Author Identifier (ORCID)
Abstract
Food is more than its nutritional components. It brings people together, and connects us to family, culture, and heritage. The development of eating habits and relationships with food begins in infancy and continues across the lifespan. Echoing the theme of Metallica’s 72 Seasons, which was being toured in Australia when this work was presented, experiences during the early years may shape later patterns of behaviour and identity. This can include mindsets around food and eating. This review aims to explore how early life parent/caregiver feeding practices may impact this development of children’s eating behaviours. A respectful and responsive approach to feeding interactions from the outset supports the establishment of calm and enjoyable mealtimes. This type of approach encompasses trust in the infants cues of hunger and satiety, and provides a clear and predictable mealtime environment. In addition, bribery, coercion and pressure are avoided, so that self-regulation is not undermined. This work highlights the central role of the parent–child relationship in shaping long-term eating behaviours. Our ongoing research on a Respectful Approach to parenting, based on the Resources for Infant Educarers (RIE) philosophy (focused on parents and children aged 0-2 years) aims to explore effects of respectful, responsive feeding in everyday family life. Eating habits are shaped not just by what we eat, but how we eat and who we eat with.
Keywords
child, eating behaviour, healthy eating, parent, relationship
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of Publication
1-1-2026
E-ISSN
14752719
ISSN
00296651
Publication Title
Proceedings of the Nutrition Society
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
School
Nutrition and Health Innovation Research Institute / School of Medical and Health Sciences
Funding Information
The Respectful Approach parenting project is supported by the Channel 7 Telethon Trust and the Royal Perth Hospital Research Foundation.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
O’Sullivan, T. A., & Di Candilo, K. G. (2026). Nothing else matters: Why relationships may be key to establishing healthy eating behaviours in young children. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0029665126105369