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Physical Development
Published in Krystina Castella, Designing for Kids, 2018
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends feeding babies only breast milk for the first 6 months of life. Infants can only consume liquids, because they are only physically capable of sucking. After that, they recommend a combination of solid foods and breast milk be given until a baby is at least 1 year old.27 At first, caregivers feed pureed foods and smooth cereals, and as they get older, children can practice feeding themselves. Finger foods give them a sense of autonomy. In the early phases of eating, choking is a concern for many parents. Chewing does not begin until about 6 months of age, and it is not well developed until about 3 years of age. Young children tend to prefer food that is easier to chew. Softness and hardness, chewing and swallowing are all factors. Babies and toddlers usually follow a pattern of initially rejecting food with an unfamiliar taste and texture.
Exposure Assessment
Published in Barry L. Johnson, Impact of Hazardous Waste on Human Health, 2020
In 1988, approximately 54% of mothers nursed their babies at the time of discharge from the birth site (DHHS, 1991). Because breast milk is the nutritionally optimum food for babies and also bestows passive immunity to nursing infants, government agencies recommend that mothers nurse infants. Although this section will highlight the potential problem of toxicants that are sometimes passed to nursing infants in breast milk, the many benefits of nursing must always be considered in relation to any health risk conveyed by these toxicants. It is prudent public health policy to include nursing infants in any site-specific public health assessment and baseline risk assessment. Assessments must also include the many positive benefits of nursing of infants.
Prenatal and postnatal transfer of perfluoroalkyl substances from mothers to their offspring
Published in Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology, 2022
Yingxue Liu, An Li, Qi An, Kai Liu, Ping Zheng, Shanshan Yin, Weiping Liu
Breast milk is the optimal postnatal source of nutrition for infants. At the same time, unwanted substances including PFASs in the milk can transfer from mothers to infants by breastfeeding. Breastfeeding transfer is recognized as the most important postnatal exposure route through which infants (0–1 year of age) receive PFASs from mothers. This pathway is comprised of two key processes, namely the transfer of PFASs from maternal blood to breast milk and the intake of PFASs through breast milk by the infants. For the former, we consider the transfer efficiency and mechanism. For the latter, we consider the temporal change of PFASs in maternal milk and the daily intake of the infants. Then the potential health risks caused by this transfer path are discussed.
Prevalence and concentration of Aflatoxin M1 in human breast milk in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis, and cancer risk assessment
Published in International Journal of Environmental Health Research, 2023
Robel Hussen Kabthymer, Girum Gebremeskel Kanno, Mekonen Birhane Aregu, Susana Paixão, Tefera Belachew
Human breast milk is a highly nutritious food for infants that contains both essential and non-essential nutrients like fats, protein, carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins, and other bioactive factors like cells, growth factors, prebiotics, anti-infection, and anti-inflammatory agents (Ballard and Morrow 2013). Breast milk is not only an excellent nutritional source for the infant, but it also protects the growing child against overall infections, gastrointestinal and respiratory tract infections and it has been linked to a reduced risk for chronic diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes (Ip et al. 2007; Duijts et al. 2009). Hence, globally mothers are recommended to exclusively breastfeed their children for the first six months (WHO 2003).
Indoor air pollution aggravates asthma in Chinese children and induces the changes in serum level of miR-155
Published in International Journal of Environmental Health Research, 2019
Qingbin Liu, Wei Wang, Wei Jing
Asthma severity covariates were adjusted by using multiple logistic regression. Multivariate logistic analysis showed that there was a significant correlation between indoor PM2.5 exposure and childhood asthma (Table 4). HCHO is one of the major indoor air pollutants and has a strong irritating odor. The present study showed that there was a significant difference for indoor HCHO concentration between asthma and control groups (P < 0.05). Breast milk contains large amounts of IgA, cytokines, long-chain fatty acids and oligosaccharides, and other substances, and can improve the baby’s immune system (Friedman and Zeiger 2005). This study found that breastfeeding was a protective factor in childhood asthma (Table 4).