Skimping on Sleep

16 Surprising Ways You're Making Your Kid Fat

Heavy kids are tipping the scales at alarming weights. Here's how you might be adding to their pudge without even knowing it (17 Photos)

Holly Pevzner on Jan 19, 2012 at 5:31PM

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a Holly Pevzner on Jan 17, 2012 at 10:59AM

With dinner times getting pushed back to the end of a parent's work day and an increasing amount of screen time, it's easy to let a child's bedtime slide later and later so that it meshes with your work schedule. But when babies and preschoolers clock less than 10 hours of sleep per night, they're at a significantly higher risk for future obesity, according to a report in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. Not getting enough Zzs can affect brain regions that regulate metabolism -- something that even a nap in the afternoon can't help.