Iii. Differences in Infant Care and Health Independent of Socioeconomic Status

A prospective longitudinal study was conducted to determine the quality and frequency of solid‐food intake, illness and weight gain in 539 infants from a Canadian urban population from birth to 6 months of age. Compared with their formula‐fed counterparts, breast‐fed infants were fed solid foods less frequently, were fed commercially‐prepared solid foods less frequently, and were less frequently ill. Both groups gained comparable amounts of weight in the first six months of life. Analyses of infants for whom breast feeding was discontinued demonstrated that lower rates of early and commercially‐prepared solid‐food intake and lower rates of digestive upset for breastfed infants was due not to socioeconomic factors but rather to the practice of breast feeding.