Loads of studies over the years have shown that children who were breastfed score higher on IQ tests and perform better in school, but the reason why remained unclear.
Is it the mother-baby bonding time, something in the milk itself or some unseen attribute of mothers who breastfeed their babies?
Now a new study by sociologists at Brigham Young University pinpoints two parenting skills as the real source of this cognitive boost: Responding to children's emotional cues and reading to children starting at 9 months of age. Breastfeeding mothers tend to do both of those things, said lead study author Ben Gibbs.
"It's really the parenting that makes the difference," said Gibbs. "Breastfeeding matters in others ways, but this actually gives us a better mechanism and can shape our confidence about interventions that promote school readiness."
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2014-02-breastfed-babies-smart.html
Abstract in The Journal of Pediatrics -- Breastfeeding, Parenting, and Early Cognitive Development
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