Infants cared for by caregivers other than their parents tend to gain more weight than children cared for by their parents, a new study says.
And children receiving regular care from people other than their parents are also less likely to be breast-fed and more likely to be introduced to solid foods early, the researchers found.
"The current study suggests this risk is greater among children sent to child care early than among children kept under parental supervision," said Dr. David Katz, director of the Yale University School of Medicine's Prevention Research Center, who was not involved in the study.
Other studies have suggested that breast-feeding for up to the first 12 months of life may confer protection against obesity, so that may be one of the factors at work here, Katz said, referring to the study. "Feeding practices that take place in child-care settings may also be part of the formula," he said.
I constantly hear about obesity in very young children from my mom, who teaches preschool. It's typically the kids from lower income families - 3 year olds, very often, who are as heavy as 70 lbs. If you're 70 lbs by age 3, the weight gain started very, very early in your life.
