THE EFFECT OF PROLONGED BOTTLE-FEEDING ON COWS MILK INTAKE AND IRON STORES AT 18 MONTHS OF AGE

Thirty-four toddlers were studied in a prospective, convenience sample comparison at their 18-month health supervision visit to examine the effect of prolonged (i.e., to 18 months of age) bottle feeding on both the daily volume of cow's milk intake and the toddler's iron stores ( serum ferritin concentrations.) Seventeen toddlers had been weaned fro m the bottle by approximately 1 year of age, and 17 toddlers who remai ned on the bottle at 18 months of age were the compared group. The tod dlers who remained on the bottle had significantly greater (P < 0.001) cow's milk intake (mean 26.3 oz vs 16.1 oz). The mean ferritin concen trations were lower in the persistent bottle group (17.3 mu g/L vs 23. 4 pg/L), but not significantly so. Questioning parents about their tod dlers' continued bottle use at 18 months can provide a marker for pote ntially excessive cow's milk intake.