Cj. Gerrish et Ja. Mennella, Short-term influence of breastfeeding on the infants' interaction with theenvironment, DEVELOP PSY, 36(1), 2000, pp. 40-48
The present study tested the hypothesis that around the age of weaning, hum
an infants are more interactive with their environment immediately after br
eastfeeding. To this aim, we assessed 4- to 6-month-old infants' responsive
ness to a rotating, musical mobile before breastfeeding on one test day, an
d after breastfeeding on another. Thirteen infants, fitted with miniature m
ovement detectors on both their left leg and wrist, were videotaped for 4 c
onsecutive min during which the mobile was alternately switched on and off
in 1-min intervals. Although the infants showed no significant differences
in limb activity as a function of the timing of a breastfeed, they looked a
t the mobile significantly longer when tested after breastfeeding. This fin
ding suggests that breastfeeding has a substantial effect on 4- to 6-month-
old infants' attentiveness to and interaction with their environment. (C) 2
000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.