6 ways to help keep your baby at a healthy weight

Follow me on Twitter @drClaire Everyone loves a chubby baby — there’s something about a roly-poly belly and thighs that is completely adorable. “Baby fat” is something people don’t worry about. Not only do we think of it as cute, we think of it as healthy — and temporary. Unfortunately, it’s not healthy or temporary. Which is why parents need to be mindful of their baby’s weight. It used to be that baby fat was indeed healthy and temporary. In days when infant mortality was high, a little heft meant some extra reserves for the baby. And until recently, most children lost their baby fat once they got old enough to be active outside. But modern medicine has made babies far more likely to survive — and modern technology and other societal factors have made children far more likely to be sedentary. The reality is that baby fat turns into child fat, which turns into adult fat. Luckily, there are some simple things that parents can do to keep their baby at a healthy weight and set them on the best path to stay that way. 1. Breastfeed. Some mothers cannot do this at all, and many cannot do it for very long. But if it’s possible, breastfeeding is a great way to get your baby started. Not only is the food perfectly designed for the baby’s nutritional needs, it’s almost impossible to overfeed while breastfeeding. Even if the baby stays there for a long time, after 10 to 15 minutes they are mostly just sucking for comfort and not getting milk. 2.  Don’t respon...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Children's Health Healthy Eating Parenting Source Type: blogs