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Home › Articles › Toddler Nutrition › Baby Fat Facts

Baby Fat Facts

Do Chubby Toddlers Lead to Obese Kids?

By Jacqueline Bodnar

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There's been a lot of talk in the news lately about chubby toddlers, and for good reason. Recent research finds a strong connection between the weight of these little people and what their weight will be like when they are adults. As the obesity epidemic becomes more widespread, it's of the utmost importance that parents play an active role in the nutrition and activity level of their children, right from the beginning.

For Kelly Pasquariello-Wadel of Tampa, Fla., the toddler weight issue is one that she and her husband have struggled with. "I'm concerned because my husband and I both have a tendency to be overweight, and I don't want that for my kids," Wadel says. "Also, as a teacher, I saw how hard it was for the little ones who were overweight."

In the September 2006 issue of Pediatrics, key findings were shared with the public. Researchers found that around 80 percent of early-school-aged children that were overweight or obese still had weight issues by the time they reached the age of 12. The research also showed that what a child weighed as early as the age of 2 or 3 was a factor in what they weighed when they were 12.

Cute "Baby" Fat?
"Overweight kids are the most important pediatric health problem this country faces," says Dr. David Olson, a pediatrician in Traverse City, Mich. "Overweight kids unfortunately become overweight adults a high percentage of the time."

Much to the surprise of many parents, the cute baby fat could be long-lasting, as toddler weight issues put those kids at a five times greater risk of being overweight or obese later on. Until recent research connected the two, many parents simply overlooked any weight issues their toddlers had, assuming they would naturally grow out of it, and that it was just a harmless phase. Now, however, people are realizing that's simply not the case.


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