Breastfed babies less likely to be picky eaters as toddlers

Breastfeeding exclusively for the first four to six months of infants' lives and delaying introduction of solid food until that time may help prevent picky eating behaviors and weight problems when children are preschoolers, according to a new study led by Juhee Kim, a professor of kinesiology and community health. Photo by L. Brian Stauffer CHAMPAIGN, Ill. Babies who are breastfed exclusively for their first six months of life may be less likely to become picky eaters as preschoolers, according to a recent study of 129 mothers and their children. Juhee Kim, a researcher at the University of Illinois, analyzed baseline survey data from the Synergistic Theory and Research on Obesity and Nutrition Group Kids (STRONG Kids) program to determine the implications of infant feeding practices on health behaviors and risks of obesity among 2- and 3-year-old preschool children. Children breastfed exclusively for their first six months were 81 percent less likely as preschoolers to reject food, 78 percent less likely to develop a preference for specific food-preparation methods, and 75 percent less likely to develop food neophobia - the fear of trying new foods, Kim found. Even infants who were breastfed exclusively only for their first three months were 59 percent less likely to develop a preference for specific food-preparation methods and were less likely to develop picky eating behaviors, demonstrating that "any amount of breastfeeding was better than nothing," said Kim, who is a professor in the department of kinesiology and community health.