Feeding Development, Father Involvement and Family Interactions: Comparison of Two Single-Cases

The aim of this study is to show the importance of the father’s role in child feeding development during the first years of a child’s life. However, it is important not to lose a triadic view, always considering the influence of the family as a whole. The characteristics of early feeding interactions between parents and child are essential for the child’s development of autonomy, so it is important to identify dysfunctional aspects of the relationship as soon as possible: father involvement is certainly important to support child feeding development. This paper aims to highlight, through the comparison of two single cases, how father involvement in feeding practices and family interactions during meals follow a common trend, with the two aspects changing simultaneously and influencing each other. Two different tools have been considered for assessment: one laboratory procedure, aimed to observe the feeding interactions between each parent and child, and a self-report questionnaire that evaluates the parents’ perceptions of father involvement. Results are cause of reflection for future in-depth studies on this innovative and important research area.