How food parenting practices unfold in daily life: a latent transition analysis of stability and change across nine days

Abstract Background Food parenting practices (FPP) are typically studied as general individual behaviors, limiting understanding of how practices co-occur and fluctuate in daily life. We examined the daily structure and temporal dynamics of FPP by identifying latent patterns of daily practices, testing whether these patterns remained consistent across 9 days, estimating transitions between patterns, and exploring correlates of pattern membership and transitions. Methods Parents ( n = 306; mean age = 40 years; 60% mothers) of 2.5-6-year-olds completed a baseline survey on demographics and child eating behaviors, followed by nine daily diary assessments measuring seven FPP constructs with 13 validated and reliable items. Latent Class and Transition Analyses were used to identify daily FPP patterns, test longitudinal measurement invariance, estimate day-to-day transitions, and examine correlates of initial pattern membership, total time in each pattern, number of switches between patterns, and timing of first switch. Results Two time-invariant latent patterns emerged, indicating consistent pattern meaning across days: Supportive Guidance (45%), characterized by co-occurring structured and autonomy-promoting FPP and low use of controlling FPP, and Basic Structure (55%), defined mainly by consistent use of meal routines and rules and limits, but low use of both autonomy-promoting and controlling FPP. Transition probabilities indicated substantial stability, with parents more likely to remain in the same pattern from one day to the next than to switch patterns (81%-91% remained in Supportive Guidance and 79%-95% remained in Basic Structure ). Switching was modest and asymmetrical, with more transitions from Basic Structure to Supportive Guidance than the reverse. Parents of children with higher fruit and vegetable intake had higher odds of beginning in Supportive Guidance , particularly mothers. Parents with higher household income had lower odds of beginning in Supportive Guidance and spent less time in this pattern overall. Greater instability was associated with older parent age and lower child food responsiveness and fruit and vegetable intake. No correlates emerged for timing of first switch. Conclusions Daily FPP were organized into two meaningful, time-invariant configurations that reflected both stability and flexibility, suggesting that FPP are stable but not static. Findings highlight the value of intensive longitudinal, person-centered approaches for capturing how FPP configurations unfold in daily life.