Creating supportive environments for responsive infant feeding in Australian early childhood education and care

Responsive infant and young child feeding (IYCF) in formal early childhood education and care (ECEC) is integral to optimal child development and health outcomes. This research explored supportive environments for and educator perspectives on implementing responsive feeding in Australian ECEC settings. Data was collected from 19 Queensland long day care and family day care services through professional conversations with 124 educators, semi-structured interviews with service leaders and environmental audits using NAP SAAC survey tool and images. Services covered metropolitan, regional, high and low socioeconomic areas. The Framework method enabled inductive thematic and deductive analysis using Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model. Qualitative analysis identified themes 1) educator knowledge, efficacy and agency, 2) environment and 3) monitoring/surveillance as key factors affecting collective system support of responsive feeding and infant agency. The study highlights the importance of enabling leadership within services, educator knowledge of IYCF and efficacy working with perceived system barriers to provide optimal ECEC environments for responsive IYCF. Results elucidate the need for policy leadership to ensure IYCF visibility in national policies and guidance and adequate pre-service and on-the-job-training on responsive feeding. Achieving best practice in IYCF also requires strengthening educator self-efficacy working with parents in supporting responsive feeding for developing infant agency.