Tuning Into Affect and Appetite in Caregivers, and Its Association With Recognising and Responding to Infant Appetite Cues

Positive mealtime interactions shape infant eating patterns potentially promoting appetite regulation. This study investigated whether caregivers who "tune-in" to their own internal affect and appetite cues, can also recognise and respond to their infant's appetite cues via responsive feeding (RF). Caregivers (N = 445; mean age: 33.5 ± 4.7 years) with children aged 5-28 m participated in an online survey in August 2023. Caregivers' RF practices, mealtime emotions, eating traits, alexithymia (impaired capacity to identify and express emotions) and their infant's eating traits were administered using validated questionnaires. Recent mealtime experiences were described through an open-ended question. Caregivers who relied on interoceptive cues in eating scored high on recognising infant appetite cues (R² = 0.11, F(1, 396) = 5.40, p < 0.001). Whereas caregivers with alexithymia reported poorer ability to recognise infant appetite cues (R² = 0.12, F(7, 399) = 7.53, p < 0.001) and less positive mealtime emotions (R² = 0.12, F(7, 399) = 7.49, p < 0.001) compared to those without alexithymia. Caregivers' capacity to "tune-in" to their own internal satiation cues inversely mediated the relationship between caregivers' alexithymia and their recognition of infant mealtime appetite cues. Infant eating traits (Food Responsiveness and Satiety Responsiveness) were associated with parental use of food to calm. Overall, RF was associated with mealtime emotions, parental ability to "tune-in" to their own affect (alexithymia) and appetite, and child's appetitive traits. Developing caregiver's awareness and responsiveness to their own and their child's affect and appetite cues may promote RF practices.