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MOTHERS who overfeed their newborn babies could be setting them up for a lifetime of obesity, doctors warned today.
The foundations of obesity can be laid in the first few days of a baby's life, medics said. They are calling for health visitors to be given intensive training to spot the early signs of obesity. Members of the British Medical Association will vote today on whether to call for an overhaul of training for health visitors.
GP Rob Barnett said: "If you assume your baby is not getting enough food through breast feeding and supplement it unnecessarily with formula you are already laying down the fat cells which will grow as the baby grows."
Reader views (1)
If they're hungry, they're hungry: I don't think newborns gratuitously pig-out! You can't feed them if they don't want it. My first was VAST: born 100 percentile and incredibly fat until he started moving around (he could run by 10mths) - now at 6 he eats his broccoli first, is lean and muscular and enjoys lots of sport.
Give over harassing new mums: they've got their work cut out as it is!
- Roz, France
