Many parents believe that a chubby baby is a healthy baby, but this may not necessarily be the case.

In fact, a new study shows that many moms are oblivious to the fact that their babies are actually overweight, which could be setting the stage for obesity later in life.

The study found that nearly 70% of moms misjudged the size of their toddlers. Moms of overweight babies were found to be 88% less likely to view their kids as overweight when compared to normal-sized children.

Erin R. Hager, assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, studied how 281 moms viewed their child's body size and published her findings in the May issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

"Most of the moms were inaccurate in knowing their child's true body size, but were highly satisfied with their child's size," said Hager. "This is not good if the child is already at a healthy weight or overweight."

Chubby babies are much more likely to become obese adults, especially if parents don't see an issue with their weight. Childhood obesity has tripled in the US since the 1970s.

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