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Objective: To describe the prevalence of and risk factors associated with regular water supplementation of neonates.

Design: Evaluation of data from the Food and Drug Administration's Infant Feeding Practices Study, a panel study of US women of fairly high socioeconomic status who were followed up from late pregnancy through their infants' first year of life. The sample was drawn from a nationally distributed consumer mail panel. Each mother was asked whether she gave her neonate water at least 3 times per week.

Participants: A total of 1677 mothers of infants who were neonates in April through November 1993.

Main Outcome Measures: Percentages of mothers who gave their neonates water at least 3 times a week, considering infant feeding status, mother's education, and family income.

Results: About one fourth (24.7%) of the mothers reported giving their neonates water at least 3 times per week. Stratification by feeding practices and socioeconomic factors revealed that 41.6% of mothers who formula-fed their neonates, 47.4% of mothers with less than a high school education, and 35.4% of mothers with an annual family income less than $22 500 gave their neonates water at least 3 times per week.

Conclusions: Water supplementation of neonates was a prevalent practice in this cohort of women. Feeding practices, maternal education, and family income were all significant risk factors associated with this behavior.

Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med.1997;151:830-832

Copyright 1997 by the American Medical Association. All Rights Reserved. Applicable FARS/DFARS Restrictions Apply to Government Use. American Medical Association, 515 N. State St, Chicago, IL 60610.