This observational study addressed a critical gap in the understanding of the precursors of infant attachment by examining whether a new conceptualization of maternal caregiving behavior, secure base provision (SBP), explained variance in attachment above and beyond variance explained by sensitivity. Participants included 83 low‐socioeconomic status (SES), 4.5‐month‐old infants (56% male) and their mothers. Infant–mother dyads completed laboratory tasks at 4.5 months and three 30‐min home visits between 7 and 9 months, then returned to the laboratory at 12 months for an attachment assessment. Maternal sensitivity did not significantly predict infant attachment security. SBP significantly predicted infant attachment, over and above sensitivity, with an effect size eight times larger than that of sensitivity in meta‐analytic findings for low‐SES families.

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Summary Background Research is needed to identify how food insecurity affects maternal eating behavior and child feeding practices, factors that may pose intergenerational risks for obesity. Objectives This longitudinal study investigated whether maternal restrained eating mediated the association between household food insecurity and feeding practices. Methods Participants included 277 WIC‐eligible mothers (69% below the poverty line, 70% African American) and their toddlers (Mage = 20.11 months, SD = 5.50) participating in a childhood obesity prevention trial. Maternal reports of household food insecurity, restrained eating, and child feeding practices (restrictive and responsive) were collected at baseline, 6 and 12 months and analyzed using multilevel mediation. Results Forty percent of mothers reported some degree of household food insecurity over 12 months. Within‐person analyses showed that relative increases in household food insecurity were indirectly related to increases in restrictive and decreases in responsive child feeding practices, mediated through increases in mothers' own restrained eating. Conclusions Relative change in household food insecurity (rather than overall severity) appears to have indirect effects on toddler feeding practices, through mothers' own eating. Stable household food security without transient food insecurity may improve health and wellbeing for both mothers and children.

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