Bottle Feeding in the Bed or Crib Before Sleep Time and Wheezing in Early Childhood

Abstract

ABSTRACT.Objective. Bottle feeding in the bed or crib before sleep time has been associated with an increased risk of wheezing in the first year of life. We examined whether bottle feeding in the bed or crib before sleep time in the first year of life is associated with wheezing in the first 5 years of life.Methods. In a prospective cohort study of 448 children with parental history of atopy followed from birth, we examined the relation between the number of bimonthly parental reports of bottle feeding in the bed or crib before sleep time in the first year of life (range: 0 -6 reports) and parental report of wheezing in the first 5 years of life. Additional outcome measures included recurrent wheezing (>2 episodes of wheezing in the previous year) and asthma (physician-diagnosed asthma and >1 episode of wheezing in the previous year) at the age of 5 years.Results. The risk of recurrent wheezing and asthma at 5 years of age increased significantly with each additional report of bottle feeding in the bed or crib before sleep time in the first year of life. The risk of wheezing between the ages of 1 and 5 years increased with each additional report of bottle feeding in the bed or crib before sleep time in the first year of life. As an example, a child whose parents reported bottle feeding in the bed or crib before sleep time on 3 occasions in the first year of life had 1.5 times higher risk of wheezing between the ages of 1 and 5 years than a child whose parents did not report bottle feeding in the bed or crib before sleep time in the first year of life (95% confidence interval for relative risk: 1.12-2.12).Conclusions. Among children with parental history of atopy, bottle feeding in the bed or crib before sleep time in the first year of life is a risk factor for recurrent wheezing and asthma at 5 years of age and a risk factor for wheezing between the ages of 1 and 5 years. Pediatrics 2002;110(6). URL: http://www.pediatrics.org/ cgi/content/full/110/6/e77; bottle feeding, sleep time, wheezing.ABBREVIATIONS. IgE, immunoglobulin E; OR, odds ratio; CI, confidence interval; GER, gastroesophageal reflux. W heezing in early childhood is a common problem that may or may not be related to the subsequent development of asthma or allergies. 1,2 In most cases, wheezing that starts before the age of 3 years is transient and presumed to be related to viral infections in children with reduced airway caliber but not related to allergen sensitization or an elevated total serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) level at the age of 6 years. In a minority of infants, wheezing that starts before the age of 3 years persists up to the age of 6 years. Although children with persistent wheezing are more likely to have atopy and reduced lung function at the age of 6 years than nonwheezing children, persistent wheezing can occur in the absence of allergen sensitization. 1 Factors such as maternal smoking during pregnancy may influence the development of persistent wheezing through nonallergic mechanisms. 3 The Home Allergens and Asthma Study is a pro...

Exposure to dust mite allergen and endotoxin in early life and asthma and atopy in childhood

“…Variables considered for inclusion in the multivariate analyses were the child's ethnicity and annual household income, 19 sex, in utero exposure to smoking, birth weight, 20 maternal age at delivery, 20 gestational age, 20 breast-feeding, 21 bottle-feeding in the bed or crib before sleep time, 21 day care attendance in the first year of life, 22 paternal history of asthma, maternal history of asthma, paternal history of hay fever, maternal history of hay fever, number of older siblings, type of home (single family vs multiapartment building), and average number of cigarettes per day smoked by adults in the household.…”

Birth by cesarean section, allergic rhinitis, and allergic sensitization among children with a parental history of atopy

“…Additional variables considered for inclusion in the multivariate analysis included sex, annual household income 21 , child's ethnicity 21 , number of older siblings, maternal age at delivery, gestational age 20 , maternal asthma (ever and current), paternal asthma (ever and current), in utero smoke exposure, average number of cigarettes smoked by adults in the household per day, breast feeding 22 , day care attendance in the first year of life 23 , antibiotic use in the first year of life 24 , bottle feeding in the crib or bed prior to sleep 22 , physician-diagnosed illnesses of the upper (sinusitis and recurrent [≥3 episodes] of nasal catarrh) and lower (pneumonia, bronchiolitis, bronchitis, and croup) respiratory tract in the first year of life 25 , and levels of dust mite allergen and endotoxin in house dust at age 2 to 3 months 26 . The methods used to collect house dust samples and quantify levels of dust mite allergen (in the child's bed) and endotoxin (in the family/living room) have been previously described [26][27][28][29] .…”

Respiratory illnesses in early life and asthma and atopy in childhood

“…Nasal catarrh and physician-diagnosed ear infections in the first year of life were categorized as previously described: 3 or more versus less than 3 episodes of a runny nose (recurrent nasal catarrh) and 2 or more versus less than 2 physician-diagnosed ear infections. 21 The following variables were considered for inclusion in the multivariable models: sociodemographic and familial factors, such as the child's race, annual household income, and paternal and/or maternal history of asthma (ever and ever with current symptoms [active]) 22,23 ; paternal and/or maternal history of hay fever, perinatal factors (eg, the child's gestational age), 24 birth weight, season of birth, maternal age, in utero exposure to tobacco smoke, breast-feeding (ever), bottle feeding the child in the bed or crib before sleeptime (ordinal variable, ranging from 0-6 reports), 21 and number of older siblings (age 14 years); and relevant exposures in the first year of life, such as the average number of cigarettes smoked per day by all adults in the household, day-care attendance, 25 use of antibiotics, 26 and exposure to a pet cat or dog in the home. 27 …”