Infant Obesity

“Chubby” becomes “overweight” when a baby's weight gain is out of proportion to his or her growth in height. This means that more calories are being taken in than the little body can process. Just like a child's building blocks, the various causes of infant obesity can stack up to structure an unhealthy life, both physically and emotionally. Contributing causes include:

Heredity. Young ones more at risk often come from a family with a history of obesity or weight issues. Having one obese parent raises a child's chances of adult obesity by 40%; two parents, by 80%. Abnormal eating patterns and/or disorders that afflict either parent can also visit the child and contribute to adult obesity. In some rare cases, a child may be born with a type of hormonal disorder that causes infant obesity.

The Folks. Parents' awareness (or lack thereof) about good nutrition is as much a factor as heredity, as studies of identical twins brought up in different environments have shown. One twin who is brought up in a nutritionally healthy environment can be of healthy weight, while the other in a less health-conscious family can be obese.  And even with the best information at hand, parents – perhaps overanxious or over-zealous - can still inadvertently overfeed their baby. Keep in mind that if the reward for crying and fussing is always a taste-treat, it could prove an early eating lesson in the wrong direction for the child.

Stress. Remarkably, even an infant can sense and react to an environment of emotional stress and domestic upheaval. Of course we don't see babies making a crawl for the Haagen-Dazs in the fridge, but stress can still register with them. If they're already learning that food in the mouth is a primary means of comfort, this could contribute to future emotional eating problems.

Activity. The US fitness craze hasn't gone so far that we expect Courtney Cox-Arquette's new little one to be opening up her own gym franchise next week. Most babies are in constant motion (far too constant for many parents), but some are more content to lie back and be entertained by colorful crib mobiles or other visual stimulation than to crawl, squirm, wriggle, and get into everything they can. The more chubby the baby, the less inclined he or she will be to move around; thus a cycle of inactivity and weight gain can begin in infancy.

Fortunately, instead of waiting until the problem is unavoidably apparent, more and more pediatricians are encouraging “baby steps” to prevent infant obesity to begin with. Note some of the most common recommendations for preventing infant obesity:

• Don't glut your little one; overfeeding teaches a child to overeat. Instead, from day one, let your baby learn to stop eating before he or she is too full to take any more.
  
  
• If possible, breast-feed. While the color and texture of breast milk seem pale and watery compared to cow's milk or formula, it nevertheless provides all the nutrients for the health and growth of the newborn, and is tuned to the baby's energy and needs. Studies have shown that breast-fed babies are less likely to be overweight in later life.
  
  
• If you are bottle-feeding, take it slowly – don't do anything to hurry your baby's own pace of eating. (For instance, enlarging the bottle's nipple causes the formula to come out too fast.)  It can take 15 to 20 minutes for the baby to feel full, so be patient.
  
  
• Don't make your baby finish every bottle – he or she can sense when enough is enough.
  
  
• Don't automatically feed your baby every time he or she cries; some cuddling and attention may be all that's wanted, or maybe something as simple as a little water. Personal attention, too, teaches the child that human contact (instead of food) brings comfort.
  
  
• Avoid letting your baby keep the feeding bottle as a constant crib companion as it enforces the feeling of food as a primary comfort source.
  
  
• A sucking baby is not necessarily a hungry baby! Your young one may just want a pacifier (or needs help finding a thumb). When teething time comes, opt for a teething ring instead of biscuits.
  
  
• Avoid giving solid food until the baby is at least 6 months old. Breast-feeding is recommended for as long as possible.
  
  
• Postpone any sweets until the 12-month point, at least.
  
  
• Don't make your baby finish the jar of baby food or clean the plate. When he or she signals being well-fed and doesn't want to eat any more, don't encourage continuing. Babies vary how much they eat daily, especially during growth spurts.
  
  
• Avoid using food as something to keep your infant occupied. Your personal attention is of course the preferred fascination, but a toy to play with can suffice. Neither should food be used as a reward for good behavior or learning something new. Instead let them appreciate your physical affection and praise. They may not understand the words, but they'll certainly get the idea!

No parent needs to be told that child-rearing is a fine-line operation. Along with so many guidelines to help your baby toward a happy and healthy childhood, keep in mind two more dietary cautions:

• Do feed your baby whole milk! During the first two years of age, an infant's brain is rapidly growing and requires the fat content.
• Parents should also still understand the great importance of proper and adequate feeding: Don't underfeed your baby. While overfeeding is the more common tendency, and thus the growing concern for infant obesity, underfeeding is more harmful.

Professionals agree that children do not inherit obesity, they just inherit the tendency. How they and their parents learn to handle that tendency can help to determine a healthy life for the whole family.