RESUMO
To study first year growth patterns in exclusively breast-fed children, the growth (weight and height) of 232 children who had received only breastmilk during the six first months of life was followed over a period extending from 1983 to 1987. The follow-ups were done in the pediatric dispensary at Taguatinga Health Center No. 7 in the Federal District of Brazil. The children were from low-income families and represented various racial mixes. All were single products of pregnancy, had no pathological history, and had been breast-fed on demand. The percentile distribution (90, 75, 50, 25, and 10) of weight and height at birth and at 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, and 12 months of age showed that the average quarterly increases in these variables were greater in the first quarter and less in subsequent quarters. The weight of the boys doubled between the third and fourth months, while that of the girls doubled in the fourth month. The results indicate that the growth of these children was satisfactory.