Children of alcoholic mothers are at increased risk for various social and metabolic problems. They are also likely to develop fetal alcohol syndrome: a variable pattern of growth retardation, mental retardation, neurologic dysfunction and congenital dysmorphology. Linear growth is retarded more than weight. Craniofacial anomalies, including microcephaly, are most common. Malformations appear to be related to heavy ethanol intake during the first trimester of pregnancy.