The World Health Organization and Health Canada recommend that babies receive breastmilk for the first six months and then introduce complementary or family foods along with continued breastfeeding. A new study published in the journal Pediatrics lends support to that advice, especially for bottle-fed infants. Those babies who were introduced to solid foods before four months of age were 6.3 times more likely to be obese when they were three years of age.
The researchers state that it is not clear why the introduction of solids before four months appeared to make such a significant difference for the formula-fed babies. According to Dr. Susanna Y. Huh, the lead researcher, “mothers of infants who are breast-fed may better understand and recognize their babies hunger and satiety cues. Mothers of formula-fed infants may not recognize these as well.”
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