Children's Self-Regulation in Eating: Associations with Inhibitory Control and Parents' Feeding Behavior

OBJECTIVE: Children who self-regulate while eating and children who show high global self-regulation abilities, such as inhibitory control, are less likely to be overweight than children who do not show the same capacities for self-regulation. This study examined the association between child self-regulation in eating and inhibitory control, and investigated whether self-regulation is related to parents' restrictive feeding practices. METHOD: Sixty-three parents reported on their 3- to 9-year-old children's self-regulation in eating, inhibitory control, and their own feeding practices. RESULTS: Self-regulation in eating and inhibitory control were positively correlated, r = .54. Self-regulation in eating predicted parents' use of restrictive feeding practices above and beyond children's inhibitory control and parents' concerns about their children's weight, p < .01. CONCLUSIONS: When parents believed their children could self-regulate, they used less restrictive feeding practices. Because restriction can compromise self-regulatory abilities, early interventions should teach parents about children's nascent abilities in this domain.