An examination of factors believed to be associated with infantile obesity.

Forty-two normal (25th to 75th percentiles of weight for age) and 47 "obese" (above the 90th percentile) infants, 4 to 9 months of age, were compared with regard to energy and macronutrient intake, breast-feeding history, age of introduction of solids, and maternal reliance on external feeding cues. The study failed to reveal characteristic group differences. The current stereotype of the obese infant as one who is overfed, is given solids very young, is not breast fed, and whose mother is not responsive to his satiety signals is challenged. As a result, the nature of current group counseling for the prevention of infantile obesity is questioned.