Use of growth models to describe patterns of length, weight, and head circumference among breast-fed and formula-fed infants: the DARLING Study.

Nine mathematical models were applied to 24-month length, weight, and head circumference growth curves of 39 breast-fed and 31 formula-fed infants from the DARLING study. For both breast-fed and formula-fed infants, the Karlberg infancy-childhood-puberty (ICP) model best describes the relationship between recumbent length and age and the Jenss model best describes the relationship between head circumference and age. For formula-fed infants several models appropriately describe the relationship between weight and age, and we recommend the Jenss model. However, none of the models suitably describes the shape of the weight curve for breast-fed infants.