Complementary Feeding Approach and Maternal Communicative Functions During Mealtimes in 12-Month-Old Infants

The literature on alternative approaches to complementary feeding, especially Baby-Led Weaning (a complementary feeding approach in which infants participate in family meals and eat finger food independently), has gradually increased in recent years. The present study aims to investigate whether there is a relation between the complementary feeding approach chosen by parents (Baby-Led Weaning or Parent-Led Weaning, in which infants are fed puréed food on a spoon) and maternal communicative functions produced during a typical meal. We analyzed the transcripts of mother-infant interactions occurring during mealtimes of 136 12-month-old typically developing infants, by means of a validated coding scheme that allows to identify five different communicative functions (Tutorial, Didactic, Conversational, Control and Asynchronous). The results highlighted a slightly different pattern of communicative style depending on the feeding method adopted by the parents (BLW vs. PLW). In particular, mothers of infants exposed to the PLW approach used the Tutorial function more often than mothers of infants exposed to the BLW method. The two groups did not differ in their use of the other functions. The implications for the promotion of healthy eating behaviors within family interactive contexts are discussed.