Parenting Styles In Feeding
Connie Carr, COTA
Feeding young children is a fundamental part of their development, as it affects not only their physical growth but also their social and emotional well-being. The process of learning to eat involves acquiring oral motor skills, sensory processing, and the development of healthy mealtime behaviors. While feeding can be a positive and bonding experience for many families, some children face challenges that make eating difficult or stressful. These challenges can include but are not limited to picky eating, food refusal, sensory sensitivities, difficulty chewing, or aversive behaviors during meals.
How does parenting style affect feeding? At the heart of successful feeding is the caregiver-child relationship. Parenting styles, or the approach that caregivers take to nurture, guide, and discipline their children, play a significant role in shaping children’s eating behaviors and attitudes toward food. Different parenting styles can impact how children approach mealtimes, how they respond to new foods, and how they manage the social and emotional aspects of eating. Parents often balance maintaining healthy eating habits with the reality of children’s preferences and behaviors. Understanding the influence of parenting styles on feeding can help parents and caregivers create a supportive environment where children can develop healthy, lifelong relationships with food.
WHAT PARENTING STYLE ARE YOU?
Knowing your parenting style for feeding is important because it shapes your child’s mealtime experience and relationship with food. By understanding your approach, you can foster healthy eating habits, reduce mealtime stress, and encourage positive behaviors like trying new foods and sitting at the table.
Authoritative Parenting -High Demand + High Responsiveness Maintains clear leadership, limits, and boundaries and at the same time respects child’s opinions, desires, and capabilities and need for autonomy. e.g. parent uses praise to motivate healthy eating habits. Children are left to independently decide how much they will eat by listening to their hunger cues
Authoritarian Parenting - High Demand + Low Responsiveness “The clean plate club”. Caregivers encourage eating with directive, rule based demands. Does not consider child’s preferences or hunger level. e.g. child must eat according to rules and expectations. Parents demand children to “take another bite” or “finish their plate” leaving children afraid of parent or even of food.
Indulgent Parenting - Low Demand + High Responsiveness Caregivers encourage eating with minimal requests. Requests are non-directive and supportive. e.g. parent permits their child to decide what, when, and how they eat. Food is used as a reward for good behavior.
Uninvolved Parenting - Low Demand + Low Responsiveness- Caregivers make few demands on their child to eat. Demands are often unsupportive. Feeding/nutrition just isn’t important to parents. e.g. parent is disorganized/ few meal routines. Children could become insecure or uninterested in food like parents as they age
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
Research shows that parenting styles play a significant role in shaping children’s eating habits and overall dietary quality. The way parents structure mealtimes and approach feeding practices can either support or hinder their child's ability to develop healthy eating behaviors.
Authoritative Parenting: Associated with higher mealtime structure, which predicts better dietary quality in children. Parents with this style encourage healthy eating through supportive, non-directive practices, fostering better regulation of food intake and healthier diets (e.g., more fruits and vegetables). Authoritative parents reported using healthier feeding practices overall, emphasizing the role of structured, supportive mealtime practices in promoting a kids who were more secure and better at regulating their own hunger and consumption.
Authoritarian and Indulgent Parenting: Linked to lower mealtime structure, resulting in poorer dietary quality in children. These styles are associated with coercive control or lax feeding practices, which can lead to unhealthy eating behaviors (e.g., increased sweets and fats consumption) and difficulty in self-regulating food intake. These kids have a tough time self-regulating food intake. They may also over indulge or sneak food that is restricted at home.
HOW CAN I HELP MY CHILD? You make have guessed it, but research shows that the Authoritative Feeding Style is the best style for your children’s health. The Authoritative style provides a supportive environment allowing children to make healthy decisions when it comes to food. The parents are able to maintain boundaries and rules, but also engage their children to listen to their own bodies. When you remove the pressure, children are more adventurous and less likely to overindulge or sneak food. Children raised with this feeding style tend to make healthier choices, accept new foods easily and have a better relationship with food.
Information found at:
pediatricfeedingnews.com and brighthealthysmiles.com