I'll Never Give Up: A Qualitative Study of Caregivers' Perceptions and Decisional Processes When Feeding Infants and Toddlers Novel and Disliked Foods

Objective: To better understand caregivers' decisional processes related to offering novel and disliked foods to their infants and toddlers. Design: As part of a parent study on young children's food acceptance that took place in Denver, CO, this secondary analysis used a basic qualitative approach to explore caregivers' decisional processes related to repeated exposure and children's food rejection. Participants: English-speaking caregivers of infants and toddlers (aged 6 - 24 months; n = 106) were recruited via flyers and social media and interviewed (from July, 2017 to January, 2018) during a laboratory visit focused on introducing a novel food. Phenomenon of Interest: Factors influencing caregiver decisions to (dis)continue offering novel or disliked foods. Analysis: Using a combined deductive and inductive coding approach, trained researchers coded transcripts and codes, which were reviewed and discussed by all investigators to identify themes. Results: Three major themes (and 2 subthemes) were generated regarding caregivers' decisions about re-offering rejected foods: 1) Caregivers understand that multiple experiences with new foods are needed because children's reactions can be unpredictable and depend upon time, developmental stage, and child traits; 2) Caregivers vary in their persistence and decisions to keep offering foods depending on responsiveness to child cues (sub-theme) and adult-centered beliefs, needs, and decisions (sub-theme); 3) Child food acceptance will change with time, circumstances, and development if you keep trying. Conclusions and Implications: Although caregivers are aware of repeated exposure, additional implementation research focused on translating theory into effective home practices could assist caregivers to persist in offering novel or disliked foods.