Mindful Parenting and Toddlers' Food Responsiveness: The Role of Controlling Feeding Practices

Authors

• Qingyu Jiang, University of IdahoFollow
• Holly Wilhite, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
• Natalie A. Williams, Madonna Rehabilitation HospitalsFollow
• Dipti A. Dev, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
• Caron A. C. Clark, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
• Pearl Avari, The University of KansasFollow
• Sarah B. Ladd, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

Volume

64

Issue

1

Abstract

Controlling feeding practices may negatively impact children's eating behaviors. Mindful parenting may offer a promising way to reduce the use of these practices. This study examined the mediating role of pressuring children to eat and using food as a reward in the association between mindful parenting and toddlers' food responsiveness. Results indicated that higher levels of mindful parenting were associated with lower pressuring to eat, which was related to lower food responsiveness in toddlers. The results may inform Extension professionals providing mindfulness strategies for mothers of young children to improve feeding practices, ultimately reducing children's unhealthful eating behaviors.

Authors’ Contribution Statement

QJ: Conceptualization, Analysis, Writing–original draft, Writing–reviewing and editing. HW: Conceptualization, Analysis, Writing–reviewing and editing. NAW: Writing–reviewing and editing, Project administration, Funding acquisition. DAD, CACC, PA, & SBL: Writing–reviewing and editing.

Data Availability

The data are not publicly available due to privacy/ethical restrictions, as they contain information that could compromise the privacy of research participants.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Jiang, Q., Wilhite, H., Williams, N., Dev, D., Clark, C., Avari, P., & Ladd, S. (2026). Mindful Parenting and Toddlers' Food Responsiveness: The Role of Controlling Feeding Practices. Journal of Extension, 64(1), Article 19. https://doi.org/10.66752/1077-5315.5184