Babies grow 'in furious spurts'

Washington (AFP) - Babies grow in spurts of up to half an inch in 24 hours, a study published yesterday said.

The report in the Science journal said newborn children can go for up to 63 days with no growth and suddenly add length in a very short period of time, in a process requiring furious cell reproduction. The growth spurt is preceded by the baby becoming fretful and irritable, the researchers said. 'Just before they grew, they would become very cranky, very fussy and very, very hungry,' said Michelle Lampl, the study's co-author.