A new study out finds a connection between quantity of infant sleep and likelihood of being obese at age three. While many studies have confirmed the link of lack of sleep and lbs gained in adults, this is the first study to link the two in infants.
The study came out today in The Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. Researchers report that infants who got less than 12 hours of sleep had a doubled increase of being obese at age three, and the effect was even stronger in infants who watched two or more hours of television daily. The researches took into account birth weight, the mother’s age and body mass, breast feeding duration and other variables.
So what can you do? Many experts agree on the following:
1. No TV in the bedroom
2. Establish a good nighttime routine (bottle, book, bed)
3. Have a consistent schedule and bedtime
4. White noise such as a fan, humidifier may help
Remember that babies sleep habits are determined more by individual temperment and you can' t always get them to sleep when and as long as you'd like. Technically 'sleeping through the night' is 5 hours of continuous sleep, so if they are getting naps, they can easily reach the 12 hour mark.
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