Babies who are regularly spoon-fed are more likely to become obese because they find it more difficult to tell when they are already full, a recent study confirms.
Scientists involved in the study believe babies allowed to feed themselves during weaning are less likely to overeat and become overweight as toddlers. Their study revealed that spoon-fed children are more likely to be 'fussy-eaters' than those who are allowed to eat on their own. Dr. Amy Brown, from Swansea University said: "Parents who spoon-feed their children pureed foods create harmful eating habits which lead to childhood obesity. Our study indicates that taking a baby-led approach to weaning may reduce a baby's risk of being overweight as they are in control of their food intake."
"This results in the baby being better able to control his or her appetite which could have a long-term impact upon weight gain and eating style that may continue into childhood. There is increasing recognition of the role of feeding style during infancy upon how a child's appetite and eating style develops. Allowing the child to regulate their own appetite and not pressuring them to eat more than they need is a really important step in encouraging children to develop healthy eating patterns for life."
Dr. Brown and Michelle Lee, from the University's College of Human and Health Sciences compared the weight and eating styles of children weaned using a baby-led approach with those weaned using a traditional spoon-feeding approach. They found that infants weaned using a baby-led approach were 'significantly more' able to stop eating when they are felt full and were less likely to be overweight. The results of their study were published in the journal Pediatric Obesity.
