Baby’s Weight Gain in First Month Linked to IQ at 6 Years of Life
Public Health researchers at the University of Adelaide found IQ benefits of rapid weight gain in the first four weeks of life for healthy newborn babies. They analyzed data from more than 13,800 full-term babies showing that babies who put on 40% of their birthweight in the first month had an IQ 1.5 points higher by the time they were six years of age, compared with babies who only put on 15% of their birthweight.
The study supports the need for early breastfeeding support and early intervention for any concerns with infant feeding. Click here for the full article in Science Daily.
Families and Work Institute: Fathers in the News
For Father’s day the Families and Work Institute highlighted several recent articles on their website that discuss issues such as US dads not taking paternity leave, dads wanting work life balance too and dads still not being able to “have it all”. These articles are good reminders of why we need dads to join the For Our Babies campaign and help us advocate for paid parental leave in the US. For the articles, click on the links below:
Why Dads Don’t Take Paternity Leave
The Wall Street Journal | Jun. 12
Dads Want Work Life Balance Too
MSN Living | Jun. 5
Why Men Still Can’t Have It All
Esquire | June/July Issue
Babies Who Witness Violence Show Aggression Later
Aggression in school-age children may be linked to witnessing violence between their mothers and partners before they reached the age of 3, according to a new Case Western Reserve University study led by Megan Holmes. Holmes aimed to look at the long-term effect of early exposure to domestic violence and its impact on the development of social behavior.
In the study, “The sleeper effect of intimate partner violence (IPV) exposure: long-term consequences on young children’s aggressive behavior,” Holmes compared the behavior of 107 children exposed to IPV in their first three years (but never again after age 3) to 339 children who were never exposed to IVP. Holmes’s research looked at the timing, duration and nature of their exposure to violence and the impact on aggressive behavior. The children’s behavior was followed four times over a five year period.
Interestingly, Holmes saw no differences in aggressive behaviors of children between the ages of 3 and 5 regardless of whether or not they witnessed violence, but children exposed to violence increased their aggression when they reached school age. And the more frequently IPV was witnessed, the more aggressive the behaviors became. Meanwhile, children never exposed to IPV gradually decreased in aggression.
This seems to indicate a window of opportunity between ages 3 and 5 to help the children socialize and learn what is appropriate behavior and of course the study also supports the need for early intervention services for families with very young children who are suffering from domestic violence. Click here to read the full article in Science Daily.
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