Babies who are spoon-fed are more likely to end up overweight

[Amber333]

Hi there, I just read this piece that babies who are spoon-fed by their parents are more likely to become obese and thought it might be of interest here. Do most of you spoon-feed or allow your baby to eat in their own messy way?

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/babies-are-being-spoonfed-a-dollop-of-obesity-amy-brown-g8k2qmwpr

My ds was spoon fed. Still is sometimes at 19mo now. He's off the centiles for length and between 25 and 50 for weight. Quite a string bean really. So, IME, that's bollocks.

Surely it depends on what the food is?! Not a chance a child being spoonfed fruit/veg is more likely to be obese than a child feeding themselves junk food. Goes back to the parents' attitude to food surely...

Babies who are forced to eat, is not really the same as spoon fed. If they learn to eat when not hungry it will have an effect.

I've never really understood the view that you can somehow overfeed a baby by spoon or with a bottle versus they stop when they're full if BF or BLW. Mine had a mixture of all of them and regardless of the method of they didn't want to eat/drink they wouldn't!!

Funny, I can't see how you can spoon feed crisps and chocolate? On the other hand, soups need a spoon...

Correlation doesn't mean causation. Like stating that the use of washing machines causes skin cancer as there has been an increase of cases linked to the increase of the use of washing machines, and that in part of the world where they don't use it there are less skin cancers.

It is what goes in the mouth and all the artificial and processed food that increases the risk of obesity not the tool - spoon or finger - that influences the risk. A cucumber or a chips are not the same thing.

I used to spoon feed mine until they could do it themselves. It was easy to pick up the clues that they'd had enough and stop offering the spoon, and there was no chance of overfeeding them.

All three of them, now in their late teens & early twenties are long & skinny and always have been.

I think some people must have much less expressive babies! None of mine would let me feed them when they were full. Unless you are shoving a spoon against their obvious wishes, I think it's fine.

Let's not add anxiety to mums!

Mainly spoon feed with finger foods as snacks. No way could i over feed her, once she's done she's done and you'll know it, bats the spoon away amd clamps her jaw shut, she's 25th centil and has been since 6 weeks old

I don't understand how it works really

It's very clear when a baby doesn't want any more. They stop eating. Dd1 was spoon fed along side finger foods when she didnt want any more she refused to open her mouth. Last time she was weighed and measured a few weeks ago she was a healthy weight.

Dd2 refused to he spoon fed and she's a chunkier build than her sister (although still a healthy weight)

All depends on what you feed them doesn't it?

You can puree potato chicken and carrot but you can also puree sticky toffee pudding cream ice cream and banana.

You can let them feed themselves strips of meat and cucumber sticks. And they cab feed themselves cream cakes crisps and chocolate.

I can only speak from experience; two eldest were spoon-fed home made purées when weaned, youngest was 'baby-led' (all from 6 months), given the same food we were eating (chunks of fruit, veg, meat and dairy). None are overweight, but the youngest definitely has the best relationship with food; is more willing to try new foods and will leave food when full, even if it's something she's enjoying like ice cream or chocolate.
Could be coincidence but I do believe that breastfeeding and baby led weaning are more in tune with natural cycles and appetites; I remember all my bottle feeding friends being obsessed with how many ounces they'd had, and likewise those with jars seemed to fixate on getting extra spoonfuls in, whereas with BF & BLW you can't/don't keep track of amounts, just follow cues from baby (and if they're thriving you don't need to know how much they have at each feed). It just all felt a more natural approach to food, so would make sense in relation to the study.

Totally agree with the above. BLW and breastfeeding are the best methods for feeding babies imo. Obvious disclaimer! Doesn't mean that everyone can/wants do it and that it is the only way to a healthy baby.
It does allow them to self regulate intuitively in a way that no other method does. Essentially all good eating habits are around listening to your body and responding. We become very disconnected from that as we're fed by others.

I was (FF then) spoon fed and I'm a skinny Minnie
DD (BF) refused to be spoon fed, so we fell into BLW, she's a skinny Minnie too
She's a bit better at self-regulation than I am, she is a very intuitive eater and just knows when she's hungry, or when she's had enough. She'll frequently refuse "treat" food, because she's not hungry
Interesting...

I can't see behind the paywall

Is there any evidence / research complete or is this someone trying to sell yet another baby book based on their own POV?

I've had a look behind the paywall and yes, the article is promoting a book. I'd cut & paste but it's probably not allowed.

Spoon fed was how most mothers in the 1970s fed their babies and I had no one in my school even overweight, let alone obese as is so common these days. My four children were all spoon fed and they are all healthy weights, never over weight. The problems not the spoon. The problem is what's on it!!!

I agree to a point that it's the food Mummabear, but as a bottle fed and spoon fed child of the 70's, my siblings and I were active kids who were skinny because we weren't over-fed (there wasn't the money for constant streams of food, and we were expected to eat what was on our plate).

Once we were a bit more affluent and made those decisions for ourselves we are all overweight and my siblings and I don't know when to stop-we eat what is there and keep going to an empty plate, which I think is mainly due to the attitude of not wasting back in the 70's & 80's, but starts with babies being gently coerced into having more and more.

My mom says it was all about filling us up-rusk added to bottles, extra spuds etc. it's understandable as that's what the advice was, and if money was tight you wanted kids to eat everything given so they weren't hungry later on.

I definitely think it's contributed to my unhealthy relationship to food-at 41 I'm trying to learn how to not overeat and leave food on my plate, rather than power through and end up feeling stuffed!

It's all bollocks. Especially the claims about BLW being better eaters... I ebfd until weaning (still bfing now at 19mo). I didn't do BLW because a) ds gagged and vomited for a long long time, b) I wanted to know how much he was eating and c) I hate the mess BLW creates. Funnily enough (or not as the case may be), my son eats when he wants, as much as he wants, and plenty of variety (moules mariniere is the latest favourite). I'm relaxed about food, and so is my son. It's nothing to do with method of feeding. I wasn't ebf and I was spoon fed - I'm in my 40s, never been overweight and like eating lots and lots. Same goes for my parents. And so on and so on.