When is a Chubby Baby to Chubby?
I used to be a chubby baby. Turns out I am also chubby adult. Are those delicious rolly polly thighs, that all my friends and I just want to nibble on going to stay that way for life? Sure they are cute now, but what about in 5th grade? With childhood obesity on the rise, should parents worry about the weight of their babies? Should parents get a handle on what to feed and what not to feed their babies early on, thus preventing a lot of agonizing over good and bad foods later.
Experts at the American Academy of Pediatrics www.aap.org say parents should ask their pediatricians to keep tabs on children’s weight from birth on up, they also say that parents shouldn’t obsess about the weight of a child younger than 2 years.
“Children in this age group who are overweight absolutely are not more prone to be heavy later. There’s no data to support this,” says Frank R. Greer, M.D., who chairs the AAP Nutrition Committee.
No BMI for infants
For kids this young, doctors don’t rely on the body mass index, which relates weight to height. Instead, pediatricians use weight-for-length charts.
“Height is difficult to measure in these kids, and length and height are not the same,” says Joseph Hagan, M.D., who co-chairs an AAP Bright Futures initiative on children’s health guidelines.
“The best predictor of an overweight child is, number one, whether both parents are overweight, and number two, whether the mother alone is overweight,” Dr. Greer says. If parents weigh too much and feed the child a poor diet, chances of an overweight child rise sharply.
Babies breast-fed for the first six months tend to be leaner. One reason: Breast-fed babies only eat when they’re hungry. They don’t eat when prompted by parents.
More fruits, veggies
Most babies need more fruits and vegetables, says Dr. Greer. Parents should feed babies less rice and cereal, too. “We’re giving kids a taste for these things and promoting bad habits,” he says.
“Parents should watch the sugar-containing juices they give kids, even in this age group,” Dr. Hagan adds. Limit kids this age to 4 to 6 ounces of 100 percent juice daily. Avoid all fruit punches sweetened soft drinks and other sweetened beverages. Babies stay active naturally as they learn to roll over, move their heads, crawl and walk. Don’t confine them to a crib or rein in their activity. “When a child is tired, he or she will stop and go to sleep,” says Dr. Hagan.
Make your Own Baby Food
Making your own baby food can save you a lot of money instead of purchasing ready made baby food in jars. You can make your own baby food with food that you already have on hand. One of the greatest benefits to making your own baby food other than the financial savings is that your baby will get used to eating similar food that your family eats and can stifle picky eating throughout the toddler years.
There are only a few things that you need in order to make your own baby food:
A blender or food processor
Storage containers
Ice cube trays
Plastic baggies that are freezer safe
The next important thing to do is to choose the food that you will make into baby food. Using the freshest fruits and vegetables is key, and turning it into baby food right away will ensure that it is fresh. If you can’t use fresh fruits, frozen will work just as well. The best fruits to start with when you make baby food are the following:
Apples (to make applesauce), Apricots, Bananas, Blueberries, Mangoes, Peaches, Pears, Plums, Prunes and Raspberries
It is best to wait until your infant is 10 months old before introducing berries into her diet as she is better able to digest them at that age. Also, berry allergies are common and it is easier to find this out while your child is still very young.
