Tackling Overfeeding in Infants and Discovering the Short- and Long-term Effects, Including Obesity

Everyday one passes young infants, seeing within the children many different faces, bodies, and shapes. Some are tiny and skinny; others are pudgy and fat. The pudgy ones often receive labels, such as “marshmallow kid” or “Michelin tire baby”. Meant in fun, the givers of these labels do not know what effects the infant will experience later in life, effects that are much more dangerous than labeling. Overfeeding causes the “marshmallow effect” on the infant. It is necessary for parents to discover what overfeeding entails, what the immediate effects are on their infant, and what long-term effects could occur throughout the infant’s life.

The definition of an overweight infant, as given by C.S.  Mott Children’s Hospital, is “a baby who gains weight far out of proportion to his growth in height”(Schmitt B.D.). These infants have the “rolls” on their body or the “marshmallow effect”; this look is not very healthy for these children, even if it does make them look “cute”. These infants can be seen anywhere, and come from many different cultures. An overweight body in an infant is directly connected to overfeeding by the parents.