The development of oral feeding skills in infants.

Appropriate nutritional intake is a major component of growth in infants. Interests in nutrition customarily have been centered on the types of nutrients and caloric intake offered, for example, the benefits of mother's milk over that of formula, presence/absence of growth factors, and potential advantages provided by probiotics early in life [1, 2]. An important component of infant nutrition that has been overlooked until recently is the ability of infants to take their nutrients by mouth safely and successfully. As the majority of healthy term newborns are readily taken to the breast or bottle soon after birth, the ability to feed by mouth generally does not raise concern. However, over t…