Solid foods may help infants sleep longer

Infants introduced to solid foods early may have lesser sleep problems as compared to those who are breastfed, a new study has found.

The researchers found that babies introduced to solid foods early slept longer and woke less frequently at night and suffered fewer serious sleep problems than those exclusively breastfed for around the first six months of life. "While the official guidance is that starting solid foods won't make babies more likely to sleep through the night, this study suggests that this advice needs to be re-examined in light of the evidence we have gathered," said lead author Gideon Lack, professor at the King's College London. For the study published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, the researchers involved 1,303 exclusively breastfed three-month-olds who were divided into two groups. 

One group followed standard infant feeding advice and was encouraged to exclusively breastfeed for around six months. The second group, while continuing to breastfeed, was asked to introduce solid foods.— IANS