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Feeding An Infant Is One Of The Best Ways A Parent Or A Care Provider

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Feeding an infant is one of the best ways a parent or a care provider can demonstrate affection, nurturing, and security needed to develop early positive experiences that will serve as a template for a young brain to develop and function harmoniously. The first five years of a child’s life are both dynamic and important in healthy brain development. As infants get older, they will learn as fast as they will in their entire life during their earliest days. Infants require a nurturing environment to understand the concept of trust. Trust is an emotion that lays the foundation in developing positive self-esteem and confidence in later years. Infants will grow and learn more concisely through an encouraging and mentally stimulating relationship with their parents or care provider. It is through the act of feeding that an infant begins to learn about the world in which they live.
While there are many methods in which an infant can be fed, breast feeding is the most optimal choice. According to the National Institute of Child Health & Human Development, breast feeding is defined as, “ The act of feeding a baby or a young child with milk from a woman’s breast” (NICHD 2012). It is recommended that breast feeding begin as soon as an hour after an infant is born, and is continued for about 6 months (NICHD 2012). Infants will require breast feedings about every two to three hours in twenty minute intervals. Mothers also have the option to pump milk using a breast pump and

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