During early childhood, your child learns how to walk, talk and behave by watching your actions and listening to your words. But when it comes to eating, does your weight and body size make a difference in how you feed your child?

In general, say London researchers published in the journal Obesity Research, a parent's weight doesn't influence family eating styles. They conducted a study comparing the family feeding styles of normal weight mothers to obese mothers and examined mothers' control over their children's eating, whether the mothers used food as a reward, how much the mothers encouraged and prompted their children to eat and whether the mothers encouraged eating in response to emotions.

Obese moms were no more likely than normal weight moms to offer food to their children during emotional distress, to use food as a reward or to encourage their children to eat more than they wanted. However, the obese mothers did report that they had less control over their children's food intake.

If you're an obese or overweight parent, you're not alone - recruit your family to be your ally in healthy living. Make good eating a family affair by food shopping for fruits, vegetables and whole grains together. If your physician or dietitian has recommended that you reduce fat or sodium intake, your family can benefit, too. Look for family-friendly recipes that you can cook together that fit your new lifestyle.

Related information Weight Management

Sources:  Wardle J, Sanderson S, Guthrie CA, Rapoport L, Plomin R. Parental feeding style and the inter-generational transmission of obesity risk. Obesity Research 2002 Jun;10(6):453-62.