115">Discovery of prehistoric baby bottles shows infants were fed cow’s milk 5,000 years ago</a>
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<p>The sites we excavated were urban centres on the Mediterranean coast, and between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in what was called Mesopotamia. Children’s bones found by archaeologists are often more fragile than those of adults, as they are smaller and not completely mineralised (their bones have less inorganic material such as calcium than those of adults). This means they often get damaged or are lost through decomposition.</p>
<p>However, enough children were excavated at these cemeteries for chemical analysis and confident statistical modelling. That’s partially due to the ancient Near Eastern practice of burying infants and children in jars, which partially protected the bones from the burial environment.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/306866/original/file-20191213-85376-727lhf.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/306866/original/file-20191213-85376-727lhf.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306866/original/file-20191213-85376-727lhf.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306866/original/file-20191213-85376-727lhf.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306866/original/file-20191213-85376-727lhf.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306866/original/file-20191213-85376-727lhf.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306866/original/file-20191213-85376-727lhf.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">A Middle Bronze Age infant from the Lebanese site of Sidon buried in a large jar.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Claude Doumet-Serhal</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/breast-or-bottle-feeding-the-debate-has-its-origins-in-victorian-times-123296">Breast or bottle feeding: the debate has its origins in Victorian times</a>
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<p>Our ancient sites were metropolitan hubs and probably had wide-ranging contact from people all over the ancient world. Within these cities, women seem to have exclusively breastfed their children until about the age of six months, which fits with the <a href="https://www.who.int/topics/breastfeeding/en/">World Health Organization’s recommendations</a> for healthy infant feeding. </p>
<p>While other foods seem to have been introduced after six months, complete weaning stopped around the age of two-and-a-half. And these times seem to fit with written records from that part of the world. For example, there are some Babylonian contracts dating to as early as 1000 BC between parents and a wet nurse (a woman who would breastfeed the baby as if it were her own). According to these contracts, the wet nurse would breastfeed the baby for a proscribed amount of time, often around two to three years, and be repaid in barley, oil, wool <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=-n4LQNeU1ckC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false">and sometimes silver</a>. </p>
<p>Later religious texts also provide clues. Some books in the Bible (Maccabees and Chronicles) note breastfeeding lasting for three years, and later sources from the first millennium AD such as the Quran and the Babylonian Talmud estimate this period as two years. </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/306643/original/file-20191212-85371-1r4sdw9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=3%2C5%2C745%2C571&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/306643/original/file-20191212-85371-1r4sdw9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=470&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306643/original/file-20191212-85371-1r4sdw9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=470&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306643/original/file-20191212-85371-1r4sdw9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=470&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306643/original/file-20191212-85371-1r4sdw9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=590&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306643/original/file-20191212-85371-1r4sdw9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=590&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306643/original/file-20191212-85371-1r4sdw9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=590&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Relic from Mesopotamia (2000-1500 BCE) at The Sulaimaniya Museum, Iraq, shows a woman breastfeeding her child.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.ancient.eu/image/3638/woman-breastfeeding-a-child/">Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
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<p>Breastfeeding on average for two and a half years might seem like a long time in most modern cultures but it’s shorter than in many ancient societies as revealed by archaeological studies <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajpa.23295">from all over the world</a> also using stable isotopes analysis to estimate infant feeding practices. These found that the global average length of time until initial weaning in in pre-industrial societies would have been one year (as opposed to six months in our ancient cities). And complete weaning occurred at around the age of three.</p>
<h2>Breastfeeding and populations</h2>
<p>The timing and nature of weaning and complete weaning have long-lasting health impacts <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/benefits-breastfeeding/">through infancy and even into adulthood</a>. But beyond their impact on the health of individuals, breastfeeding and infant feeding strategies also affect population structures. </p>
<p>Breastfeeding for longer tends to mean women have gaps between pregnancies, and this has been considered a major factor in controlling fertility <a href="https://motherhoodinprehistory.wordpress.com/2015/08/31/prehistoric-child-spacing/">in hunter-gatherer groups</a> where breastfeeding up to and beyond the age of five was the norm. In contrast, earlier weaning is <a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/333/6042/560">associated with</a> early farming communities with higher population growth. </p>
<p>This means the shorter breastfeeding times shown by our findings may have helped boost the population of the cities of ancient Syria and Lebanon. It could have been the result of having access to cereal crops such as wheat and barley and dairy products such as yogurt, which could easily be fed to children as weaning supplements. Agriculture was <a href="https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/659307">introduced earlier</a> in this part of the world than elsewhere and coincided with the emergence of urban civilisations and the establishment of wide reaching international networks.</p>
<p>Sidon, for example, grew into one of the Mediterranean’s great port cities, connecting the Phoenicians as a commercial power. And our research suggests the strategies they used for childrearing may have had a hand in their achievements. So breastfeeding and weaning in ancient Lebanon and Syria didn’t make it into the big historical texts. But our study shows that these seemingly modern issues had big impact on society.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/128812/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Chris Stantis does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Researchers used advanced chemical analyses to study breastfeeding in some of the world’s first farming communities.Chris Stantis, Postdoc in Archaeology and Anthropology, Bournemouth UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/996452018-07-10T10:46:03Z2018-07-10T10:46:03ZGiving your baby solid food early won’t help them sleep better<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/226940/original/file-20180710-70042-wmwq4j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Sleeping like a baby.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/3-months-old-baby-girl-sleeping-1102507679?src=oQVF0_4WEh552o-LfunUJw-1-75">Ekaterina Pokrovsky/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/jul/09/feeding-baby-solids-early-may-help-them-sleep-study">New research</a> claims that giving babies solid foods at just three months old will help them sleep. Though this may sound appealing to exhausted new parents, unfortunately there is a large gulf between the headlines and the data. </p>
<p>Much of the published evidence in this area actually shows the opposite, that what a baby eats has nothing to do with their sleep. In 2015 <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25973527">we found</a> that neither breast nor formula milk, timing of solids introduction, nor the amount of solids eaten affected how often babies woke up at six to 12 months. </p>
<p>Another study has found that the common practice of <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/article-abstract/514762">adding rice cereal</a> to a bottle before bed (which should be avoided as it can cause choking) has no impact on sleep at four months old. While <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2866807/">a third</a> found that early introduction of solids was associated with <em>less</em> sleep at 12 months old. </p>
<p>The recent study is an excellent example of how statistically significant differences and real world differences can be miles apart. The <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2686726">authors themselves note</a> that no difference in waking was seen until five months old, despite one group having solids from three months. </p>
<p>From then, babies in the early introduction group may have technically slept more, but this amounted to an average of just seven minutes more a night. At its maximum (six months old) the difference was 16 minutes. Most babies in the study still woke up once or twice a night whatever they were fed. And given these figures are based on the self-reporting of sleep deprived parents – <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1389945718303204">which often does not match up to sleep recordings</a> – this is not a basis for making major changes in infant feeding practices. </p>
<figure>
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<p>There is no physiological reason why introducing solid foods early would help a baby sleep. First, babies (after the first few weeks) <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/amy-brown/does-anyone-really-sleep-_b_16971544.html">do not simply wake at night</a> because they are hungry. Just like adults, <a href="https://www.isisonline.org.uk/how_babies_sleep/">they wake because they are cold, uncomfortable or simply want comfort</a>. The difference being that they cannot always soothe themselves back to sleep. </p>
<p>Second, even if it were for hunger, the most sensible solution would be to offer additional milk, as it will give <a href="https://kellymom.com/nutrition/starting-solids/babyfoodcalories/">more energy, fat and protein than any other food</a> you can give a baby. The aim of the trial from which this data came was not to increase overall energy intake, but <a href="https://www.food.gov.uk/sites/default/files/media/document/eat-study-full-report.pdf">to test how introduction of allergenic foods</a> at three versus six months affects the development of allergies (which it did not). </p>
<p>The parents were advised to give very small amounts of allergenic foods (such as one egg, 25g fish and 100g yogurt spread over a week – just a few spoonfuls a day) alongside rice, cereals, fruit and vegetables. All of these foods are lower in calories than breast or formula milk but take up more room, meaning babies might even eat a little less as they get used to weaning – a potential explanation for the larger sleep gap at six months as the standard group got used to food. </p>
<h2>Solid sleep</h2>
<p>Less than half of the parents in the early introduction group stuck to the protocol. A variety of reasons were given but a major issue with introducing solids early is that <a href="https://kellymom.com/nutrition/starting-solids/solids-when/">babies are simply not physiologically ready</a>. At three months, many may only just have good head control. They won’t be able to sit up properly. They still have a gag reflex that pushes food out of their mouth. Earlier introduction of solids can be <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21143584">messy, time consuming and demoralising</a>, as babies simply aren’t equipped to be eating solids so soon.</p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/226915/original/file-20180710-70060-fe9jjo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/226915/original/file-20180710-70060-fe9jjo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/226915/original/file-20180710-70060-fe9jjo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/226915/original/file-20180710-70060-fe9jjo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/226915/original/file-20180710-70060-fe9jjo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/226915/original/file-20180710-70060-fe9jjo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/226915/original/file-20180710-70060-fe9jjo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">At three months, most babies can’t sit up properly.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/biracial-mix-hispanic-black-african-american-39099073?src=PNXo7MeLuRpuMmASso4sCg-1-21">OLJ Studio/Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>Research shows that the earlier a baby is weaned, the longer it takes them to eat anything other than a few tastes. <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/j.1651-2227.2001.tb00785.x">One study found</a> if babies were given solids before four months it took them six weeks on average to eat just 100ml of food per day, but it was just 12 days for those weaned at the recommended six months.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/59f75004f09ca48694070f3b/t/5a5a41479140b7e31a75ccbc/1515864404727/Eating_well_the_first_year_Sep_17_small.pdf">guidelines to introduce solid foods</a> at six months are there for good reason. There is <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22895934">no deficit to growth or nutrient status</a> in waiting until six months to introduce solid foods, but there is an increased risk of gastrointestinal and respiratory illnesses in infants given solid foods before then. </p>
<p>Introducing solids too early <a href="https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED479275.pdf">can lead to</a> a reduction in breastmilk intake (and its associated antibodies), introduction of contaminants, and can cause digestive difficulties as babies do not develop all the enzymes needed to properly digest solid foods until between four and six months old. </p>
<p>It should also be noted that the babies in the study were a very specific group. Nearly all were <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1514210">breastfed until six months old</a> – 97%, compared to <a href="https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/infant-feeding-survey/infant-feeding-survey-uk-2010">just 34% in the UK population</a>. Research shows that <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/apt.12023">breastfeeding through introduction to solid foods</a> is important in reducing allergy development, but often early introduction of solids increases risk of <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/mcn.12166">stopping breastfeeding</a>. </p>
<p>Great care must be taken in generalising these findings. The research begs the question, does introducing solids early – with all its associated risks – really carry more weight if it comes with a few minutes of sleep every night? It seems to me that we should be asking why parents are struggling with sleep so much and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28744924">seek better ways to support them</a> instead.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/99645/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Amy Brown has previously received funding from the ESRC, NIHR and Public Health Wales. She is author of three books published by Pinter and Martin Ltd - 'Breastfeeding Uncovered: who really decides how we feed our babies', 'Why starting solids matters' and the forthcoming 'The Positive Breastfeeding Book'.</span></em></p>A new study claims that an early start on solids can help babies sleep – but established research has proven the risks outweigh any benefit.Amy Brown, Professor of Child Public Health, Swansea UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/780862017-06-05T14:48:47Z2017-06-05T14:48:47ZDoes spoon-feeding really make babies overweight?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/172263/original/file-20170605-16877-9yftvs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Assessing a tasty treat.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/simonwheatley/10765669526/">Simon Wheatley/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Deciding when and how to introduce babies to solid foods can be overwhelming for parents. But aside from timing and amount, could how babies are introduced to solid foods also make a difference to their health? </p>
<p>Until the early 20th century, babies were simply given foods that the rest of the family ate, <a href="http://www.magonlinelibrary.com/doi/abs/10.12968/johv.2016.4.10.524">towards the end of their first year</a>. This was before the <a href="http://www.ucpress.edu/book.php?isbn=9780520283459">dawn of the baby food industry</a> led to the majority of babies in Western countries being weaned onto solid foods using specially prepared, pureed infant foods that are spoon-fed. </p>
<p>However, since government recommendations in 2003 changed to <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/start4life/first-foods">introduce solid foods at six months</a>, increasing numbers of parents have been returning to letting their baby eat the same food as the rest of the family, by following <a href="http://www.rapleyweaning.com">baby-led weaning</a>. Evidence suggests that delaying introduction of solids until six months <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13668-017-0201-2">may protect against</a> babies becoming overweight. So spoons and purees are being forgone to let infants eat at their own pace – which they are typically developmentally <a href="https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED479275">able to do at six-months-old</a>. </p>
<p>Research has found that parents are choosing baby-led weaning because they feel it makes for <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1740-8709.2011.00360.x/full">less stressful and easier</a> (albeit messier) mealtimes. But growing numbers of parents also choose to follow the method because of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2011/oct/05/baby-led-weaning">suggestions</a> that it may help their baby develop better eating habits and a healthier weight – but is this true?</p>
<h2>The evidence so far</h2>
<p>Limited research on baby-led weaning suggests that, to some extent, yes, it can help children develop better eating habits. Preschool children who followed baby-led weaning are <a href="http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/2/1/e000298.short">less likely to be overweight</a> than those who were spoon-fed. Similarly, <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.2047-6310.2013.00207.x/full">toddlers who had followed the approach</a> were less likely to be fussy eaters, less likely to overeat and were less likely to be overweight. </p>
<p>But is it really as simple as saying that spoons and purees are potentially putting babies at greater risk of being overweight and developing picky eating habits? In a nutshell, no. </p>
<p>A more balanced explanation is that baby-led weaning promotes a number of behaviours that <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13668-017-0201-2">positively shape</a> an infant’s appetite and weight development. The baby-led approach naturally encourages parents to let their baby <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10995-010-0678-4">go at their own pace</a> when eating. Research with older children shows that when parents <a href="https://ijbnpa.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1479-5868-5-15">are too controlling</a> over what and how much their child eats, the child is more likely to go on to develop weight problems and be a fussy eater. Babies and young children are <a href="http://www.nature.com/ijo/journal/v28/n7/abs/0802532a.html">good at regulating their intake of food</a> according to energy needs but parents encouraging them to finish all the food on their plate, or withdrawing certain foods so they crave them, can break this down. </p>
<p>The baby-led approach, on the other hand, allows infants to be in control, rather than parents. Although spoon-feeding parents may be responsive, the baby may accept more food than it would eat when self feeding.</p>
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<p>We also know that <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002822311005840">adults who eat slowly</a> are less likely to be overweight. The same could very well apply with infants: naturally, it takes more time for an infant to self-feed and chew whole foods than it does to be spoon-fed purees. </p>
<p>Potentially, the way food is presented to infants who are following baby-led weaning may promote a wider variety of intake too. Food in its whole form may not only be more appealing than puree, but self-feeding also allows infants to explore how foods feel. We know that this is an important part of how children learn: when older children are allowed to play with food they are <a href="http://www.fasebj.org/content/31/1_Supplement/958.7.short">more likely to eat it</a>. </p>
<h2>The importance of context</h2>
<p>It could be that the healthy food attitudes gained through baby-led weaning are due to factors unrelated to the experience, however. Baby-led weaning has often been <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1740-8709.2010.00243.x/full">linked with breastfeeding</a> as a natural follow on. Breastfeeding mothers are <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-277X.2010.01145.x/full">more used to their baby being in control</a> of feeding – although bottle fed babies do follow baby-led weaning too. On average, breastfed babies are <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.2047-6310.2012.00071.x/full">less likely to be overweight or fussy eaters</a> and this might explain the difference, rather than weaning approach. </p>
<p>Healthy attitudes might also be developed because of the type of parent who chooses to baby-led wean. Babies who have a more <a href="http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/127/2/229.short">difficult temperament</a> are typically weaned earlier, before the recommend six months point, meaning they are likely to be spoon-fed. Mothers who are <a href="http://europepmc.org/abstract/med/25623385">more anxious</a> about their baby are also more likely to spoon feed too. This anxiety is linked to <a href="http://jn.nutrition.org/content/138/4/799.short">non-responsive feeding</a>, which can increase the risk of the child being overweight. </p>
<p>Overall, it’s not a clear answer but current research does suggest that infants who follow a baby-led weaning approach may go on to be better eaters and have a healthier weight – but more studies are needed to confirm this. </p>
<p>However, this doesn’t mean that parents who choose to spoon-feed should worry.
Babies’ food attitudes are unlikely to be anything specifically to do with spoons, but rather positive feeding interactions. Giving purees within a mixed diet is unlikely to have a negative impact; <a href="http://www.pinterandmartin.com/why-starting-solids-matters.html">what is important</a> is variation, chance to explore and, most importantly, a laid-back parenting approach.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/78086/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Amy Brown has previously received funding for research exploring infant feeding from the ESRC and NIHR.
She is author of the book 'Why Starting Solids Matters' published by Pinter and Martin. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Hannah Rowan and Sara Wyn Jones do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Three academics analyse the evidence for and against baby-led weaning.Amy Brown, Associate Professor of Child Public Health, Swansea UniversityHannah Rowan, PhD researcher, Swansea UniversitySara Wyn Jones, PhD researcher, Swansea UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/145772013-05-23T04:30:11Z2013-05-23T04:30:11ZGot milk? Our breastfeeding habits are older than you think<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/24311/original/yb92tks2-1369270459.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Babies' milk teeth carry their early food history, and this remains stable for tens of thousands of years.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Allygirl520</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>We know at least six months of exclusive breastfeeding is the best start to a baby’s life. What’s amazing is it seems ancient hominids knew that too.</p>
<p>In a paper <a href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature12169.html">published today in Nature</a>, we analysed the tooth of an eight-year-old <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/tvradio/programmes/horizon/neanderthal_prog_summary.shtml">Neanderthal</a> child and showed it was breastfed for its first seven months, and had supplementary non-milk food for a further seven months, before being abruptly weaned completely. The period of exclusive breastfeeding is pretty much in perfect line with today’s <a href="http://www.who.int/nutrition/topics/infantfeeding_recommendation/en/">maternal guidelines</a>.</p>
<p>The transition from maternal milk to non-milk foods is a fundamental aspect of primate evolution and an important determinant of health in contemporary human populations.</p>
<p>In addition to helping <a href="https://theconversation.com/banking-on-breast-milk-best-for-sick-infants-324">fight off infections</a> and provide nutrients required for infant development, breastfeeding also plays an important role in the <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2812877/">health of mothers</a>. As a result, the World Health Organisation and UNICEF both <a href="http://www.who.int/nutrition/topics/infantfeeding_recommendation/en/">recommend</a> mothers <a href="http://www.unicef.org/nutrition/index_breastfeeding.html">continue breastfeeding</a> while introducing infants to non-milk foods.</p>
<p>A remarkable aspect of human evolution is that human infants are weaned much earlier but have much longer childhoods than our closest ape relatives. For example, while a chimpanzee is dependent upon its mother for its first few years of life, it gains independence at around <a href="http://www.savethechimps.org/chimp-facts">six years of age</a>.</p>
<p>There is <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2409099/">much debate</a> about when early weaning occurred in the hominin lineage. Reliable markers of early diet transitions in ancient hominins and non-human primates have been largely unavailable - until now.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/24322/original/pct6k683-1369274661.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/24322/original/pct6k683-1369274661.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/24322/original/pct6k683-1369274661.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=468&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/24322/original/pct6k683-1369274661.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=468&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/24322/original/pct6k683-1369274661.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=468&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/24322/original/pct6k683-1369274661.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=588&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/24322/original/pct6k683-1369274661.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=588&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/24322/original/pct6k683-1369274661.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=588&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">kendura99</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Early life dietary transitions are recorded in teeth and remain stable in fossil remains from thousands of years ago.</p>
<p>Teeth grow following a regular pattern that creates permanent daily lines, like the rings found in trees. Teeth also carry a “birth certificate” in the form of an accentuated line visible in baby teeth and first permanent molars.</p>
<p>As the teeth grow within the gum they incorporate elements that circulate the body after uptake from food, water and environmental sources. Using special analytical chemistry and microscopy techniques we are able to trace changes in the element content of teeth with precision timing.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/24310/original/sqkqtsy5-1369270115.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/24310/original/sqkqtsy5-1369270115.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/24310/original/sqkqtsy5-1369270115.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=242&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/24310/original/sqkqtsy5-1369270115.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=242&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/24310/original/sqkqtsy5-1369270115.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=242&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/24310/original/sqkqtsy5-1369270115.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=304&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/24310/original/sqkqtsy5-1369270115.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=304&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/24310/original/sqkqtsy5-1369270115.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=304&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Barium distributions reveal natural and truncated weaning (black arrows) in macaque molars. Left: natural weaning after 296 days. Centre: weaned slightly early due to maternal separation at 257 days. Right: markedly shortened weaning due to maternal separation at 166 days.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Austin et al. Nature (2013) </span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Introducing barium</h2>
<p><a href="http://www.webelements.com/barium/">Barium</a>, a naturally occurring element, is found in very small amounts in newborns as the placenta restricts crossing of barium from the mother to the foetus.</p>
<p>It is, however, present in breast milk, and as a baby starts to breastfeed, the “rings” laid down in their milk teeth contain larger amounts of barium.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/24307/original/sqpqpxsq-1369270071.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/24307/original/sqpqpxsq-1369270071.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/24307/original/sqpqpxsq-1369270071.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=773&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/24307/original/sqpqpxsq-1369270071.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=773&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/24307/original/sqpqpxsq-1369270071.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=773&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/24307/original/sqpqpxsq-1369270071.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=972&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/24307/original/sqpqpxsq-1369270071.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=972&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/24307/original/sqpqpxsq-1369270071.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=972&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A Rhesus macaque infant on the nipple.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">K. West&#x2F;CNPRC</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Similarly, there is a much higher concentration of barium in infant formula compared to breast milk, so the rings formed during formula feeding contain still more barium.</p>
<p>So it is just a matter of identifying the timing of these rings and measuring the amount of barium present in each layer, and presto! There’s your weaning history.</p>
<p>This isn’t confined to humans. We applied this technique to teeth from macaques with known dietary histories. Again, barium increased at birth but decreased with supplementation of other foods and returned to levels seen before birth at the completion of weaning.</p>
<h2>Spinning the fossil record</h2>
<p>We applied the barium measurement technique to an approximately 100,000-year-old <a href="http://archaeology.about.com/od/mterms/qt/middle_paleolit.htm">Middle Paleolithic</a> Neanderthal tooth from Belgium and found a similar barium pattern as that seen in the macaques.</p>
<p>The pattern indicated that this Neanderthal was breastfed for about seven months before supplementation with non-milk foods, and followed by an abrupt, complete switch to non-milk foods at 14 months. The period of exclusive breastfeeding is similar compared to humans and <a href="http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2013/01/23/1218746110.full.pdf">chimpanzees</a>, but weaning occurred remarkably early in this individual.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/24308/original/nb895wq7-1369270082.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/24308/original/nb895wq7-1369270082.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/24308/original/nb895wq7-1369270082.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=493&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/24308/original/nb895wq7-1369270082.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=493&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/24308/original/nb895wq7-1369270082.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=493&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/24308/original/nb895wq7-1369270082.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=619&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/24308/original/nb895wq7-1369270082.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=619&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/24308/original/nb895wq7-1369270082.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=619&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Dietary transitions in a Neanderthal permanent first molar. Top: developmental time (in days from birth) of each stress line in enamel (dark blue lines) determined from daily growth increments (following dotted blue lines). Scale bar = 1mm. Bottom: barium distribution shows marked variations in enamel coinciding with birth, 227 days, and 435 days, which resemble macaque transition from exclusive maternal milk consumption to weaning.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Austin et al. Nature (2013)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Application of the barium measurement technique to more samples will enable the evaluation of theories regarding weaning patterns and <a href="https://theconversation.com/out-of-africa-only-to-die-new-clues-on-early-human-migration-4569">life histories of hominin species</a> and comparisons across primate species, which have important implications for models of population growth and species replacement. With more samples scientist will be able to get a better consensus of when Neanderthals were weaned.</p>
<p>We hope to apply this new discovery to other fossils from the genus <em>Homo</em>. After all, there are more fascinating discoveries to make about our past.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/14577/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Christine Austin receives funding from The National Health and Medical Research Council.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Renaud Joannes-Boyau does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>We know at least six months of exclusive breastfeeding is the best start to a baby’s life. What’s amazing is it seems ancient hominids knew that too. In a paper published today in Nature, we analysed the…Renaud Joannes-Boyau, Postdoctoral Research Fellow of Geoscience, Southern Cross UniversityChristine Austin, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.