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Updated: Oct 1, 2025

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Differences in sibling temperament are associated with differences in maternal use of food to soothe during infancy:

Cara F Ruggiero1, Michele E Marini1, Clare H Llewellyn2

  • 1Center for Childhood Obesity Research, Department of Nutritional Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA.

Pediatric Obesity
|March 4, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Firstborns are more prone to obesity, partly due to mothers using food to soothe (FTS) distress more with them. This study links maternal FTS to infant temperament and later weight status.

Area of Science:

  • Child development
  • Pediatric obesity
  • Maternal psychology

Background:

  • Firstborn children exhibit higher obesity rates compared to secondborns.
  • Differential use of food to soothe (FTS) infant distress is a potential contributing factor to weight status differences.
  • Understanding the role of maternal FTS in early childhood development is crucial for addressing obesity trends.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between birth order and maternal FTS.
  • To examine if maternal FTS differences correlate with sibling temperament and body mass index (BMI) z-scores.
  • To explore the relationship between maternal FTS and infant behavioral and weight outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • Random effect models were employed to assess birth order and FTS associations.
  • Linear regressions analyzed the link between maternal FTS differences and sibling temperament at 16 weeks.
  • BMI z-scores at 1 year were analyzed in relation to maternal FTS differences.

Main Results:

  • Mothers utilized contextual-based FTS more frequently with firstborns than secondborns (p < 0.0001).
  • Sibling differences in negative affect and effortful control were associated with maternal contextual-based and emotion-based FTS.
  • Maternal emotion-based FTS differences correlated with sibling BMI z-scores at 1 year (R² = 0.14, p = 0.006).

Conclusions:

  • Maternal FTS practices vary by birth order and are linked to infant temperament.
  • Interventions promoting alternative soothing strategies may help mitigate childhood obesity risks.
  • Tailoring responses to individual child temperament is key for healthy weight development.
Abstract

Keywords:
obesity preventionparent feeding practicesresponsive parentingsiblingstemperament

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