Objective: To describe the development and evaluation of an observation system to assess the process of mother-infant feeding interaction relevant to infant neuro-behavioral regulation: the Mother-Infant Feeding Tool.
Design: Secondary analysis.
Setting: Special care nursery just before discharge and in the home at 1 and 4 months postterm age.
Participants: Forty-three mother-infant dyads.
Methods: Videotaped feeding interactions were examined to assess regulatory processes of mother-infant interaction. Data were collected at three times over the infant's first 4 postterm months: before the infant's discharge from the special care nursery and at 1 and 4 months postterm age in the home.
Results: Across all three data points mothers rarely talked to their infants.
Conclusion: Further testing is needed, but the Mother-Infant Feeding Tool shows promise in assessing very early mother-infant feeding interactions.