Obesity or being overweight is bad, not only for adults but also for babies. An overweight baby might grow up into an overweight or obese adult with many health complications like diabetes and/ or heart disease or high blood pressure. Therefore you should make sure that if your baby is overweight, you should take care of her in such a way that you can regulate the weight and maintain healthy habits.
Find out if your Baby is Really Overweight
Do not depend on appearance to judge whether your baby is overweight. Babies tend to store different fat levels at different stages of growing up and hence, the best way to figure out if your baby is overweight is to seek the expert opinion of a medical practitioner. Your medical practitioner will take a BMI test for your baby to establish if your baby is really overweight or the fat on her is just baby fat. Remember that babies need a diet that is rich in fats to help in their proper growth.
Prolonged Breast Feeding
Continue breast feeding her for as long as possible. It has been found that babies who are breast fed for a long time are less likely to be overweight and are more receptive to hunger cues. They also stop eating as soon as the hunger pangs are over rather than get into the habit of finishing off what is in the bottle. Also, the fat present in breast milk, helps to provide the necessary nourishment to your baby and helps her feel satiated.
Do not feel that juices are an important part of the meals for your baby. Breast milk provides most of the nutrients required by your baby for a healthy growth. There is no real need to supplement her diet with juices unless of course there is a problem of constipation in the baby. Try not to start her on juices unless she is 6 months old and then also restrict the juice intake for your baby to a maximum of 4 ounces.
Keep Feeding Restricted
Try to soothe your baby in other ways when she cries apart from feeding. Try a different position for her or maybe a soothing touch or a sound to make her feel at ease.
Overweight babies might face countless health problems if the fat gets stagnant. The child might get lethargic, fatigued, get early diabetes, high blood pressure and even heart problems. Therefore, go for a regular weight check up whenever you are visiting your paediatrician and rule out the possibilities of an “overweighed” future.