Parenting habit up to 6 months could protect kids against ADHD symptoms later

Parents, it’s time to focus up — your child’s attention span may depend on it.ADHD is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders nationwide, affecting roughly 15.5 million American adults and an estimated 7 million children.Now, new research suggests that sticking with a widely recommended parenting habit during a baby’s first six months of life could help reduce their risk of developing ADHD symptoms later in childhood.“In our society, heredity is likely the strongest risk factor for ADHD,” Berit Skretting Solberg, psychiatrist and researcher at the University of Bergen in Norway and senior author of the study, said in a press release.“However, since ADHD — like other neurodevelopmental disorders — is influenced by multiple factors, our study suggests that the extent of breastfeeding may also help protect against the development of ADHD symptoms in young children.”Breast milk is often described as the gold standard for infant nutrition, delivering the perfect mix of proteins, fats, sugars and vitamins that a baby needs as they grow and develop.It’s also packed with brain-friendly compounds, including long-chain fatty acids, amino acids, antibodies and beneficial bacteria that support early development.To explore whether breastfeeding may have any link to ADHD, Solberg and her colleagues analyzed data from 37,600 families in Norway.Six months after birth, mothers filled out questionnaires reporting how long they exclusively breastfed, how long they partially breastfed and when they introduced other liquids or solid foods.“We found that the longer a child was exclusively breastfed (up to 6 months), the lower the level of ADHD symptoms at ages 3, 5 and 8 years,” Solberg said.ADHD — short for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder — is marked by ongoing patterns of inattention, hyperactivity and impulsive behavior that can interfere with school, relationships and everyday life.In children, it may show up as frequent daydreaming,...