Development of feeding practices during the first 5 years of life.
OBJECTIVE
To understand the transition from breast-and bottle-feeding to solid-feeding and factors that might affect the duration of breast- and bottle-feeding.


METHODS
Cohort followed up from birth with relatively well-educated, middle-class parents.


METHODS
Community sample recruited from 3 suburban newborn nurseries (a teaching hospital, community hospital, and large health maintenance organization).


METHODS
One hundred ninety-one healthy full-term infants.


METHODS
Assessment of feeding practices through the ages of complete weaning from breast- and bottle-feeding.


RESULTS
More than 90% of participants breast-fed for at least 2 weeks. Infants of older mothers were weaned from the breast later than infants of younger mothers. First-born infants were weaned from the breast earlier than later-born infants. Eighty-four percent of infants bottle-fed at some time during the first year of life. More than 40% of the cohort was still receiving bottles at 24 months of age, 16% at 36 months, and 8% at 48 months. The duration of breast- and bottle-feeding was related to maternal work status; mothers who returned to work during the first 3 months postpartum weaned sooner from the breast and later from the bottle than women who returned to work after 3 months postpartum.


CONCLUSIONS
The frequency of late bottle-weaning in this well-educated, middle-class cohort was unexpected and was related to the timing of the mother's return to work. The impact of prolonged bottle-feeding on later growth and adiposity deserves further investigation.
Hammer
L D
LD
Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, Calif 94304, USA. lhammer@stanford.edu
Bryson
S
S
Agras
W S
WS
D000328:Adult; D001722:Birth Order; D001903:Bottle Feeding; D001942:Breast Feeding; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007227:Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014886:Weaning; D014931:Women, Working