Impact of Breastfeeding on Infant's Social Environment

Introduction

Lactation is a physiological process that is a prominent characteristic of all mammals. It is a biologically evolved mechanism adapted for optimal nutrient supply from mothers to their young ones. Humans are no expectations and breastfeeding remains the gold standard nutritional source in the early stages of an infant’s life. In addition to the nutritional benefits of breastfeeding, its contribution to the child’s psychological development such as cognition, and behavior is also well established. Breastfeeding also exhibits far-reaching effects on developing the infant’s social environment and positive interactions.

What Is Meant by the Infant’s Social Environment?

The social environment by definition represents the physical surroundings of an adult individual, his/her community, available resources, and coexisting social relationships. Housing, healthcare facilities, education, career, and recreational spaces constitute physical surroundings. The social environment of newborns and babies primarily involves a closed circle of parents, caregivers, and associated living spaces.

The quality and nature of physical surroundings (clean surroundings, open spaces) contribute to the effectiveness of parenting and in turn influence the child’s social development and well-being within that environment. The social environment of the infants including the social relationships with whom they interact greatly influences the health and development of the babies and also the quality of their future social behavior. The following features represent the infant’s social environment.

• The period of infancy (0 to 1 year of age) which usually begins from the time of birth and extends till one year of age is the most progressive learning phase in a child’s life.

• Developmental milestones are prominent in infants such as smiling, trying to walk, waving hands, etc.

• Infants not only show physical growth but also exhibit a lot of social interactions such as playing, trying to make sounds and speak, expressing happiness or fear, behaving, and various other ways of communicating.

• During the first year, babies learn to explore their environment by focusing their vision, reaching out for things around them, and also reacting to changes in the surroundings such as loud and sudden noise or the arrival of unfamiliar people.

• During the infant phase, babies recognize their social and emotional environment and develop bonds of trust and love with their parents and caregivers.

• The social environment is characterized by the presence of influencers such as parents, caregivers, siblings, and their associated behavior which contributes to the development of the child by creating a stimulating environment. It includes all the social relationships an infant would interact with.

• Parents, siblings, and caregivers are the most commonly interacting people within the social environment of the infant. They increase the social interactions of the baby and contribute to forming the baby’s social environment.

• Physical spaces where the infants grow such as living spaces, residences, health care facilities, daycare centers, and recreational places also contribute to establishing an effective social environment for infants.

How Does an Infant Interact in Its Social Environment?

The first year of an infant’s life is a potential period of incredible learning which involves all aspects of a child’s growth and development. Social behavior and emotional development such as the child’s expression, management of emotions, and ability to respond to its social environment are initiated and well observed during the infancy period. Some of the social interactions of the infant with its environment are as follows:

• Newborns express their feelings mostly by crying and also using facial and body movements.

• Infants show interest and curiosity in watching the caregiver’s face.

• They are pacified in response to caring touch.

• Infants develop skills like rolling over and sitting up. They show social interactions like smiling, waving hands at familiar people, and cooing.

• They also express social behaviors like playing with siblings or older children, learning to speak, and moving towards things that attract them.

• Inadequate or impairments of social interactions in early infancy stages are potential risk factors for developing social impairment disabilities like autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in later childhood phases.

• Positive childrearing and caregiving environments, which are frequently seen during practices like breastfeeding significantly enhance an infant’s social environment and contribute to preventing social impairment disorders.

How Does Breastfeeding Influences the Infant’s Social Environment?

Any social environment is not a rigid system as it constantly evolves due to physical and human interactions. The home environment is the primary and influential social environment during the infancy phase. Interactions with members living in a home become an integral part of the infant’s early stages of life which starts from the moment of childbirth.

• Immediately after a child is born, it is introduced into a new surrounding where its social environment begins to interact with the newborn.

• Caregivers preferably mothers, fathers, midwives, and nurses form the primary interactive social circle for a newborn.

• The newborn develops a sense of social trust and warmth with caregivers which is essential for the healthy development of the infant.

• Caregiver-infant social interactions during infancy are critical for brain development and positive behavior formation in a child.

• Breastfeeding neonates and infants are the first significant caregiver-infant social interactions that not only provide nutrition to the child but also secure its social environment.

• Maternal sensitivity enhances during breastfeeding which includes immediate responding to hungry cues of the infant and attending the infant's needs.

• This maternal sensitivity effectively contributes to mother-infant social interactions.

• Research studies on behavior patterns and brain development involving infants, children, and adolescents prove that breastfed infants are associated with a higher Intelligence quotient (IQ) and positive social behavior in later stages of life.

• Breastfeeding increases mother-baby sensory interactions resulting in significant cognitive as well as behavioral development during the infancy phase and later childhood phases.

• The way mothers cuddle and hold their babies during breastfeeding determines their social interactive behavior with the infants.

• Positive maternal stimulation while breastfeeding and associated interactions with the infant particularly during exclusive breastfeeding (first three to six months of age) contribute to the functional neural activation in the infant which helps in establishing progressive social interactions in later years.

• Breastfeeding during the infancy stages helps in developing children who are more socially secure and outgoing, and more advanced in developmental aspects.

Conclusion

The social environment of infants constitutes influential important factors that contribute to their growth and development in all aspects. Breastfeeding is a potential impacting factor in providing healthy and positive social interactions in babies. An enriched infant’s social environment facilitated through breastfeeding significantly contributes to the infant’s overall development.