Babies Eat Better When Moms Are Wealthier, Better Educated
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iStock/Thinkstock(BUFFALO, N.Y.) — The quality of a baby’s diet largely hinges on the income and education of the child’s mother, according to researchers at the University of Buffalo.
Undertaking a two-year study, they analyzed the feeding practices of more than 1,500 families with infants aged six to 12 months.
More often than not, babies were fed nutrients in accordance with dietary guidelines endorsed by health and pediatric groups when the household income was over $60,000 or if the mother had at least some college. That included both solid foods and breastfeeding.
Meanwhile, infants from households earning $25,000 or less annually and where the mother had a high school diploma or less were more likely to eat diets higher in fat, sugar and protein that came from dairy and cereals.
Infants in the latter group are more susceptible to obesity and diabetes as they get older since dietary habits are difficult to change after the first year of a child’s life when a baby has developed a preference or even an addiction to certain foods, the UB researchers concluded.
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