Introduction:

Newborns born prematurely due to the loss of optimal developmental conditions provided by the mother’s body are at risk of impaired physical and psychomotor development. In order to optimize external conditions, we are searching for an optimal feeding method for this group of children.

Aim of the research:

This study investigated the impact of feeding methods on the physical and psychomotor development of 210 moderate to late preterm infants (32–36 6/7 weeks of gestation) at 12 months of age, and their ability to match full-term newborns’ development.

Material and methods:

Infants were divided into two groups based on the feeding method: breastfeeding (n = 91) and formula feeding (n = 119). Measures included obstetric and neonatal risk factors, MFDD (Munich Functional Developmental Diagnostics) scores, and anthropometric data. Comparative analysis was conducted using a full-term infant database.

Results and conclusions:

Among children born prematurely (32–36 6/7 weeks of gestation), during the neurological examination at 12 months of age, there was no statistically significant difference in the individual axes of the MFDD scale between breastfeeding and formula-feeding children. There were also no differences in physical development between the groups. Children born in 32–36 6/7 weeks of gestation show no differences in psychomotor development measured on the MFDD scale or differences in weight gain and head circumference at 12 months of age compared to full-term newborns.