A new study published in the International Journal of Obesity has found that toddlers have a much higher chance of becoming obese if they eat do not get enough sleep.

Granted, the study did not take into account an incredibly large sample group as only around 1,300 British families participated. However, the study was important in that it was one that covered an area that does not get researched as much as many believe it should; the study is the first to look at the link between amount of sleep to calorie intake among people who are not yet 3 years of age.

"We know that shorter sleep in early life increases the risk of obesity, so we wanted to understand whether shorter sleeping children consume more calories," Dr. Abi Fisher said in a release from the Health Behavior research Center at the University College of London.

"Previous studies in adults and older children have shown that sleep loss causes people to eat more, but in early life parents make most of the decisions about when and how much their children eat, so young children cannot be assumed to show the same patterns," Fisher added.

Tam Fry of the National Obesity Forum indicated that it is common for adults to just feed their child to keep them happier, but it doesn't mean it is a good thing to do.

"When adults don't get enough sleep they snack more and feed themselves with comfort food. It's slightly different with babies but they become irritable so parents give them more food to soothe them believing it's an act of love."

What do you think about this study? Do you think there needs to be deeper research into this area or are these results satisfactory? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.