Health & Parenting

Obesity Linked to Poor Mother-Toddler Bond

Can Proper Parenting Prevent Child Obesity? continued...

It’s never too early to start developing these skills.

Alan Delamater, PhD, is a professor of pediatrics and psychology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. He says the study findings "add to our knowledge about what can affect whether kids become overweight or obese.”

The new study results make sense given the prevalence of obesity in preschoolers, he says.

What is missing is the “black box,” he says. “We need to figure out how the early mother-child relationship affects risk for becoming overweight or obese.”

“It is likely that these children begin eating to soothe themselves starting at very young ages,” Delamater says. “We know that packing on excess weight or fat at an early age makes someone more likely to be overweight or obese as they grow up.”