When it comes to early development there is a small window in which to set a good trajectory for the jaw and airway, which is why it's so critical for parents to understand how to capitalize on all that they can for their child. Genetics play such an important role in early development, but if we think about things like we would working with an athlete, and trying to get the most from a development and performance standpoint, I think of the first three years as a critical period that we should really focus on to give children a head start toward a healthy life.
(FACTOR 1)- BREASTFEEDING VS BOTTLE FEEDING- breastfeeding could be one of the most important factors for teaching nasal breathing, to help form the palate, teaching proper resting oral posture and strengthening all the muscles of the jaw and face.
(FACTOR 2)- NUTRIENT DEFICIENCY AND DIGESTION ISSUES RELATED TO FORMULA- bottle feeding can create a lot of issues for children especially since breast milk is "BIOIDENTICAL" for the baby to help ensure things are a perfect fit.
(FACTOR 3)- BREASTFEEDING AND BOTTLE FEEDING COMBO VS BREASTFEEDING ONLY- the the longer a child purely breastfeeds the stronger the pattern gets with breathing and swallowing and fine tunes the pattern
(FACTOR 4)- ARE PACIFIERS OK???- the age old question about letting your child use one, how long, the negative effects and how to possibly prevent your child needing one
(FACTOR 5)- "BLW" BABY LED WEANING- I've heard a few great minds say that they believe this to be the most important component of early development by ensuring that we're not giving our kids slop or moosh and by getting kids to start chewing and working hard to start to develop the muscles of the jaw and palate
**This post is in no way meant to shame moms for not breastfeeding in any way. It is meant to shed light on the importance of the different parts of development. My mom thought that bottle feeding was better due to marketing and my goal is to ensure moms are educated on the why's and pitfalls of modern marketing!