Moms Have Incorrect Perspective About Toddlers’ Weight

More than two thirds of mothers have an incorrect perspective about their toddlers’ weight and often believe that their kids still need to put on some weight even if they are healthy kids. In a study presented at the Centers for Disease Control Weight of the Nation conference, the researchers said that having a chubby toddler reassured mothers that they were doing something right and thus they encouraged a healthy weight child to eat more.

The researchers conducted their study on a group of 300 mother-toddler pairs who were shown silhouettes and were asked to pick up a silhouette which represented their child more. The researchers found that more than 70 percent of the mothers had an incorrect assessment of their child’s size.

“When you’re thinking about a 20-month old being underweight is probably the greatest risk because that has an impact on their cognitive development, as well as their physical and behavioral development. When we think about the kids that are overweight some of them may not proceed to being overweight as school-aged children or adolescents, but they’re at greater risk of developing those problems with overweight and obesity”, lead researcher Leslie Heinberg said.


Source-Medindia