Infant feeding practices of migrant farm laborers in northern Colorado

The purpose of this study was to provide descriptive information on migrant farm laborers' infant feeding practices in northern Colorado. We used a survey questionnaire to interview 49 families with a 6- to 23-month-old child who was enrolled in the Migrant Head Start Center. Sixteen (33%) of the mothers breast-fed their infants, but only five (14%) of the 35 Mexican Americans breast-fed. Thirty-four (69%) of the mothers used formula and seven (14%) gave their child cow's milk at birth. Introduction of solids occurred at a mean of 6.6 months. Of the respondents, 13 (27%) introduced solids before 4 months of age, whereas 29 (59%) introduced solids before the age of 6 months. Thirty-six (73%) of the migrants put their child to bed with a sweetened beverage, milk, or formula in a bottle. Diarrhea in the children was reported by 39 (80%) of the migrants, with 15 (31%) stating that it occurred at least once per month. One third (n = 16) of the respondents reported that their children had constipation lasting 1 to 14 days, but for most (n = 10) it occurred less than once per month. Results suggest that migrant families need more dietary recommendations about breast-feeding, introduction of liquids/solid foods, proper formula preparation, avoidance of baby bottle tooth decay, and treatment of diarrhea and constipation.