The strengths and limitations
The strengths of this study lies in its qualitative longitudinal nature,
which allowed us to prospectively gain a deeper understanding of
responsive feeding practices overtime. The use of direct observation
provided an opportunity to capture verbal and non-verbal context of
behavioral dynamics during feeding that were important yet not captured
through self-report interviews. Nevertheless, the study suffered from a
number of limitations. Mothers might have answered or modified their
feeding practices in ways that they felt were more desirable during the
observations due to our presence. We minimized reactivity by having
established a sense of rapport and trust with mothers in the first five
months of child’s life during the exploration of exclusive breastfeeding
practices. We believe that the effect of reactivity would have been
minimal as mothers were exposed to repeated interviews and observations
before they were recorded and observed (at birth, first week, 4
months).More research is needed to explore the association between
behavioral factors in complementary feeding and children’s nutrient
intake.