Midterm

Question 1

(1) (p. 3-5-chp. 1) Know the goals of the science of human development and what we try to understand

Answer 1

The science of human development seeks to understand how and why people of all ages and circumstances change or remain the same over time. The Goal for science is to help all 7 billion people on earth to fulfill their potential

Question 2

(2) (p. 11-12-chp.1) Know the definition of SES (Socioeconomic Status) and what the components are as well as how it plays a role in human development

Answer 2

SES (Socioeconomic Status) A person’s position in society as determined by income, wealth, occupation, education, and place of residence.

Question 3

(3) (p.7-12-chp.1) Understand the life span perspective and what time frames are involved

Answer 3

An approach to the study of human development that takes into account all phases of life, not just childhood or adulthood.
Leads to new understandings of human development as multidirectional multicontextual multicultural multidisciplinary and plastic
Infancy 0-2
Early childhood 2-6
Middle age 6-11
Adolescence 11-18
Emerging adulthood 18-25
Adulthood 25-65
Late adulthood 65 older

Question 4

(4) (p.5-7-chp.1) Understand the concept of nature and nurture and how they both impact human development

Answer 4

Nature:Influence of genes we inherit
Nurture:Environmental influences that affect development

Environmental influences include such things as:
health and diet of the embryo's mother  
family
school
community
society

Question 5

(5) (p.6-7-chp.1) Know what SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) entails including contributing and preventing factors

Answer 5

SIDS: The term used to describe an infant’s unexpected death; when a seemingly healthy baby, usually between 2 and 6 months old, suddenly stops breathing and dies unexpectedly while asleep.

Question 6

(6) (p. 23-25-chp. 1) Understand Freud?s Psychoanalytic theory and how it impacts human development. Also, be familiar with his stages of development.

Answer 6

Psychoanalytic theory
Theory Proposes that irrational, unconscious drives and motives, often originating in childhood, underlie human behavior
Freud (1856–1939)
First psychoanalyst
Proposes five psychosexual stages during which sensual satisfaction is linked to developmental needs and conflicts.
Suggests early conflict resolution determines personality patterns
1. Oral stage mouth sucking
2. Anal stage anus toilet training
3. Phallic stage boys proud of penis, girls wonder why they don’t have one
4. Latency stage sexual needs are quite energy towards sports school
5. Genital stage sexual stimulation

Question 7

(7) (p. 26-28-chp.1) Be familiar with the development theory of Behaviorism and know the what is involved as well as the key concepts of conditioning, reinforcement, punishment, and social learning

Answer 7

John B Waston created the Behaviorism a theory of human development that studies observable behavior, also called learning theory. it describes the law and processes by which behavior is learned.

conditioning: responses become linked to particular stimuli and learning takes place.
Classical conditioning stimulus sound of bell
Operant conditioning if response is pleasurable action will take place repeated

reinforcement: behavior is followed by something desired
punishment:

social learning: the acquisitions of behavior patterns by observing the behavior of others

Question 8

(8) (p.29-31-chp.1) Know Piagets theory of cognitive development including the various stages

Answer 8

Cognitive theory Proposes thoughts and expectations profoundly affect actions, attitudes, beliefs and assumption Focuses on changes in how people think over time
Jean Piaget (1896–1980)
Maintained that cognitive development occurs in four major age-related periods, or stages:
Sensorimotor, infant use senses and motor abilities
preoperational, children think magically and poetically using language.
concrete operational, children understand and apply logic
formal operational: adolescents and adults think abstractions and hypothetical concepts and reason

with all this stages Intellectual advancement occurs lifelong because humans seek cognitive equilibrium

Question 9

(9) (p. 29-31-chp.1) Know Vygotskys theory of cognitive development and what his theory entails and how it may differ from the other cognitive theories

Answer 9

Vygotskys theory of cognitive development emphasizing the cultural context
Described interaction between culture and education
Proposed guided participation is a universal process used by mentors to teach cultural knowledge, skills, and habits

Question 10

(10) (p. 47-52-chp.2) Understand the role that genes and chromosomes play in prenatal development including the very beginning components of conception

Answer 10

Genes are the foundation for all development. human conception occurs when two gametes (ovum and sperm, each with 23 chromosomes) combine to form zygote, 46 chromosomes in a single cell.

Question 11

(11) (p. 57-61-chp.2) Know the different stages of prenatal development and what they entail

Answer 11

Three main periods of prenatal development
Germinal Period (first two weeks after conception): rapid cell division and beginning of cell differentiation 
Embryonic Period (3rd through 8th week): basic forms of all body structures develop
Fetal Period (9th week until birth): fetus grows in size and matures in functioning

Question 12

(12) (p. 60-61-chp.2) Understand the age of viability

Answer 12

Age of viability
Age at which a preterm newborn may survive outside the mother’s uterus if medical care is available
About 22 weeks after conception
Brain is able to regulate basic body functions (e.g., breathing)
Chances of survival increase with each day after the 22-week mark.
Viability This fetus is in mid-pregnancy, a few weeks shy of viability. As you can see, the body is completely formed. Unseen is the extent of brain and lung
Even with advanced medical care, survival of extremely preterm newborns is in doubt. These data come from a thousand births in Sweden, where prenatal care is free and easily obtained. As you can see, the age of viability (22 weeks) means only that an infant might survive, not that it will. By full term (not shown), the survival rate is almost 100 percent.
development, which will take at least another month to become sufficiently mature to allow for survival

Question 13

(13) (p. 72-74-chp.2) Know the critical period of highest vulnerability in prenatal development in which teratogens affect the developing baby (including figure 2-9, p. 74 the period that has the most green bars=highly critical period)

Answer 13

Critical period
Time when a body part develops
First two months for structural abnormalities
Often before woman knows she is pregnant
Time when most spontaneous abortions occur
Some teratogens cause damage only during a critical period.
First days and weeks after conception (the germinal and embryonic periods) are critical for body formation.
Entire fetal period is a sensitive time for brain development.
Timing between pregnancy affects risk.
Furthermore, preterm birth is a risk factor that is affected by nutrition and drugs throughout pregnancy.
The most serious damage from teratogens (green bars) is likely to occur early in prenatal development. However, last months of pregnancy as well. Behavioral teratogens also affect the fetus throughout development.

Question 14

(14) (p. 93-96-chp.3) Know what a neuron is and what it entails including its parts and the role each neuron plays in the nervous system

Answer 14

Neuron: One of billions of nerve cells in the central nervous system (CNS).
Axon: Fiber that extends from a neuron and transmits electrochemical impulses from that neuron to the dendrites of other neurons.
Dendrite:Fiber that extends from a neuron and receives electrochemical impulses transmitted from other neurons via their axons.
Synapses:Intersection between the axon of one neuron and the dendrites of other neurons.
Neurotransmitter:Brain chemical that carries information from the axon of a sending neuron to the dendrites of a receiving neuron.

Question 15

(15) (p. 100-103-chp.3) Be familiar with how babies develop their ability to sense and perceive & know the difference between sensation & perception

Answer 15

Sensory development
Typically precedes intellectual and motor development
Sensation
Response of a sensory system (eyes, ears, skin, tongue, nose) when it detects a stimulus
Perception
Mental processing of sensory information when the brain interprets a sensation, happenes in cortex
Perception follows sensation.
Infants’ brains are especially attuned to their own repeated social experiences and perception occurs.
Infant brain and auditory capacity to hear sounds in the usual speech range.

The parts of the cortex dedicated to the senses develop rapidly.
Sense of hearing
Develops during the last trimester of pregnancy
Most advanced of the newborn’s senses
Speech perception by 4 months after birth

Question 16

(16) (p.109-113-chp.3) Be familiar with the pros and cons of breast versus bottle feeding and how each can impact nutrition and development

Answer 16

Adequate nutrition
For every infant disease (including SIDS), breast-feeding reduces risk and malnutrition increases it, stunting growth of body and brain.
Breastfed babies are less likely to develop allergies, asthma, obesity, and heart disease.
As the infant gets older, the composition of breast milk adjusts to the baby’s changing nutritional needs.
compared with formula based on cows milk human milk is sterile at body temperature, rich in iron, vitamins, other nutrients for the brain and body.
breast fed are less often sick, provides antibodies, less likely to become obese, thus less likely to develop diabetes or heart disease

Question 17

(17) (p. 114-117-chp. 3) Review Piagets cognitive stage of development in the first two years, the Sensorimotor Stage, and know what it entails in terms of cognitive development

Answer 17

Sensorimotor intelligence
Piaget’s term for the way infants think—by using their senses and motor skills—during the first period of cognitive development.
the first two stage involves the infants response to its own body. second stage involves the infant responses to objects and people the last two are the mos creative with actions then ideas.

Question 18

(18) (p.120-127-chp.3) Understand how children develop language and what this important developmental milestone entails including key concepts, details and how we talk to children as they learn language

Answer 18

Infants teach themselves.
Language learning is innate; adults need not teach it, nor is it a by-product of social interaction
Child-directed speech
High-pitched, simplified, and repetitive way adults speak to infants
Babbling
Extended repetition of certain syllables, such as ba-ba-ba, that begins when babies are between 6 and 9 months old
Naming explosion
Sudden increase in infant’s vocabulary, especially in the number of nouns, that begins at about 18 months of age
High-pitched, simplified, and repetitive way adults speak to infants (Also called baby talk or motherese).

Question 19

(19) (p.132-135-chp. 4). Solidify your knowledge of emotional development in the first few years of life including what and how emotions develop

Answer 19

Smiling and laughing
Social smile (6 weeks): Evoked by viewing human faces
Laughter (3 to 4 months): Often associated with curiosity
Anger
First expressions at around 6 month
Healthy response to frustration
Sadness
Indicates withdrawal and is accompanied by increased production of cortisol
Stressful experience for infants

Question 20

(20) (p.137-139-chp. 4) Understand the concept of temperament and be familiar with the research and various types or categories)

Answer 20

Temperament
Inborn differences between one person and another in emotions, activity, and self-regulation
Temperament is epigenetic, originating in the genes but affected by child-rearing practices
Categories
Easy (40%)
Difficult (10%)
Slow to warm up (15%)
Hard to classify (35%)
NYLS additional findings
Temperament often changes in the early weeks but is increasingly stable by age 3.
Extreme temperaments at age 3 tend to carry over to adolescence and young adulthood.
Parenting practices are crucial, temperament can change or be changed.
Longitudinal study of infant temperament (Fox et al., 2001)
Grouped 4-month-olds into three distinct types based on responses to fearful stimulation
Positive (exuberant)
Negative
Inhibited (fearful)
Less than half altered their responses as they grew older
Fearful infants were most likely to change
Exuberant infants were least likely to change
Maturation and child rearing has effect on inborn temperament

Question 21

(21) (p. 142-147-chp.4) Know all about attachment as an important milestone is human development and what it entails

Answer 21

Attachment
Lasting emotional bond that one person has with another
Begin to form in early infancy and influence a person’s close relationships throughout life
Secure attachment
An infant obtains both comfort and confidence from the presence of his or her caregiver.
Insecure-avoidant attachment
An infant avoids connection with the caregiver, as when the infant seems not to care about the caregiver’s presence, departure, or return.
Insecure-resistant/ambivalent attachment
An infant’s anxiety and uncertainty are evident, as when the infant becomes very upset at separation from the caregiver and both resists and seeks contact on reunion.
Disorganized attachment
A type of attachment that is marked by an infant’s inconsistent reactions to the caregiver’s departure and return.

Question 22

(22) (p.142-147-chp.4) Understand the concept of attachment and related research in this area including the secure and insecure attachments and their features

Answer 22

Attachment is measured by the baby’s reaction to the caregivers presence departure and reaction to the caregivers presence, departure and return in the strange situation is crucial. some infants seem indifferent (type A attachment insecure avoidant) or overly dependent type C insecure resistant/ambivalent) instead of secure type B, Disorganized attachment (type D) is the most worrisome. Secure attachment provides encouragement for infants exploration. Some children never form an attachment at all, even an insecure one.Attachment is an affectional tie that an infant forms with a caregiver. Infants shows their attachment through proximity seeking such as approaching and following their caregiver and contact maintaining such as touching snuggling.
secure attachment is a relationship in which an infant obtains both comfort and confidence from the presence of his or her caregiver

Question 23

(23) (p. 147-148-chp.4) Know the concept of social referencing and how it plays a role in development

Answer 23

As toddlers play they engage in social referencing looking at other peoples facial expressions and body language to detect what is safe, frightening or fun.
Social referencing
Seeking emotional responses or information from other people
Observing someone else’s expressions and reactions and using the other person as a social reference
Utilizing referencing in constant and selective ways

Question 24

(24) (p.148-149-chp.4) Understand how fathers play a key role in development and how they may compare to mothers, in general

Answer 24

Infants frequently use fathers as partners in synchorony, attachment figures and social references developing emotions and exploring their world via father care giving.
Parental social referencing
Mothers use a variety of expressions, vocalizations, and gestures to convey social information to their infants.
Synchrony, attachment, and social referencing are all apparent with fathers, sometimes even more than with mothers.

Question 25

(25) (p.150-151-chp.4) Be familiar with Erikson?s psychosocial stages of development, especially in the first few years of life

Answer 25

According to all major theories, caregiver behavior is especially influential in the first two years. Erikson emphasized trust and autonomy
ERIKSON: Trust and autonomy stages
Trust versus mistrust
Infants learn basic trust if the world is a secure place where their basic needs are met
Autonomy versus shame and doubt
Toddlers either succeed or fail in gaining a sense of self-rule over their actions and their bodies
Early problems
An adult who is suspicious and pessimistic (mistrusting) or who is easily shamed (insufficient autonomy) can be created

Question 26

(26) (p. 156-161-chp.4) Know about the aspects of infant day care and the various options including what features are linked to high quality day care

Answer 26

The impact of nonmaternal care depends on many factors,it varies from on nation to antoher and probably from on child to antoher and probably from one child to another, Although each theory focuses on a dfferent aspect of this controversy all agree that quality of care (responsive individualized is crucial no matter who provides that care
Cultural variations in allocare are vast.
Most newborns will be cared for primarily or exclusively by their mothers, with allocare increasing from ages 1 to 20.
Worldwide, only about 15 percent of infants (birth to age 2) receive daily care from a nonrelative who is paid and trained to provide it.
Differences are affected by culture more than by universal psychosocial needs of babies and parents, and changes occur through economic and political pressures Family day care
Child care that includes several children of various ages and usually occurs in the home of a woman who is paid to provide it.
Center day care
Child care that occurs in a place especially designed for the purpose, where several paid adults care for many children.
Usually the children are grouped by age, the day-care center is licensed, and providers are trained and certified in child development.

Question 27

(27) (p. 151-152-chp.4) Understand the Behavioral Perspective or theory in terms of child development and what it entails including the concept of social learning

Answer 27

BANDURA: Social learning theory
Parents mold an infant’s emotions and personality through reinforcement and punishment
Behavior patterns acquired by observing the behavior of others
Demonstrated in the classic Bobo Doll study

Question 28

(28) (p.167-168-chp.5) Know what Body Mass Index (BMI) is and at what age or time period it is likely to be at its lowest

Answer 28

BMI (the ratio of weight to height) is lower at ages 5 and 6 than at any other time of life

Question 29

(29) (p.177-181-chp.5) Know what the corpus callosum is and what role it plays in brain function, and know key concepts in brain development in early childhood

Answer 29

Corpus callosum
Is part of the brain that grows and myelinates rapidly during early childhood Consists of a band of nerve fibers that connects the left and right sides of the brain
Facilitates communication between the two brain hemispheres. failure of the corpus callosum to mature results in serious disorders, posible cause of autism

Question 30

(30) (p.167-172-chp.5) Understand the physical and health aspects that are profoundly impacting children today and how these key factors can negatively impact their longevity

Answer 30

2 to 6 year old may be at greater nutritional risk than children of any other age because they eat too much of the wrong foods, families encourage eating protecting children against famine, infant and early childhood malnutrition contributes to one third of all child deaths and lows later growths including growth of the brain.

Question 31

(31) (p. 182-184-chp.5) Be familiar with cognitive development in early childhood including Piagets corresponding stage and related features

Answer 31

Piaget: Preoperational thought
Preoperational means “before (pre) logical operations (reasoning processes).”
The child’s verbal ability permits symbolic thinking.
Language frees the child from the limits of sensorimotor experience.
Centration- A characteristic of preoperational thought whereby a young child focuses (centers) on one idea, excluding all others.
Egocentrism- Piaget’s term for young children’s tendency to think about the world entirely from their own personal perspective.
Focus on appearance- A characteristic of preoperational thought whereby a young child ignores all attributes that are not apparent.

Static reasoning

Question 32

(32) (p. 184-186-chp.5 ) Know Vygotskys theory of cognitive development in early childhood and related key concepts

Answer 32

Vygotsky: Social learning
Every aspect of children’s cognitive development is embedded in the social context.
Apprentice in thinking
Vygotsky’s term for a person whose cognition is stimulated and directed by older and more skilled members of society.
zone of proximal development that a person can exercise only with assistance not yet independently
scaffolding: temporary support that tailored to a learners needs and abilities and aimed at helping the learner master the next task in a given learning process
over imitation: the tendency of children to copy an action that is not a relevant part of the behavior to be learned, imitate adult actions that are irrelevant and inefficient

Question 33

(33) (p.226-228-chp. 6) In terms of moral development, understand the role of empathy and antipathy regarding prosocial and antisocial behavior

Answer 33

Prosocial behavior
Extending helpfulness and kindness without any obvious benefit to oneself: Increases from age 3 to 6
Empathy
Understand the emotions and concerns of another person, especially when they differ from one’s own
Antisocial actions
Deliberately hurting another person, including people who have done no harm: Declines beginning at age 2
Antipathy
Feelings of dislike or even hatred for another person

Question 34

(34) (p.226-228-chp.6) Know the definitions and examples of each type of aggression and be familiar with table 6.2 on page 227 in chapter 6)

Answer 34

Instrumental aggression: Hurtful behavior that is intended to get something that another person has and to keep it.
Reactive aggression: An impulsive retaliation for another person’s intentional or accidental action, verbal or physical.
Relational aggression: Nonphysical acts, such as insults or social rejection, aimed at harming the social connection between the victim and other people.
Bullying aggression: Unprovoked, repeated physical or verbal attack, especially on victims who are unlikely to defend themselves.

Question 35

(35) (p.220-chp.6) Understand the impact of media upon child development (especially regarding watching violent media)

Answer 35

All media—television, the Internet, electronic games, and so on—can be harmful, especially when the content is violent.
Six major organizations recommend no electronic media at all for children under age 2 and strict limitations after that.
Violent media teach aggression.
All forms of media take time from constructive interaction, creative activities, and family interaction.

Question 36

(36) (p. 216-219-chp.6) Know the various parenting styles and what they each entail as well as how each style can impact a person?s development

Answer 36

Authoritarian parenting: High behavioral standards, strict punishment of misconduct, and little communication (Baumrind)
Children of authoritarian parents tend to:
Become conscientious, obedient, and quiet but not especially happy
Feel guilty or depressed and blame themselves when things do not go well
Rebel as adolescents and leave home before age 20

Permissive parenting: High nurturance and communication but little discipline, guidance, or control (Baumrind)
Children of permissive parents tend to:
Be unhappy and lack self-control, especially in peer relationships
Suffer from inadequate emotional regulation
Be immature and lack friendships (main reason for their unhappiness)
Continue to live at home, still dependent, in early adulthood

Authoritative parenting: Parents set limits and enforce rules but are flexible and listen to their children (Baumrind)
Children of authoritative parents tend to:
Be successful, articulate, happy with themselves, and generous with others
Be well-liked by teachers and peers, especially in societies in which individual initiative is valued

Neglectful/uninvolved parenting: Parents are indifferent toward their children and unaware of what is going on in their children’s lives (Sternberg)

Question 37

(37) (p.252-259-chp.7) Be familiar with cognitive development in middle childhood including Piaget?s stage, Vygotsky?s theory as well as other key concepts and perspectives

Answer 37

Piaget called the cognition of middle childhood concrete operational thought characterized by concept that enable children to use logic. thinking at this stage is concrete that is logic is applied to visible tangible real things not to abstraction
Vygotsky consider thought processes not just outcomes. regarded instruction as crucial he thought that peers and teachers provided the bridge between developmental potential and needed skills and knowledge via guided participation scaffolding and the zone of proximal development

Large study of reading and math ability in school-aged children found that high-scoring children had had three sources of cognitive stimulation.
Their families
Preschool programs
First grade

Question 38

(38) (p.269-271-chp.7) Read the section entitled ?Measuring the Mind? and understand the role of IQ testing and multiple intelligences

Answer 38

AptitudePotential to master a specific skill or to learn a certain body of knowledge.
IQ test
Test designed to measure intellectual aptitude, or ability to learn in school. Originally, intelligence was defined as mental age divided by chronological age, times 100–hence the term intelligence quotient, or IQ.
Achievement test Measure of mastery or proficiency in reading, mathematics, writing, science, or some other subject.
Differential sensitivity and individual capacity mean that strategies, pacing, and curriculum details need to be tailored to the particular nature of the child.
Flynn effect: The rise in average IQ scores that has occurred over the decades in many nations.
Multiple intelligence the idea that human intelligence is comprised of varied set of abilities rather than a single all encompassing one

Question 39

(39) (p.287-290-chp.8) Understand the concepts of resilience and stress (including related concepts) and how they can play a role in development

Answer 39

Resilience
Capacity to adapt well to significant adversity and to overcome serious stress
Important components
Resilience is dynamic.
Resilience is a positive adaptation to stress.
Adversity must be significant.
Resilience is dynamic - a person may be resilient at some periods but not at others.
Resilience is a positive adaptation to stress - if rejection by a parent leads a child to establish a closer relationship with another adult, that child is resilient.
Adversity must be significant - Resilient children overcome conditions that overwhelm many of their peers.
Accumulated stresses over time, including minor ones, are more devastating than an isolated major stress.
Cumulative stress: accumulated stress over time including minor ones are devastating than a isolated major stress
Cognitive coping: coping measures reduce the impact of repeating stress
escaping home: children may develop their own friends activities and skills.
social support and religious faith: strengthens the ability to deal with stress

Question 40

(40) (p. 302-303-chp.8) Know the role of family function and how key factors can adversely impact the child and his/her family (especially regarding family trouble)

Answer 40

Family function
Way a family works to meet the needs of its members
Families help children
Provide basic material necessities
Encourage learning
Help them develop self-respect
Nurture friendships
Foster harmony and stability
Structure influences but does not determine function. Which structures make it more likely that the five family functions (necessities, learning, self-respect, friendship, harmony/stability) will occur?
Two factors increase the likelihood of dysfunction in every structure, ethnic group, and nation.
Low income or poverty
High conflict
Poverty: Family-stress model
Crucial question to ask about any risk factor is whether or not it increases the stress on a family.
Adults’ stressful reaction to poverty is crucial in determining the effect on the children.
Conflict
Family conflict harms children, especially when adults fight about child rearing.
Fights are more common in stepfamilies, divorced families, and extended families.
Although genes have some effect, conflict itself was the main influence on the child’s well-being.

Function matter more

Question 41

hort Answer/Essay Questions (points to prepare): must prepare for BOTH questions:
? Be able to elaborate/explain points in full sentences in each answer in short essay format

(41) (p. 168-170-chp.5 & p. 247-251-chp.7) Know the major causes of childhood obesity in the U.S. , and be able to explain how they contribute to and negatively impact children and development (give a minimum of 3 causes and a minimum of 3 consequences)

Answer 41

Nutrition
Children need far fewer calories per pound of body weight than infants do.
Obesity is a more frequent problem than malnutrition.
Children in low-income families are especially vulnerable to obesity because their cultures still guard against undernutrition and their parents may rely on fast foods.
Overfeeding is causing an epidemic of illnesses associated with obesity, such as heart disease and diabetes.
Many 6- to 11-year-olds eat too much, exercise too little, and become overweight or obese as a result.
Childhood obesity is increasing worldwide,
Childhood overweight correlates with asthma, high blood pressure, and elevated cholesterol.
Pester power contributes to weight gain
Nations differ not only in obesity rates but also in children’s television ads.
The amount of advertising of unhealthy foods on television correlates with childhood obesity—except in nations where few children watch TV.

childhood overwieght correlates with asthma high blood pressure and elevate cholesterol. excessive weight builds school achievement often decreases, selfesteeem falls and loneliness rises. if obese children stay heavy they become adults who are less likely to marry attend college or find work that reflects their ability

Question 42

Short Answer/Essay Questions (points to prepare): must prepare for BOTH questions:
? Be able to elaborate/explain points in full sentences in each answer in short essay format

(42) (p.109-113-chp. 3 & table 3.1-chp.3) Know the advantages of breast feeding (and some disadvantages too) and how it compares to bottle feeding (know a minimum of 3 advantages of breast feeding)

Answer 42

Ideally nutrition starts with colostrum a thick high calorie fluid secreted by the mothers breast, then produces milk. compared with formula based on cows milk human milk is sterile always at body temperature rich in iron vitamins and other newly discovered nutirents for brain and body. babies that are breast fed are less ofen sick  breast milk provides antibodies against any disease to which the mother is immune and descreases allergies and asthma. disease protection continues lifelong because babies who are exclusivley breast fed for six months are less like to become obese and thus less likely to develop diabetes or heart disease. the specific fats and sugars in breast milk make it more digestible and better for the brain than any substitue.
Asian and African mothers worry more about separation; European and North American mothers worry more about lack of privacy.
Pros
Easier response time
Less parental exhaustion
More convenient for breast-feeding
Cons
Higher SID
Ghosts in the nursery phenomenon