Mr. Christopher from Corner Stork Baby Gifts Blog with an interesting article I found out of New Zealand. New Zealand has a “growth chart” that is used to decide if the growth of babies is up to standard. The problem with this chart is that it’s primarily based on the growth of babies that were bottle fed. A result of which is that some doctors are misdiagnosing babies that are breastfed and indicating to the parents that the infant isn’t growing properly. As a result, mothers supplement the baby’s diet with bottle feeding which can then predispose them to overfeeding and obesity.
Studies however have proven that bottlefed children grow faster than breastfed children and that the difference is very noticeable. Jan Payne of the Queensland University of Technology states, “It is unnecessary for breastfed babies to be given artificial formula in many cases because there is a distinct difference in weight gain in the first 24 months between breastfed and bottle-fed babies.
“Babies who are fully breastfed and growing normally can be mistaken as ‘not thriving’ if their weight over time is compared to current growth charts. This is because their weight for age tends to fall below that for artificial formula-fed infants after about six months of age.”, she concludes.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has developed a new growth chart which should replace the growth chart currently in use mostly by the U.S. and the U.K.. Payne notes, “The WHO Child Growth Standards are based on a longitudinal international study of the growth of infants in good health who were exclusively or predominantly breastfed for at least four months,” she said.
There is a wealth of studies on the bottle versus breast debate and it’s one that is not tread on lightly. This may be the first of the pubic reports that indicates an advantage to bottle feeding that we’ve seen in some time. Although some may argue that the main reason for the additional growth is because of the artificial growth hormones that are present in most on the shelf baby formulas.
Let the Debate Begin!
