Allattare aiuta il neonato a crescere.

In this sentence, allattare is being used as the subject of the verb aiuta.

Italian often uses the infinitive this way, just like English can use to breastfeed or breastfeeding as the subject of a sentence.

So:

• Allattare = to breastfeed / breastfeeding
• aiuta = helps

The idea is: Breastfeeding helps...

This is very natural in Italian.

Because the subject is allattare, which is treated as a singular idea.

Even though in English we might think of this as an activity, in Italian the infinitive counts as a singular subject, so the verb stays in the third person singular:

• Allattare aiuta... = Breastfeeding helps...

If the subject were plural, then you would use aiutano.

Neonato means newborn baby or newborn.

The article il is used because Italian uses definite articles more often than English does. So while English might say a newborn or just newborns in a general statement, Italian often says:

• il neonato = the newborn

In sentences like this, il neonato can represent the newborn in a general sense, not necessarily one specific baby you already know.

After aiutare, Italian commonly uses this structure:

• aiutare qualcuno a + infinitive

So:

• aiuta il neonato a crescere
• literally: helps the newborn to grow

This is a very useful pattern to remember:

• aiutare qualcuno a fare qualcosa = to help someone do something

Examples:

• Mi aiuta a capire. = It helps me understand.
• Aiuto mio fratello a studiare. = I help my brother study.

No, that would sound wrong in standard Italian.

With aiutare + person + infinitive, Italian normally needs a:

• aiuta il neonato a crescere ✅
• aiuta il neonato crescere ❌

So it is best to learn the pattern as a fixed structure:

• aiutare qualcuno a + infinitive

In normal usage, allattare usually means to breastfeed / to nurse.

It is connected to latte (milk) and usually refers to feeding an infant at the breast.

Depending on context, it can sometimes be used in broader or technical ways related to feeding an infant with milk, but for a learner, the safest meaning is:

• allattare = to breastfeed

Because the sentence is not focusing on who is doing the breastfeeding. It is focusing on the action itself.

Compare:

• Allattare aiuta il neonato a crescere.
  = Breastfeeding helps the newborn grow.

• La madre allatta il neonato.
  = The mother breastfeeds the newborn.

In your sentence, allattare is the main idea, so there is no need to mention a mother or parent.

Here crescere is intransitive, meaning the baby is growing rather than growing something.

So:

• il neonato cresce = the newborn grows

In aiuta il neonato a crescere, the newborn is the one doing the growing.

This is similar to English grow in The baby is growing.

Yes. A common alternative is to use the noun l’allattamento:

• L’allattamento aiuta il neonato a crescere.

That means essentially the same thing: Breastfeeding helps the newborn grow.

The difference is mainly stylistic:

• allattare = the action, expressed as an infinitive
• l’allattamento = the noun breastfeeding / nursing

Both are correct.

The direct object of aiuta is il neonato.

Structure:

• Allattare = subject
• aiuta = verb
• il neonato = object
• a crescere = infinitive phrase explaining what the newborn is helped to do

So the sentence is built like this:

• [Breastfeeding] [helps] [the newborn] [to grow].

That is why il neonato comes directly after aiuta.

Yes, it is natural and grammatically correct.

It sounds like the kind of sentence you might see in:

• health information
• parenting advice
• medical or educational material

It is clear, neutral, and standard Italian.