Growth of "Well-Born" American Infants Fed Human and Cow's Milk

Weight and length of 599 well-born, healthy infants were recorded from birth through six months of age. Two hundred ninety-three (293) of the infants were breast fed and 306 were artificially fed; 57 of the breast-fed boys and 32 of the breastfed girls were observed for one year. Variations in feeding patterns were recorded to evaluate the effects of such variations on growth. The consistency and predictability of growth in length of normal infants is emphasized. The aggregate growth curves of the total 599 infants are similar to the Iowa Growth norms of 1945. They differ in that, compared to the Iowa norms, the girls are slightly taller, and after the second month of life, the boys' weight gain is somewhat less. More worldwide effort to collect accurate weight and length values for healthy, well-born infants given optimum care is needed to establish normal growth standards for various ethnic groups living in different areas of the world.