Intersection of Breastfeeding, Early Relational Health and Childcare Arrangements: Impact on the Health Outcomes of Children

Dear Colleagues,

The American Academy of Pediatrics (2012) and the World Health Organization (2011) recommend feeding human milk to infants up to 2 years of age to foster optimal growth and development. Breastfeeding and human milk feeding are also important aspects of early relational health (also sometimes referred to as infant mental health), which is a framework that the American Academy of Pediatrics recognized in 2022 as foundational to infant learning and socio-emotional development. Specifically, the framework draws on the literature to stipulate that relationships between an infant and their primary caregiver(s) must feel safe (free of psychological harm), stable (infant able to rely on caregiver for basic needs such as feeding), and nurturing (the infant’s physical, emotional, and developmental needs are sensitively and consistently met). Breastfeeding is a feeding practice in which the mother and the infant’s physiology can become co-regulated, thus providing an overall sense of well-being to both the mother and the infant.

Women’s need to return to work is a significant barrier to breastfeeding (Alianmoghaddam et al., 2018, Dagher et al., 2016, Mirkovic et al., 2014). Maternity leave policies differ across countries, with the United States (US)  being the only developed country without a national policy for paid maternal or parental leave (Rosenberg, 2017). As reported in a recent integrative review (2020) by Dietrich et al., in the US, both women and infants in childcare centers report less prevalent, less frequent, and shorter durations of human milk feeding than their peers in other countries or infants in other childcare arrangements. The literature on the prevalence of human milk feeding within childcare settings is challenged several factors: 1) there are relatively few infants in any one setting due to regulations regarding infant/caregiver ratio; 2) there is frequent turnover of infants and staff in this age group, thus making large or nationally representative studies difficult to plan and execute in real time. Studies have also been limited by geographic locations or relatively low response rates (20-60%). On the other hand, as a relatively nascent concept in the field of pediatrics and public health, there are relatively few studies on the effect of the use of childcare arrangements on infant mental health and early relational health.

This Special Issue of Children solicits novel research papers focusing on the intersection of the three aspects essential for improving the health of children: human milk feeding, early relational health, and childcare arrangements. We seek quantitative and qualitative studies that cover at least two of these areas among children aged 0 to 24 months. Potential studies include, but are not limited to, the following: analyses of secondary data, analyses of maternal health policies across states or countries and impact on child health, surveys, observational studies, and interventions. Childcare arrangements can include childcare centers, family childcare homes, and informal settings such as nannies or babysitters. Please note that articles will only be considered for publication if they address, at least in part, health outcomes of children related to human milk feeding and/or early relational health.

Dr. Kristen Copeland
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Children is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• breastfeeding
• human milk feeding
• childcare settings
• early care and education (ECE) settings
• infant mental health
• early relational health
• maternal child health
• maternal child health policy