While direct breastfeeding is highly recommended, if breastfeeding is not possible or inadequate, the expressed breastmilk or formula milk can be fed through a bottle by a consistent caregiver who pays close attention to your baby, with skin contact, if possible, during feeding. Health Promotion Board. (n.d.). Early Childhood Nutrition. Retrieved January 06, 2021, from https://www.healthhub.sg/programmes/122/early-nutrition-for-babies Howes, C., & Hamilton, C. (1993). The changing experience of child care: Changes in teachers and in teacher-child relationships and children’s social competence with peers. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 8, 15-32. doi:10.1016/S0885 2006(05)80096-1
Emotional security and parenting sensitivity: Direct breastfeeding allows skin-to-skin contact with your baby. Skin-to-skin contact releases the hormones called serotonin and oxytocin in both the mother and baby, which encourages a strong emotional bond and security between them. In addition, the act of holding babies at the breast provides the perfect distance for mutual gaze and for them to bask in their mothers' warmth. Breastfeeding mothers tend to touch their infants more and are more sensitive and responsive to their infants' cues. Brandt KA, Andrews CM, Kvale J. (1998). Mother-infant interaction and breastfeeding outcome 6 weeks after birth. J Obstet Gynecol Neonatal Nurs. 27:169–174. Kennell J, McGrath S. (2005). Starting the process of mother-infant bonding. Acta Paediatr.;94:775–777. Oddy, W. H., Kendall, G. E., Li, J., Jacoby, P., Robinson, M., de Klerk, N. H., et al. (2010). The long-term effects of breastfeeding on child and adolescent mental health: A pregnancy cohort study followed for 14 years. The Journal of Pediatrics, 156(4), 568-574. Zetterström R. (1999) Breastfeeding and infant-mother interaction. Acta Paediatr. 88:1–6.
Long-term impact on child's cognition and behaviour: A Singaporean study in the GUSTO (Growing Up Towards Healthy Outcomes) project, showed that breastfeeding's impact on brain development may be due to both the nutrients in breast milk and the act of nursing implicit during direct breastfeeding. The nutritional content of breast milk may improve general child cognition, language abilities and gross motor skills, while feeding infants directly at the breast may influence memory abilities.
Other large-scale international studies suggested that longer duration of breastfeeding is associated with fewer parent-related behavioural problems and both internalised and externalised mental health problems, through childhood and into adolescence. Oddy, W. H., Kendall, G. E., Li, J., Jacoby, P., Robinson, M., de Klerk, N. H., et al. (2010). The long-term effects of breastfeeding on child and adolescent mental health: A pregnancy cohort study followed for 14 years. The Journal of Pediatrics, 156(4), 568-574. Pang, W.W., Tan, P.T., Cai, S. et al. (2019). Nutrients or nursing? Understanding how breast milk feeding affects child cognition. Eur J Nutr doi:10.1007/s00394-019-01929-2
Having consistent caregivers, especially in the early years (before three years old) helps children develop secure attachments. A 1993 study of 106 children younger than 30 months in infant day-care settings, showed that a consistent relationship with one caregiver (who could also be a teacher) resulted in the child developing secure attachments compared with children who had multiple changes of caregivers.
Enhancing emotional bond when bottle feeding: When a baby is partly or entirely fed by the bottle (or any means other than at the breast directly), the caregiver can continue to strengthen attachment by intentionally providing skin-to-skin contact. For example, caregivers can hold babies in their arms instead of propping them on the sofa, sharing gaze and smiles, and interacting with them in a soothing voice. Be sensitive to the babies' cues to pause or take a break during feeding to allow them to burp or rest. Scatliffe N, Casavant S, Vittner D, Cong X. Oxytocin and early parent-infant interactions: A systematic review. Int J Nurs Sci. 2019 Sep 12;6(4):445-453. Gordon I, Zagoory-Sharon O, Leckman JF, Feldman R. (2010). Oxytocin and the development of parenting in humans. Biol Psychiatry.; 68(4):377–382.
Like breastfeeding mothers, fathers and other consistent caregivers who engage in responsive and reciprocal interactions, including contact, experience a surge of nurturing hormones. Chen EM, Gau ML, Liu CY, Lee TY. Effects of Father-Neonate Skin-to-Skin Contact on Attachment: A Randomised Controlled Trial. Nurs Res Pract. 2017;2017:8612024. doi:10.1155/2017/8612024 Shorey S, He HG, Morelius E. (2016). Skin-to-skin contact by fathers and the impact on infant and paternal outcomes: an integrative review. Midwifery. 40:207-17.
Mindful feeding: Caregivers' abilities to recognise and feed in response to babies’ cues are impaired when distracted or paying attention to other external stimuli (typically mobile devices or TV in the Singapore context). Caregivers who engage in such "mindless feeding," would be less sensitive to the baby.