Responsive Feeding Practices of Health Care Providers in the Pediatric Population: A Scoping Review

For children with pediatric feeding disorders (PFDs), mealtimes can be a major source of anxiety and stress. Responsive feeding refers to reciprocal nurturing feeding practices between caregiver and child that encourage healthy eating habits. Responsive feeding interventions have shown promise for increasing food intake, independence, and self-regulation in children with PFDs. In addition, responsive feeding can help caregivers understand a child’s signs of hunger or fullness and respond appropriately. Non-responsive feeding practices (e.g., strict behavioral guidelines and coercive practices) can override a child’s internal cues, decrease self-regulation and lead to unhealthy eating behaviors. This study explored existing literature on responsive feeding in pediatric feeding interventions. A scoping review methodological framework was used to summarize existing research and identify gaps in the literature. Descriptive statistics and qualitative analysis were used to analyze the data and report the results. Eight articles met the inclusion criteria for this study. Findings show responsive feeding interventions improve picky eating, food consumption, food exploration, and meal enjoyment in children. Conversely, children who experience non-responsive feeding interventions often show a decrease in the variety of foods they will accept in their diet. Allowing children to have more say in what they eat increases trust with caregivers while also improving overall food intake. Use of responsive feeding practices can reduce stress during mealtime to support the development of healthy eating habits for children and families. Additional research is needed to understand how different disciplines are utilizing responsive feeding and to develop guidelines for intervention.

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