Introduction: Maternal feeding practices can shape a child’s ability to self-regulate food intake and impact upon the development of a healthy weight. This study examined whether use of a self-directed online ‘Mealtime Mindreading’ responsive feeding resource would influence the response to infant satiety cues. It was hypothesised that, due to parents being more able to recognise and respond to their infants’ satiety cues, fewer satiety cues would be displayed after parental engagement with the resource.
Method: Two mealtime observations took place within the participants’ homes for 19 mother-infant dyads (28-38 years, M= 31.3, SD= 2.8; 4-14 months, M= 8.8, SD= 2.9). Between each home visit (2-4 weeks) mothers were asked to engage with the resource via YouTube and to provide feedback regarding accessibility. Frequency of infant satiety cues, rate of acceptance, and gaze were analysed within each mealtime.
Results: Behavioural cues, such as turning the head away, were most frequently shown by infants. A statistically significant decrease was found in distraction cues from visit 1 to visit 2. Overall, a trend was observed for fewer satiety cues during visit 2, but no other statistically significant reductions were found with the category (i.e. behavioural or affective) of cues. A statistically significant decrease in rates of early acceptance was found between visits 1 and 2 for only the savoury part of the mealtime. A trend of fewer enforced acceptance and refusal responses were observed at visit 2. Responses within a debrief questionnaire provided positive feedback for the Mealtime Mindreading resource, alongside suggestions for future alterations.
Conclusion: Results from this initial feasibility assessment indicate that some small changes in distraction and early acceptance cues were found after use of the Mealtime Mindreading resource. Trends for changes to satiety cues were observed but a larger study needs to be conducted to provide sufficient power to assess the impact of the resource on responsive feeding.
