Weight's a big issue for all new parents. Except that we’re desperate for our babies to put it on, not take it off. As we slowly get to grips with feeding our newborn, every ounce gained is a relief – proof that they’re growing well.
And then, slowly but surely, things change. ‘I’d always been proud that I had the biggest baby in our postnatal group,’ says Jo Cotton, 31, mum to Mia, 7 months.
‘But then I noticed a tone in people’s voices when they said, “Isn’t she big?” There was a definite edge of criticism there. And that, along with all the headlines about childhood obesity, made me start to worry.’
Feeling concerned is understandable and government figures do make grim reading. Over 23% of 2 to 3 year olds in the UK are now overweight, and one in 10 is obese.
So is there anything you can do to cut your child’s risk of a fat-filled future – and all the health dangers that brings with it? ‘There’s no doubt that parents – especially mothers – have a crucial role to play in reducing their child’s risk of obesity,’ says Tam Fry, chairman of the Child Growth Foundation.
And the good news is, it’s not that complicated. Here’s our eight-point plan.
DO ‘weight-watch’ in the first year
‘Your child’s first 12 months are the most critical in setting him on the right path to a healthy weight,’ says Tam. This doesn’t mean your baby’s doomed to a fat future if his thighs are a bit chubby. But it does mean taking him to be weighed regularly.
‘Ideally, your baby’s weight and height should increase steadily together, keeping him roughly within the same centiles on his growth chart. But, if he’s galloping through the weight centiles and his height isn’t keeping pace, speak to your health visitor. We know babies who make very rapid weight gain in their first year are at increased risk of obesity later.’
DO breastfeed if you can
Breastmilk is the best food for your baby’s general health but many experts now believe it could protect her against obesity, too. Studies have found breastfed children are up to five times less likely to become overweight – and the longer you breastfeed, the more her risk falls. Nobody is sure why, but part of the answer may lie in the fact that bottlefed children grow more quickly than breastfed ones, and seem to have higher levels of insulin, a hormone that encourages the laying down of fat cells.
DON'T overdo the portion sizes
It’s not just what your child eats, it’s how much you give him. ‘If you mix heaped, rather than level, scoops of formula into his bottle, or routinely load up your toddler’s plate, you’re giving him more than he needs and setting him up for future weight problems,’ says Prima Baby nutritionist Caroline Bunker. A normal toddler portion is about a quarter of an adult one. So, where you have four potatoes, he only needs one.
DO let your child decide when she’s full
Babies and toddlers are good at eating as much as they need and then stopping – until us mums try to get them to eat more. ‘It’s natural to want your child to eat well,’ says dietitian Dr Toni Steer of the Medical Research Council Human Nutrition Research Centre in Cambridge, ‘but if you’re always encouraging your toddler to clear her plate, you could weaken her ability to respond to signals of hunger and fullness. Then she might be more likely to overeat all the time.’
Wise mums bite back their ‘go on, just a little more’ instincts and allow their child to stop when she’s had enough.
DON'T be a fat controller
Now, of course it’s not wise to dish up fried foods at every meal, but it’s not right to ban your toddler from eating any high-fat foods either.
That’s partly because studies show that restricting certain foods only increases their ‘yumminess’ in your child’s eyes, meaning he’s more likely to crave them in the future, and partly because your toddler needs a diet that’s relatively high in fat.
‘Toddlers have different nutritional requirements to adults,’ says Dr Steer, ‘because, relative to their size, their energy needs are so high. They need full-fat milk and yoghurt until the age of 2.’
DO make time for more exercise
‘Small children need lots of active play,’ says Paul Sacher, specialist paediatric dietitian at Great Ormond Street Hospital and founder of the MEND programme for overweight children (www.mendprogramme.org)
‘It stimulates their development and helps keep them at a healthy weight. And that’s why you should limit TV – because it stops your child being active.’
Obviously, the amount of active play your child needs depends on her age: for a 3-month-old, a daily kick-and-grab session under a baby gym is just right; for a 3-year-old, think runarounds in the park or games of ‘tag’ at home – anything that keeps her on the move for at least an hour a day.
And how much TV? Experts recommend a maximum of 30 minutes a day for under-2s and one hour for 3 to 5 year olds.
DON'T use food to comfort or reward
It doesn’t take long for your child to decide which foods he likes best. But you do still have an important role to play in influencing his choices. ‘Small children do naturally prefer the taste of sweet foods,’ says Dr Steer, ‘but studies also show they develop preferences for foods they’re
offered in a positive context.’
So, if you bribe your toddler to eat all his broccoli with the promise of chocolate cake for pudding, you’re setting up broccoli as ‘yuk’ and chocolate cake as ‘yum’. Or if you always give your child a biscuit when he’s hurt himself or he’s upset, he’ll quickly come to associate biscuits with comfort.
‘Eating should be a response to hunger,’ says Toni, ‘not to behaving well or getting upset.’ Next time your toddler grazes his knee, try giving him a cuddle and a story instead.
DO set a good example
‘One of the biggest influences on your child’s weight is your own attitude to food and exercise,’ says Caroline Bunker. ‘It’s an uncomfortable but hard-to-ignore fact that having an obese parent hugely raises a child’s own risk of obesity – and having two obese parents raises it even more.’
Whether this comes down to genes or lifestyle, or both, isn’t yet clear but study after study shows that children copy the eating-and-exercise examples their parents set. This kind of motivates you to snack on fruit rather than chocolate and renew that gym membership, doesn’t it?
