Fat phobia and infant feeding

All new parents want their baby to grow and develop in a healthy manner. I remember talking to my grandmother about how she fed my mom and she proudly proclaimed that her breastmilk was as rich as cream because my mom was healthy and fat. Back then the sign of health was a chunky and round cheeked baby. But today, with great concerns over childhood obesity many parents are distraught over having a round baby, fearing that their child will be fat for life.

Babies are born with an innate ability to self regulate - meaning they eat when they are hungry and stop when they are full. Babies lose this ability, when adults override their cues of hunger and fullness. Adults may manipulate this balancing act by encouraging a child to eat more or by withholding food, if they think the child has eaten too much. These actions can have negative lifelong consequences because they encourage children to disregard their feelings of hunger and fullness.

The best method to monitor a baby's health long term is by using a growth chart. Pediatricians use these to ensure that a child is growing and developing healthfully. A baby's weight alone is not a good indicator of growth unless it is plotted against his height. Further, a round infant does not mean the baby is unhealthy. Normal growth is about the whole package, a baby's weight for length, his physical development and responsiveness, and the healthfulness of the baby's skin, eyes, and other physical features.

When should a parent be concerned? A pediatrician can help assess growth charts to guide adults. Further, additional considerations need to be made. Is the parent encouraging their infant to breastfeed when the child doesn't show signs of hunger? Is the parent encouraging a child to finish a bottle of breastmilk/formula or jar of baby food when the child is turning their head away or pushing the bottle or spoon away? These questions relate to feeding behaviors that influence weight.

Then do fat babies become fat adults? That's a loaded question. Because obesity has multiple etiologies such as genetics, body composition, metabolic diseases, drugs, lack of physical activity, and poor diet. Most importantly, all these factors interact together making the cause difficult to measure. Studies have looked at infant size and adult obesity and there does appear to be a correlation. Unfortunately, there are holes in the data because many of these studies did not sort for genetics, nor did they assess the feeding behaviors of the adults.

So, should you monitor the fat in your baby's food? The answer is NO. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that fat in your baby's diet not be restricted until he reaches the age of 2. Fat is needed to help infants brains develop. For example, the healthy fat in breastmilk is particularly beneficial for brain development. If you have concerns about your baby's weight or development, talk to your pediatrician or dietitian and review your baby's growth together.