The infant's ability to self-regulate caloric intake: a case study.

A case study which illustrates the infant's ability to regulate caloric intake through adjustments in formula intake is presented. A daily record of infant formula and supplemental food intake of a normal, bottle-fed male infant was kept from 1 week to 9 months after birth. The infant's physical growth was assessed at regular intervals. Measurements included weight, recumbent length, head circumference, and skinfold thicknesses. Feeding was ad libitum, and caregivers were highly responsive to the infant's satiety behaviors. Under these conditions, the infant adjusted his caloric intake as supplemental foods were added to his diet by progressively decreasing the volume of formula consumed. His growth was well canalized and tracked very close to the 50th centile of NCHS weight and length standards. The regularity of his growth attests to the adequacy of his intake for meeting energy needs without excess energy storage. This suggests that to avoid overfeeding the bottle-fed infant, caregivers should attempt to facilitate the infant's self-regulation of intake.