Baby growth needs proper re-evaluation

doi:10.1136/bmj.331.7513.406-a

BMJ 2005;331:406 (13 August), doi:10.1136/bmj.331.7513.406-a

Letter

Baby growth needs proper re-evaluation

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR—Discussion of the forthcoming World Health Organizationgrowth charts and their possible adoption in the United Kingdomis welcome but neds to be focused on the issues.

Wright asks whether the growth charts that we currently useare inaccurate, particularly in applying them to breastfed babies.¹Although this is an interesting and important question, a moreilluminating one might be: "Are we using growth charts appropriately?"If all who plot infant growth were aware that the shape of breastfedbaby growth centiles differs from those of artificially fedinfants, and if routine weight monitoring were matched withroutine assessment of skilled breast feeding, current chartswould probably be perfectly adequate. As Wright notes, the babieswhose data are included in the new chart received ongoing supportfor breastfeeding and therefore show the pattern that infantscan attain when their mothers are supported appropriately.