Summary: How you feed your little one as a baby can increase her risk of becoming obese later in childhood, so it's important to make sure you're establishing the best eating habits possible early on.
The feeding habits you instill in your baby now can set her up for a lifetime of good eating habits. But certain things parents do when it comes to feeding their little ones could be fostering bad eating habits — ones that have long lasting impact and that can result in obesity. That's the conclusion of a new study published in the journal Pediatric Obesity, which found that most tots who are obese at age two are heavy as a result of bad feeding habits dating back to infancy.
Childhood obesity is rampant in this country, and kids who are obese as toddlers are more likely to stay obese through childhood, adolescence, and into adulthood — bringing with it a host of medical complications associated with being overweight.
Researchers at Brigham Young University looked at data from more than 8,000 families and found that babies predominantly fed formula were two-and-a-half times more likely to become obese as toddlers than babies who were breastfed for the first six months. Researchers say that because breastfeeding allows a baby to recognize when she's full, she's less likely to eat more than she needs, setting up a lifetime of being able to monitor her hunger needs and understand how to self-regulate when it comes to eating.
But the propensity toward obesity isn't just explained by breast versus formula feeding, say researchers. Other feeding habits, such as putting baby to bed with a bottle or introducing solids before four months, increase the risk of obesity by nearly 40 percent. The study authors say that more education is needed (especially in lower income populations where obesity is more widespread) to help parents learn good feeding habits early on.
Concerned about your formula-fed baby's obesity risk? Don't be. Experts say the skill of self regulating can be learned by bottle feeders too... as long as parents instill good feeding and eating habits early on.
First and foremost, say researchers, be sure not to push your little one to eat more than she actually wants. When your cutie indicates she's full or had enough to eat — even if there's still more formula in the bottle — don't push her to finish it all up. Ditto for when she's on solids — it's never a good idea to push your baby to eat more. Be sure to wait until at least four months (preferably closer to six) before starting your baby on solids. And never put your little one to bed with a bottle.
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