How (not) to feed young children: A class-cultural analysis of food parenting practices

What makes a good mother? Two decades of research reflecting social norms of motherhood

Over the past two decades, scholars have investigated a multitude of different aspects of motherhood. This article provides a scoping review of research published from 2001 to 2021, covering 115 Social Science Citation Index-referenced papers from WEIRD countries, with the aim of reconstructing social norms around motherhood and mothers' responses to them. The analysis is theoretically based on normological and praxeological concepts. The findings reveal five contemporary norms of motherhood that reflect both stability and increasing differentiation, and are related to five types of mothers: the norms of being attentive to the child (present mother), of securing the child's successful development (future-oriented mother), of integrating employment into mothering (working mother), of being in control (public mother), and of being contented (happy mother). Relying on an intersectional lens, we analyze mothers' heterogeneous responses to these norms of motherhood, and examine how neoliberal demands build on and perpetuate inequalities.

Parental Feeding Practices in Families Experiencing Food Insecurity: A Scoping Review

Parental feeding practices and styles influence child diet quality and growth. The extent to which these factors have been assessed in the context of disadvantage, particularly household food insecurity (HFI), is unknown. This is important, as interventions designed to increase responsive practices and styles may not consider the unique needs of families with HFI. To address this gap, a scoping review of studies published from 1990 to July 2021 in three electronic databases was conducted. A priori inclusion criteria were, population: families with children aged 0–5 years experiencing food insecurity and/or disadvantage; concept: parental feeding practices/behaviours/style; and context: high income countries. The search identified 12,950 unique papers, 504 full-text articles were screened and 131 met the inclusion criteria. Almost all the studies (91%) were conducted in the United States with recruitment via existing programs for families on low incomes. Only 27 papers assessed feeding practices or styles in the context of HFI. Of the eleven interventions identified, two assessed the proportion of participants who were food insecure. More research is required in families outside of the United States, with an emphasis on comprehensive and valid measures of HFI and feeding practices. Intervention design should be sensitive to factors associated with poverty, including food insecurity.