Abstract

A longitudinal study was carried out on 300 Kingston infants born at the University Hospital of the West Indies. The method of milk feeding and the reasons given by the mothers for beginning bottle feeding were recorded. Other factors influencing the incidence of breast feeding were examined. Complementing in hospital, maternal employment, improving socio-economic status, advertising, and general misinformation were considered important. A higher incidence of gastro-enteritis was found in the first 4 months of life among partly or wholly bottle-fed babies than among breast-fed babies. Weight increments were calculated for the first 3 months of life. A higher proportion of infants with increments in the lowest 25% were bottle fed than those infants with increments in the remaining 75%.