In addition to describing recent infant feeding patterns in Mexico, this paper attempts to answer the following questions: what are the mechanisms through which the socioeconomic level affects both infant feeding and the utilization of maternal and child health care practices? b) what is the effect of the socioeconomic level on the relationship between utilization of services and infant feeding practices? The research is based on bivariate and stratified analyses of the ENFES (1987) information. The data obtained prove that: a) even when there is a relationship between socioeconomic factors and, the utilization of services and feeding practices, the social dimension affects differently each of the two variables; b) there is a relationship between the utilization of services and infant feeding; and c) this relationship is explained, in part, by the association of both variables with socioeconomic factors. Operative strategies are proposed for the health services, as well as technical guidelines for future research in this field.