BREASTFEEDING, EARLY WEANING, AND THE USE OF INFANT FORMULA: An integrative review

Exclusive breastfeeding up to the age of six months plays a fundamental role in promoting children's health and the healthy growth and development of newborns.It is considered a complete food, ensuring immunological protection and nutritional guarantee for the infant.Early weaning is a recurring practice that negatively influences the child's development.Among the factors that influence weaning are the belief that milk is weak, returning to work and breast problems.As a result, the use of infant formulas in early childhood has been gaining ground, with negative impacts on the baby's life if not used correctly with the help of a qualified professional.This study aims to review the importance of exclusive breastfeeding up to six months of age, the main causes of early weaning and the use of infant formulas in early childhood.This is an Integrative Literature Review, searched in the PubMed and SciELO databases, in order to obey the inclusion criteria: articles in Portuguese and English, between the years 2020 and 2024, following the specific descriptors.A total of 750 scientific articles were found, of which only 6 met the inclusion criteria and were used for the study.The results showed that the benefits of breastfeeding for infants are indisputable, and that early weaning can be caused by maternal insecurity, schooling, marital status, lack of information from health professionals and the context in which the mother is inserted.It was concluded that the importance of breastfeeding is undeniable, as it is the best food for infants and brings benefits well into adulthood.The factors that interfere with the duration of breastfeeding are cultural, socio-economic, historical and personal.