A new study found that 9 out of 10 moms see their overweight toddlers as normal. Sure, it’s sweet and completely normal for a mother to think her child is beautiful and perfect, but this sort of thinking can also contribute to childhood obesity, says the study.
Researchers showed 281 mothers cartoon drawings of toddlers ranging in size from scrawny to plump, and asked them to select the drawing that most closely resembled their child. Nearly 70% of the women misjudged their toddler’s body size, but the rate was much higher among the mothers of overweight children – 94% of those mothers saw their child’s size as being in the normal range.
In fact, eighty-two percent of the mothers of overweight toddlers indicated they had no desire for their child to be smaller, and 4% said they wanted their child to be even larger.
“Our society really values chubby infants and toddlers,” says Erin R. Hager, PH.D., lead author of the new study published this week in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. But there’s a big difference between a little healthy baby fat and being overweight, and that difference can mean childhood obesity, and/or adult obesity down the road.
“A lot of parents don’t understand that, even in infancy or toddlerhood, if your child is overweight then they won’t necessarily grow out if it,” Hager says. “There are certainly kids that grow out if it, but most kids don’t.”
Bottom line: If parents don’t think their child’s weight is an issue, they are less likely to help them eat better and get more exercise, Hager says. So it’s important to accurately view your child’s body size, and talk to your child’s pediatrician to always be aware of what’s healthy and what isn’t!