Spoon vs bottle: a controlled evaluation of milk feeding in young infants

Fifty infants under the age of six months who were on artificial milk and who had attended the hospital for diarrhea, were taken up for study. They were divided into two groups. In Group I (n = 25) infants were given milk by spoon and in Group II (n = 25) by bottle. Mothers were given education relevant to the method of feeding on an individual basis. Follow up over a period of 3 months showed a fall in the number of diarrheal episodes which was similar in the two groups. Maternal compliance was significantly better in the bottle-fed group where only one mother expressed a desire to change over to the use of cup and spoon. The weight gain was better in the bottle-fed group, the difference being statistically significant relevant to the weight gain in the second and third month and to the total weight gain in the three months period (t = 3.24, p less than 0.01; t = 2.03 p less than 0.05; and t = 2.24, p less than 0.05, respectively).