Babies, Parenting, Child Health, Infant Nutrition

Baby Health – UK Adopts New Growth Charts Based on Breastfed Babies

01.06.2009 | 8:22:28 pm | Posted by admin

By Colleen Hurley, RD, Certified Kid’s Nutrition Specialist

All newborn babies have their growth rates graphed on birth charts for the first few years of life. This charting method has worked relatively well, with one exception. The glaring difference when using birth charts has been with breastfed babies as they do no typically gain weight at a similar rate of babies who are formula fed. At last, the UK is the first to adopt a new birth chart method to compensate for this discrepancy.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has worked hard over the past few to encourage the baby development, parenting use of growth charts that include healthy weights for breastfed babies. Utilizing the WHO recommendations, the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health created new growth measurement charts to replace the previously used method based on bottle fed babies.

Research has consistently shown that breastfed babies gain weight at a healthier rate than their bottle fed counterparts and are less likely to become obese in adulthood. Parents of all newborns are given Personal Child Health Records which will now include the new charts that will establish breastfeeding as the norm. Not only will the charts help parents and healthcare professional indentify obesity risk, they will also help reassure parents of breastfed babies who tend to gain weigh at a slower rate.

The UK Department of Health recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life as breast milk provides all the nutrients a baby needs. Breastfeeding should continue beyond 6 months along with the introduction of solid foods. The birth charts continue with the Department of Health’s commitment to increasing England’s breastfeeding rates.

The new birth charts cover babies until four years of age as part of the Personal Child Health Records which have also been revamped to include one and two year reviews plus breastfeeding support services. The charts and other educational material can be viewed at: http://www.rcpch.ac.uk.

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