Background: Congenital cardiac defects have a wide spectrum of severity in infants. About 30-40% of patients with congenital cardiac defects will be symptomatic in the 1^st year of life, while the diagnosis was established in 60% of patients by the 1^st month of age.

Objectives: To identify the occurrence of specific types of CHD among hospitalized patients and to evaluate of growth of patients by different congenital heart lesions.

Methods: A retrospective study, done on ninety-six patients (51 male and 45 female) with congenital heart disease (CHD) admitted to central teaching hospital of pediatrics, Baghdad from 1^st September 2009 to 30^th of August 2010.

Results: The most common congenital heart diseases (CHD) were ventricular septal defect (VSD), tetralogy of Fallot (TOF), patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), transposition of great arteries (TGA), pulmonary Stenosis( PS), and Atrial septal defect (ASD).The most common modes of presentation were respiratory infection and heart failure in acyanotic patients and cyanosis in cyanotic groups. The study showed that only patent ductus arteriosus and atrial septal defects were more common in female while all other lesions were equal male to female ratio or slightly more common in male. The effect of acyanotic congenital heart disease on growth (Wt) is more common than cyanotic congenital heart disease.

Conclusions: VSD is the most common type of congenital heart disease and the most common cause of morbidity, while ASD is the least common cause of morbidity in patients with congenital heart disease. The most common modes of presentation of patients with CHD are respiratory infection and heart failure in acyanotic CHD while cyanosis is the most common presentation in cyanotic group.