What is Responsive feeding and why is it so important?
Sep 30, 2024
In recent years, the concept of gentle parenting has gained much traction - and I am a big fan of this! (to say the least!!). I am a big fan of supporting our children, meeting them where they are at, promoting autonomy and focusing on strengths while also examining our own beliefs and traumas that we bring to the table as parents. As a parent myself, I actively strive to be patient, learn best practices to support my children, and often avoid the imbedded knee-jerk reaction based on the blueprint of my own childhood.
As a pediatric dietitian, and a parent - it has become quite obvious that so many parents are struggling to learn how to apply these concepts of gentle parenting to feeding their family. Concern of low intake (my kid's not eating enough!), limited variety (my kid only eats carbs!) - often push parents to the brink and have them relying on ways that may echo how they were perhaps fed as children.
Long, stressful and dreaded mealtimes become the norm.
Power struggles at the table are a daily occurrence.
Negotiations, tears, and shouting are utilized as last ditch efforts in parent's overwhelm to get their child to eat - amongst the background of worry and regret that often plagues parents.
So what's a parent to do? That's where responsive feeding comes in. Families integrate not only WHAT they feed their kids but HOW they feed their kids to align with the harmonious approach they strive for as parents.
In a recent article published in the Journal of Current Development of Nutrition, responsive feeding was defined as “feeding practices that encourage the child to eat autonomously and in response to physiological and developmental needs, which may encourage self-regulation in eating and support cognitive, emotional and social development”.7
So it's not only about knowing how much vitamin, calories, protein - but also how to feed our kids so that we can support best outcomes overall.
Effective responsive feeding interventions include components such as (1-6):
- nurturing parenting behaviours
- daily routines
- pleasant feeding environment
- promotion of developmentally appropriate self feeding
- emphasis on self - regulation with feeding cues.
Consistent responsive feeding approaches have been shown to support that children develop: healthier eating habits, self-regulation of food intake, lower emotional eating, and lower rates of malnutrition and more stable growth trajectory across the lifespan.
Remember it is never too late to try a new way 💛
~Brigitte
1. Boswell N. Complementary feeding methods - A review of the benefits and risks. Int J Environ Res Public Health [In- ternet]. 2021 Jul 4 [cited 2022 Jul 4];18(13). Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8297117/
2. Mallan K, Miller N. Effect of parental feeding practices (i.e., responsive feeding) on children’s eating behavior. Karger Publ [Internet]. 2019 [cited 2022 Jul 4];91:21–30. Available from: https://www.karger.com/Article/Ab- stract/493675
3. Morandi A, Tommasi M, Soffiati F, Destro F, Fontana L, Grando F, et al. Correction: Prevention of obesity in tod- dlers (PROBIT): A randomised clinical trial of responsive feeding promotion from birth to 24 months. Int J Obes [Internet]. 2020 Oct [cited 2022 Jul 5];44(10):2177–2177. Available from: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41366- 020-00651-y
4. Pang WW, McCrickerd K. The impact of feeding experiences during infancy on later child eating behaviours. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care [Internet]. 2021 May [cited 2022 Jul 5];24(3):246–51. Available from: https://journals. https://journals.lww.com/co-clinicalnutrition/Fulltext/2021/05000 The_impact_of_feeding_experiences_during_infancy.9.aspx
5. Pérez-Escamilla R, Segura-Pérez S. Can a pragmatic responsive feeding scale be developed and applied globally? Matern Child Nutr [Internet]. 2020 [cited 2022 Jul 5];16(3):e13004. Available from: https://onlinelibrary.wiley. com/doi/abs/10.1111/mcn.13004
6. Elfzzani Z, Kwok TC, Ojha S, Dorling J. Education of family members to support weaning to solids and nutrition in infants born preterm. Cochrane Database Syst Rev [Inter- net]. 2019 Feb 21 [cited 2022 Jul 5];2019(2). Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6384051/
7. Pérez-Escamilla et al., Responsive Feeding Recommendations: Harmonizing Integration into Dietary Guidelines for Infants and Young Children. CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS IN NUTRITION Journal of Maternal and Pediatric Nutrition. Published online April 30, 2021.
