Children may become fat because their mothers are anxious or weak-willed.
Experts in Norway claim that babies with mothers who have a negative view of the world are more likely to be fed sweets and junk food because their parent cannot cope with complaints about healthy food.
If the youngster cries or throws a tantrum when faced with fruit and vegetables, the mother’s low stress threshold means she is more likely to give in and feeds them fatty foods, the research showed.
The finding suggests the child health advice given to poor mothers should also be directed at women with negative attitudes.
