The antibiotic erythromycin is a potent analogue of the gastrointestinal hormone motilin. This hormone stimulates gastric emptying and induces phase 3 migrating motor complexes in the proximal intestine which are thought to be responsible for the transit of luminal contents through the gut. Erythromycin has been used successfully as a prokinetic agent in young infants with intestinal dysmotility ( Pediatr Child Health 1997), but its role in preterm infants is less clear. A dose of 12 mg/kg was effective in treating postoperative intestinal dysmotility in infants,(Arch Dis Child 1994) although studies in dogs suggest that a smaller dose may be more effective (Am J Physiol 1990).