Science
According to the rules of classical child care, the developing body of babies needs not only proper, but also regular nutrition. However, according to a recent study, the issue of regularity does not seem so obvious anymore. According to scientists, it is quite possible that children who are fed when they want to, as they grow up, are able to demonstrate a higher intelligence quotient than those children who ate strictly on schedule. Moreover, in addition to high IQ test scores, such children allegedly perform better at school.
According to information published in the authoritative European scientific publication, the European Journal of Public Health, eight-year-old children who their infants were fed not on schedule, but at their request (apparently child crying), and really showed a high level of IQ. In addition, these children had, on average, four to five points higher on intellectual tests than all other children who were fed strictly on schedule as infants.
Researchers at the University of Essex and their colleagues from Oxford Universities, as part of their study, drew attention to three types of feeding mothers of their babies. The first type was when mothers fed their babies on a strict schedule, that is, for example, every four hours. The second type: when mothers tried to feed their children on a strict schedule, but were not particularly successful in this, since not all children are ready to eat when the daily routine requires it. The third type: mothers fed their babies when they showed a desire to eat. It should be noted that at the start of the study, babies were, on average, only four weeks old.
This study began quite a long time ago — in the early nineties of the last century, in Bristol, in the south-west of Great Britain. Since then, scientists have been able to study more than ten thousand children. Ultimately, the results of the study showed a clear correlation between how mothers of babies treated their children's diet and the IQ level of these children at school age. As mentioned above, children who were fed by mothers when the offspring themselves wanted to eat showed better results in intellectual tests. In addition, these children performed better in tests that are part of the compulsory curriculum. They were required to take these tests at the age of five, seven, 11 and 14.
According to Maria Iacovou, from the Institute for Social and Economic Research at the University of Essex, the differences between these children who were fed on schedule and those who were fed at will were noticeable regardless of whether the mothers fed their offspring with breasts or artificial milk formulas. “The IQ differences range from four to five points. Statistics show that this is quite a significant advantage. Although this does not mean that children with higher IQs should be given any special treatment, the results of this study cannot be overlooked,” Yakovow said.