Fussy babies could be at a higher risk of obesity: Study

Researchers from the University of Buffalo found that children who take longer to recover from being distressed respond more to food as a reward than children who calm down quicker, possibly leading to an increased risk of being overweight or obese in later life.

For the study the team recruited 105 babies between nine to 18 months old and taught the infants to press a button in order to earn a reward.

The reward was either a piece of their favorite food or ten seconds of a non-food reward, such as blowing bubbles, watching a DVD or listening to music.

As the task progressed it became more and more difficult for the children as they had to press the button more times to earn the reward.

The team assessed how much "work" children were willing to do in order to gain their reward by counting the number of times the child was willing to press the button.

The team also assessed the children's temperaments by asking parents to complete an online questionnaire which rated babies' "cuddliness" by asking questions such as, "When being held, how often did your baby pull away or kick?" and "While being fed on your lap, how often did your baby snuggle even after they were done?"

The team found that babies with a high cuddliness rating, who would calm down from crying or being upset quickly, were more willing to work for non-food alternatives than they were for food.

However, babies who rated lower on the cuddliness scale and who took longer to calm down were more willing to work harder when the reward was food.

First author of the study Kai Ling Kong believes the findings could be useful in helping researchers to identify ways to encourage healthier diets among young children, and provide an insight for parents as to how they can intervene.

"Using rewards other than food, such as a trip to the playground or engaging in active play with their parents, may help reduce their child's tendency to find pleasure in food," said Kong. Other rewards might include toys and time with playmates.

Kong also added that parents can also promote healthier eating by acting as a model of healthy eating behaviors for their children, by noticing when children are full to avoid making them overeat, and by not turning straight to food as a way to comfort a crying or fussing child.