Report urges parents to fight fat even in toddlers, preschoolers

A food pyramid just for the under-2 set? Contrary to popular belief, children don’t usually outgrow their baby fat, and a new report recommends steps to help prevent babies, toddlers and preschoolers from getting too pudgy too soon. It’s a growing problem: Already, one in five preschoolers—2- to 5-year-olds—is overweight or obese. Topping the list of proposed changes: better guidelines to help parents and caregivers know just how much toddlers should eat as they move from baby food to bigger-kid fare. It’s likewise important to make sure preschoolers get at least 15 minutes of physical activity for every hour they spend in child care. Today’s recommendations, from the Institute of Medicine, aren’t about putting the very young on diets. But those early pounds can lead to lasting bad effects on their health as children grow, says the report. “It’s a huge opportunity to instill good habits at a time when you don’t have to change old ones,” says Leann Birch, director of Pennsylvania State University’s Center for Childhood Obesity Research, who chaired the IOM panel. Consider: Babies drink milk until they’re full and then turn away. But children as young as 2 or 3 are sensitive to portion size, a tactic that trains them to eat well but not too much.