INFLUENCES ON Infant Feeding: PERCEPTIONS OF MOTHER-FATHER PARENT DYADS

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine interrelational-, organizational-, and community-level influences on how coparents collaborate about infant and toddler feeding. Study Design and Sample: Using qualitative methods, we interviewed mother father parent dyads to explore the potential influences on infant and toddler feeding. Participants were purposively recruited from two Midwest, rural, university-system pediatric clinics. Thematic analysis was used to code the data. Measures: Mother father dyadic interviews were conducted using a semistructured interview schedule. Twenty-four mother father dyads who had a child between the ages of 6 and 36 months were interviewed together. Results: Major themes include interpersonal factors (peer behavior reinforcement, dyad and important others infant feeding conflict, conflict resolution proactiveness), organizational factors (healthcare provider infant-feeding support, workplace flexibility), and community factors (public perception on breasffeeding and social media influence). Clinical Implications: Community-based collaboration can be a platform for mother father dyads, researchers, public health nurses, and other healthcare providers to proactively create interventions that include opportunity for building coparenting skills and infant-feeding knowledge that promote team management of common early childhood feeding challenges.