Breastmilk is nature’s perfect food for an infant: It’s packed with all the nutrients they need, it offers microbes that can help create a healthy gut environment and it ensures lots of cuddly skin-to-skin time with mom.
But the health implications go well beyond these obvious advantages. Here are six surprising ways that breastfeeding will benefit your baby.Scientists have found more than 200 different types of sugar molecules in breastmilk—a marvel, considering that cow’s milk has only 30 to 50. But what’s really cool is
Breastfeeding is a great idea for lots of reasons, but parents should know that the research that it improves behavior or the stress response is pretty shaky. I review the science on the links btw breastfeeding, behavior, and IQ in my latest book parentingmadecomplicated.