Responsive Feeding Practices to Promote Healthy Diets: A Mixed Method Study among Low-Income Caregivers with Toddlers.

Responsive feeding (RF), the reciprocal feeding approach between caregiver and child that promotes child health, is understudied among low-income caregivers. This mixed methods study with low-income caregivers of 12-to-36-month-olds aimed to (1) assess variability in RF and associations with children's dietary intake, and (2) explore caregivers' perceptions of RF. Caregivers ( = 134) completed an online survey with RF questions ( = 25), grouped into environmental (meal environment, caregiver modeling, caregiver beliefs) and child (self-regulation, hunger/satiety cues, food for reward, food acceptance) influences scores.

Healthy Snacks and Drinks for Toddlers: A Qualitative Study of Caregivers' Understanding of Expert Recommendations and Perceived Barriers to Adherence.

Background: Despite expert recommendations, most toddlers consume sugary drinks and more sweet and salty snack foods than fruits and vegetables as snacks. Studies have examined toddler caregivers' reasons for providing sugary drinks, but few have examined the reasons for providing nutritionally poor snack foods.

Methods: Researchers conducted focus groups in one low-income community to assess caregivers' familiarity, understanding and attitudes regarding healthy drink and snack recommendations for toddlers.