More than one out of every three mothers feed their infants solid foods too soon, according to a study published in the journal Pediatrics.
The study, conducted by researchers at the CDC, surveyed 1,334 mothers, 40% of whom said that they gave their babies solid foods before the age of four months. Conversely, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends not feeding babies solid foods until the age of four months.
"When a baby is ready to start eating food, he will put his hands in his mouth, and you will see him actually making chewing motions," Dr. T J Gold, a pediatrician with Tribeca Pediatrics in Brooklyn, told the New York Times. "At 2, 3 months, they can't even hold their heads up well, and they can't sit," making it difficult, if not dangerous, to put solid food in their mouths.
According to the CDC, feeding infants solids too soon in life can lead to diabetes, obesity, eczema and celiac disease. It also deprives them of essential nutrients found in breast milk at a crucial stage in their growth.
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