Submit to Children Review for Children Edit a Special Issue

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser

Special Issue "Infant Feeding: Advances and Future Challenges"

Print Special Issue Flyer
Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

A special issue of Children (ISSN 2227-9067). This special issue belongs to the section "Pediatric Neonatology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 April 2023) | Viewed by 7054

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Evangelia Antoniou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Dept Midwifery, Egaleo Pk Campus, Univ West Attica, Ag Spyridonos Str, 12243 Egaleo, Greece
Interests: domestic violence in pregnancy; Breastfeeding; perinatal mental health

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It is with great pleasure to invite you to collaborate to the special issue” Infant Feeding: Advances and Future Challenges”. Nutrition is undoubtedly an expression of the culture of every people. Nutrition in infancy is a cornerstone, not only for the proper and healthy development of the child, but also for his health in adulthood. To date, much of the research on the long-term effects of infant nutrition has been given to breastfeeding, comparing formula feeding and evaluating the effects of exclusivity, time, and duration of feeding on different types of infant milk. The transition from breast milk to solid food is a defining moment, which affects the subsequent development of the child's nutritional variety, but also the quality of food. However, the method of weaning, the types of milk that will replace or follow breastfeeding, as well as the age of introduction of solid foods have not yet been adequately studied for their effects on later health. The main goal of this special issue of Children is to identify optimal feeding practices and their causal effects offered in short-term and long-term health. Research on infants from different backgrounds is the key to provide generalizable data that can be used to determine best feeding practices.

We welcome submissions related to different infant feeding, such as different types of formula milk, different food culture and their effects on human health.

Dr. Evangelia Antoniou
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 2000 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.

Keywords

breastfeeding
formula feeding
specific types of formula
special nutritional needs
methods of weaning

Published Papers (5 papers)

Download All Papers

Order results

Result details

Show export options Show export options

Select all

Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review, Other

Open AccessArticle

Breastfeeding and Complementary Feeding Practices among Caregivers at Seshego Zone 4 Clinic in Limpopo Province, South Africa

and

Children 2023, 10(6), 986; https://doi.org/10.3390/children10060986 (registering DOI) - 31 May 2023

Viewed by 49

Abstract

Breastfeeding and complementary feeding are key components of infant and young child feeding that ensure healthy growth, survival, and development. Initiating breastfeeding within an hour after delivery, exclusively breastfeeding for six months, and introducing complementary feeding at six months while continuing breastfeeding up to 24 months or beyond, helps in the prevention of malnutrition, which is a public health problem. The aim of this study was to determine breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices among caregivers of children under 24 months in Seshego, Limpopo Province. A quantitative and cross-sectional design was applied to collect data from 86 caregivers using convenience sampling. A structured questionnaire was utilised to gather data and analysed through statistical software, using descriptive and inferential statistics. Chi-square tests were used to determine associations at a 95% confidence interval where a p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. The findings show that 55% of participants had good breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices. Moreover, 94.2% of participants breastfeed within an hour after delivery at a healthcare facility. Only 43.6% of children were exclusively breastfed. Most participants (52.3%) gave children food before six months and 45.1% introduced complementary feeding at the appropriate age. Also, 69.7% of children across all age groups were not given infant formula. No statistical association was observed between feeding practices and sociodemographic. Breastfeeding was initiated within an hour after delivery at the healthcare facilities, however, post discharge exclusive breastfeeding maintenance remains a challenge. Few infants were introduced to complementary feeding at the appropriate age. A post discharge intervention to practice exclusive breastfeeding, continued breastfeeding, and introduction of appropriate complementary feeding is recommended. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Infant Feeding: Advances and Future Challenges)

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Impact of Donor Human Milk in an Urban NICU Population

and

Children 2022, 9(11), 1639; https://doi.org/10.3390/children9111639 - 27 Oct 2022

Viewed by 1086

Abstract

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends the use of donor human milk in infants when mother’s own milk is not available. Our objective was to analyze whether the use of donor human milk in preterm, very-low-birth-weight (VLBW, <1500 g) infants affected the rates of necrotizing enterocolitis, duration of parenteral nutrition (PN), growth, culture-positive sepsis, length of hospital stay, and mortality in an urban NICU population with low exclusive breast-feeding rates. A retrospective cohort study was conducted comparing two 2-year epochs of VLBW neonates before and after the introduction of donor breast milk in our neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). With the introduction of donor human milk, there was a significant reduction in the rate of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) (5% vs. 13%; p = 0.04) and less severe NEC as defined by Stage III based on the Modified Bell Staging Criteria (10% to 3%; p = 0.04). In the donor milk era, there was earlier initiation of enteral feeding (2.69 days vs. 3.84; p = 0.006) and a more rapid return to birthweight (9.5 days. 10.9 days; p = 0.006). In this study, a change in practice to the use of donor breast milk in a population with low rates of human milk provision was associated with earlier initiation of enteral feeding, faster return to birth weight, and a reduced incidence of NEC. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Infant Feeding: Advances and Future Challenges)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research, Other

Open AccessFeature PaperReview

Are Complementary Feeding Practices Aligned with Current Recommendations? A Narrative Review

Audrey Nantel

and

Véronique Gingras

Children 2023, 10(5), 794; https://doi.org/10.3390/children10050794 - 28 Apr 2023

Viewed by 1026

Abstract

The complementary feeding introduction period (introduction of solid foods alongside breastmilk or formula) is defining in children’s health; however, it appears that many parents do not follow complementary feeding guidelines. Our aim was to describe current parental feeding practices during complementary feeding in relation to current recommendations and explore determinants of adherence to guidelines. We included any relevant studies published within the last decade in French or English and summarized findings by recommendation category. The timing of complementary food introduction varied widely across and within continents (earlier in North America and often delayed in Asia). The introduction of allergenic foods tended to be delayed globally. Although some parents now begin complementary feeding with solid foods (i.e., baby-led weaning), delayed introduction of lumpy textures was still prevalent in the United States and in Europe. The consumption of iron-rich foods was predominantly low in Africa. Added sugars were globally introduced early, especially in America. Evidence for the prevalence of responsive feeding practices among parents is unclear due to the small number of studies. Determinants of complementary feeding practices included parental characteristics, such as age, education, socio-economic status, and race/ethnicity. Interventions aiming to increase adherence to complementary feeding guidelines must account for parental characteristics. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Infant Feeding: Advances and Future Challenges)

Open AccessReview

Effectiveness of Non-Pharmacological Methods, Such as Breastfeeding, to Mitigate Pain in NICU Infants

Styliani-Stella Papadopoulou

Anna Skordou

and

Stavros Sifakis

Children 2022, 9(10), 1568; https://doi.org/10.3390/children9101568 - 17 Oct 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2552

Abstract

Neonates do experience pain and its management is necessary in order to prevent long-term, as well as, short-term effects. The most common source of pain in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is caused by medically invasive procedures. NICU patients have to endure trauma, medical adhesive related skin injuries, heel lance, venipuncture and intramuscular injection as well as nasogastric catheterization besides surgery. A cornerstone in pain assessment is the use of scales such as COMFORT, PIPP-R, NIPS and N-PASS. This narrative review provides an up to date account of neonate pain management used in NICUs worldwide focusing on non-pharmacological methods. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have well established adverse side effects and opioids are addictive thus pharmacological methods should be avoided if possible at least for mild pain management. Non-pharmacological interventions, particularly breastfeeding and non-nutritive sucking as primary strategies for pain management in neonates are useful strategies to consider. The best non-pharmacological methods are breastfeeding followed by non-nutritive sucking coupled with sucrose sucking. Regrettably most parents used only physical methods and should be trained and involved for best results. Further research in NICU is essential as the developmental knowledge changes and neonate physiology is further uncovered together with its connection to pain. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Infant Feeding: Advances and Future Challenges)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Other

Jump to: Research, Review

Open AccessSystematic Review

Correlation between Pacifier Use in Preterm Neonates and Breastfeeding in Infancy: A Systematic Review

Eirini Orovou

Maria Tzitiridou-Chatzopoulou

and

Children 2022, 9(10), 1585; https://doi.org/10.3390/children9101585 - 19 Oct 2022

Viewed by 1512

Abstract

Background: Breastfeeding is very important for the proper nutrition and growth of the child, as well as, the health of the mother. To start breastfeeding, the neonate must have extensive oral capacities for sucking functions but, premature neonates may not have the muscle strength needed to suck successfully. However, the non-nutritive sucking achieved by using a pacifier, has been identified by previous research as a factor associated with shorter duration and exclusivity of breastfeeding. This study aims to perform a systematic review to investigate the relationship between pacifier use in preterm neonates and breastfeeding in infancy. Methods: We included prospective studies, as well as randomized controlled studies that evaluated the association between pacifier use by preterm neonates and of breastfeeding in infancy. Ten research articles from PubMed/Medline, Google Scholar and Crossref were included in the review from a total of 1455 articles. The results differ depending on the type of study.Most prospective studies have shown a negative correlation between pacifier use and breastfeeding, while the randomized controlled studies found a positive correlation. Conclusions: Pacifier use in preterm infants helps transition from tube to oral feeding, breastfeeding, faster weight gain and earlier discharge from the NICU. However, the relationship between pacifiers and breastfeeding is more complicated, as it appears to be influenced by additional risk factors. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Infant Feeding: Advances and Future Challenges)

► Show Figures

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Special Issue "Infant Feeding: Advances and Future Challenges"

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Published Papers (5 papers)

Research

Review

Other

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI