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- Title
The association between baby care books that promote strict care routines and infant feeding, night‐time care, and maternal–infant interactions.
- Authors
Harries, Victoria; Brown, Amy
- Abstract
Baby care books that promote strict infant care routines are popular, but little research has considered their impact upon maternal infant care behaviours. We explored whether mothers who have read these books guide their infant care behaviours based on their concepts and how this is associated with infant feeding, night‐time care, and response to infant's needs. Three hundred and fifty‐four U.K. mothers with a baby aged 0–12 months completed an online questionnaire exploring use of baby care books, motivations for use, whether guidance was followed, and infant care behaviours. Mothers who read the books were drawn to them for information about how to settle their infant, infant sleep, and infant feeding behaviour. Those who read the books were less likely to breastfeed, feed responsively, have their infant sleep in the same room, cuddle their infant to sleep, or respond promptly to infant cries. Although the causality between reading these books and care cannot be determined through this study design, and is likely bidirectional with some reading the books to confirm existing preferences, around 25–40% of mothers noted the information determined their care decisions. Regardless of specific causal pathways, there is an association between these books and behaviours that go against infant feeding and responsive care recommendations. Understanding what drives mothers to follow these books and increasing support for new mothers in these areas is important. The findings will be important for those supporting mothers in the perinatal period in starting conversations around responsive infant care.
- Subjects
UNITED Kingdom; EDUCATION of mothers; BOOKS; BREASTFEEDING; CRYING in children; DECISION making; HOSPITAL night care; INFANT psychology; INFANT care; INFANT nutrition; MOTHERHOOD; MOTIVATION (Psychology); PARENT-infant relationships; PARENTING; QUESTIONNAIRES; SLEEP; ATTITUDES of mothers; DATA analysis software; DESCRIPTIVE statistics
- Publication
Maternal & Child Nutrition, 2019, Vol 15, Issue 4, pN.PAG
- ISSN
1740-8695
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1111/mcn.12858