The World Health Organization is revising its 20-year-old guidelines for infant birth weights to take into account the increasing number of breast-fed children. Infants fed formula gain weight faster than those who are breast fed, so breast-fed infants would incorrectly appear underweight in the old charts.
Of course, if you feed your child formula, for whatever reason, the new charts may not be accurate for him or her. Seems like these guidelines are just that—guides, although it’s good to see that WHO is trying to keep them in step with current childcare practices. Nothing beats a good conversation with your own health-care provider, of course.