If you want your baby to grow up slim then you should encourage them to eat with their fingers because a latest study found that babies weaned on pureed food be inclined to end up fatter than babies whose first flavor is finger food.
Researchers say, babies should be allowed to choose what they want to eat from a selection of food items which also lead them to prefer a healthier diet. This early self-regulation of what to eat keeps them slim. A team led by Dr Ellen Townsend from Nottingham University carried out a study including one hundred and fifty children.
The ages of children who participated in the study ranged between twenty months and six years. About ninety-two children had been weaned on finger foods such as fruit cut into chip-like shapes and breadsticks and sixty-three children had been spoon-fed. The parents of children also filled a survey including food preference of the children.
The study revealed that children who were introduced early to finger foods developed a preference for carbohydrates such as toasted pitta bread and pasta over sweeter foods like sugary fruit purees. This was irrespective of the fact that together with sweet foods, children in the spoon-fed group had also been offered carbohydrates.
Besides, children in spoon-fed group had also been offered fruits and vegetables, proteins and whole meals such as lasagne more often than those in the baby-led weaning group. They result showed that spoon-fed babies were more often obese, although, overall, most of the youngsters in both groups were having a healthy weight.
The difference in weight difference remained same even after considering other aspects which might have influenced the study findings, such birth weight of the baby and how long they were breastfed for. Baby-led weaning, where the child is offered a range of chunky foods to grab and self-feed, sets the stage for healthy eating in early childhood, sated Dr Townsend.
Dr Townsend believes self-control of feeding may also be a factor. You are handing over control and letting the baby decide how much they want to eat. With spoon feeding there is the temptation to get into them whatever is left in the bowl or the jar. The study findings reported in BMJ Open journal.
Tam Fry from the National Obesity Forum says the value of experimentation in early months of nutrition is inestimable and babies won’t willingly starve. If this has the advantage of reducing unhealthy weight gain and avoiding obesity, it is a win-win for mums.