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Supporting Brain Development: For Every Feeding Choice

Learn expert insight on the role breastfeeding plays in brain development and how quality interactions matter more than feeding methods.

Sandra Adan November 20, 2025
  • Early Learning and Care
  • Family Engagement
  • Blog
  • Resource

One of the most important messages Sandra Adan, a bilingual doula at our Healthy Parents & Babies program, shares with families is this: brain development happens through responsive, loving care regardless of how you feed your baby. While we celebrate the benefits of breastfeeding, we equally celebrate parents who formula feed, exclusively pump or combine approaches. Your baby’s cognitive development depends far more on the quality of your interactions than on your feeding choice.

Starting Early: Prenatal Brain Building

Brain development begins before birth. During pregnancy, you’re already supporting your baby’s cognitive future by taking prenatal vitamins with DHA, eating a balanced diet, managing stress and avoiding neurotoxins like alcohol and lead. By the time your baby arrives, you’ve already done tremendous work building their brain regardless of which feeding path you’ll choose.

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The Real Brain Builders

Research shows that certain interactions during feeding directly support cognitive development, and these happen with any feeding method:

Eye contact creates neural pathways for social connection and emotional regulation. Whether breast or bottle, making face-to-face contact during feeding builds your baby’s capacity for relationships.

Responsive feeding teaches your baby that their communications matter. When you recognize and respond to hunger cues, you’re supporting cognitive skills like cause-and-effect thinking and trust.

Skin-to-skin contact regulates your baby’s temperature, heart rate, and stress response while promoting bonding. This works beautifully during bottle feeding too—simply remove your shirt and hold your baby against your chest.

Talking, singing and reading during and after feeding stimulates language development. Your baby’s brain is building language pathways whether they’re at the breast or bottle.

Why Support Systems Matter More Than Feeding Method

Through the work with families across the country, Sandra has observed that successful feeding, whatever the method, requires strong support systems. Parents with encouragement from partners, family members, healthcare providers or programs like Healthy Parents & Babies are more confident and less stressed.

Stress matters because babies read parental cues and emotional states. When feeding becomes a source of anxiety rather than connection, it can interfere with the very bonding that supports cognitive development. Sometimes prioritizing parental mental health by choosing formula or supplementing is actually the best choice for your baby’s brain development.

Resources

Whatever your feeding journey looks like, Start Early is here to support your family. Explore some additional resources to help support you in your journey below:

Skin‐to‐skin contact the first hour after birth, underlying implications and clinical practice

The Prenatal Period | Better Brains for Babies

Nutrition and brain development in early life

Your Baby’s Amazing Brain- Parents As Teachers Currriculum

Prenatal Exposures to Environmental Chemicals and Children’s Neurodevelopment: An Update

New Research Traces Breastfeeding Benefits 10 Years Into Childhood

La Leche League USA

WIC-Women Infant Children:

Apply for WIC

Illinois Department of Human Services FAQ

 

About the Author

Headshot of Sandra Adan CD(DONA)

Sandra Adan

Bilingual Doula/Home Visitor

Sandra Adan CD(DONA) is a bilingual doula who has been with Healthy Parents & Babies for two years. For over a decade she worked in the early childhood classrooms, and most recently certified as a Birth Doula through DONA International.

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