Maternal early caring beliefs and infant giving gestures: a study of mother-infant interactions in Israel

Objective This study aimed to explore the role of caregiving beliefs among Israeli mothers by focusing on infants’ communicative gestures and mothers’ contingent responses, rather than solely on maternal attention.Method Mothers completed the Baby Care Questionnaire, which assesses maternal caregiving beliefs, and home visits were conducted to observe infants’ gesture production and maternal response patterns at 11 and 13 months of age.Results Israeli mothers endorsed more structured than attuned caregiving beliefs. At 11 months, attuned caregiving beliefs were linked to fewer typical giving gestures and more gestures contingent on exploration, as well as more frequent maternal responses overall and fewer motor-only responses. Conversely, structured caregiving beliefs correlated with lower overall maternal responsiveness at 11 months. Over time, there were no significant changes in infants’ gesture frequency or type between 11 and 13 months. At 13 months, several associations between caregiving beliefs and both infants’ gestures and maternal responses remained significant, though the overall pattern was less consistent and should be interpreted with caution.Conclusion The findings suggest that maternal caregiving beliefs are associated with early mother-infant communication, especially at 11 months. The 13-month results provide more limited evidence, highlighting the need for careful interpretation and further research.