‘Breastfeeding for 2 months halves the risk of cot death’

BREASTFEEDING for at least two months cuts babies’ risk of cot death almost in half, research claims.

And the longer they are nursed the greater the protection, say scientists.

Babies do not have to be exclusively breastfed to get the benefit. Previous studies have suggested mother’s milk helps prevent sudden infant death syndrome, but this is the first BENEFICIAL Mother’s milk to specify the duration needed. Co-author Dr Kawai Tanabe, of the University of Virginia, said: “Breastfeeding is beneficial for so many reasons, and this is really an important one.” The research pooled data from eight studies around the world involving over 9,000 infants. Nearly 300 babies a year die suddenly and unexpectedly in the UK, where SIDS is the leading cause of death for infants a month to a year old.