Babies: 0 to 1 year

Jump to: Babies: 0 to 1 year | [XREF {1172604_3} {Toddlers: 1 to 3 years}] | [XREF {1172604_4} {Preschoolers: 3 to 5 years}] | [XREF {1172604_5} {Schoolkids: 5 and up}]

Eating well Nursing reduces the risk of obesity in later childhood and beyond. Not only do compounds in breast milk help regulate appetite and body fat, but breastfed babies also take in only as much as they need, and milk production adjusts accordingly.

For a bottle-fed baby, resist the urge to encourage him to finish that last ounce  -- whether it's formula or expressed breast milk  -- after he's signaled he's full. And whether you're nursing or bottle-feeding, don't automatically feed your baby every time he cries, says Dr. Neufeld: "Sometimes all he needs is attention."

Nor should you rush solids. While it's acceptable to start as early as 4 months, it may be best to wait until 6 months  -- especially if your baby's a little heavy to start with. When you do start, don't invite him into the clean-plate club. "When he turns his head away, the meal's over," says Christine Wood, M.D., the author of How to Get Kids to Eat Great and Love It!

Getting active Infancy is a critical time for new brain-muscle connections, but all you need to provide are soft, safe toys and an unrestricted space, such as a five- by seven-foot rug, where your baby can safely roll over, push and pull up, sit, crawl, and play movement games like patty-cake with you. (But don't force his body into extreme positions, such as feet over head.) "I put Samantha, who's nine months old, where she can watch her older siblings playing," says Anna Toma, of Monmouth Junction, New Jersey. "I can tell by the way her eyes light up and her arms go up in the air that she's going to be right in there running around with them as soon as she can."

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