The rate of excess weight among children ages 2 to 5 has doubled since the 1980s. Currently, slightly over 20 percent are overweight or obese, and about 10 percent of children from infancy to age 2 carry excess weight, according to a report by the Institute of Medicine on policies to prevent early childhood obesity.
Concerns about extra pounds on babies and toddlers fly in the face of long-held convictions that a pudgy baby is a thriving baby and that young kids naturally grow out of their baby fat as they learn to walk and become more active. But the same factors that promote weight gain among older children and adults — an increase of sedentary behaviors, overconsumption of calories, and insufficient sleep — are contributing to persistent excess weight among too many of the youngest children.
To read the full, original article click on this link: Just Baby Fat? Habits For Healthy Weight Need To Start Young | IN FOCUS, 11.2
