Schooling of children between 0 and 3 years old involves a process of adaptation and increases their exposure to infectious diseases, which leads to school absenteeism. Breastfeeding facilitates the development of secure attachment and protects the infant against infections. This study aimed to determine whether breastfeeding facilitates the adaptation of infants between 0 and 3 years old to early childhood center and decreases school absenteeism. A cross-sectional study was carried out by collecting data through a questionnaire, which was filled out by the parents and the childcare professionals. 160 infants participated. 40% of the infants who received infant formula from birth showed dependency behaviors (inconsolable crying or do not leave the caregiver for a long time) at the time of pick-up from the center, compared with 10%, 2.7%, and 2.6% of children breastfed between 0 and 6 months, and more than 6 and 12 months, respectively (p = 0.001). The interquartile range of absenteeism days per episode was 2-3 days for infants fed infant formula versus 1-2 days for those who were breastfed for more than 12 months (p = 0.041). Breastfeeding seems to be associated with fewer dependency behaviors at the time of collection and with fewer days of absence.
Keywords: absenteeism; adaptation; breastfeeding; early childhood center; infection.