The goals of this article were to examine (1) the relative and absolute stability of maternal autonomy support between infancy and preschool age, and (2) the moderating role of child gender, maternal attachment state of mind, and stressful life events. Sixty-nine mother-child dyads participated in five visits when the child was 8, 15, and 18 months, as well as 2 and 3 years. The results suggested that maternal autonomy support is stable in relative terms, but that its mean level decreases over time. Moreover, there was significant relative stability only for mothers of girls, mothers who showed greater coherence of mind with respect to attachment, and mothers who experienced fewer stressful life events. These results speak to the relevance of investigating parent, child, and contextual factors when examining the conditions that promote or hinder stability in parenting behaviors.

This study examined the prospective links between paternal mind‐mindedness (MM) and 2 indices of preschoolers' self‐regulated conduct, namely, inhibitory control and rule‐compatible conduct. Ninety‐two families (47 boys) participated in 2 assessments. Paternal MM was assessed with a 10‐min father–child free‐play session when children were aged 18 months. Children's rule‐compatible conduct was reported by mothers when children reached 3 years of age, and inhibitory control was measured with a Snack Delay task, also administered at 3 years. The results suggested that after accounting for the contribution of child temperament (social fearfulness), paternal MM was positively related to children's inhibitory control. In contrast, the relation between paternal MM and mother‐reported rule‐compatible conduct was not significant. The results are interpreted in light of the mechanisms that may account for the links between paternal MM and preschoolers' emerging capacity to voluntarily control their behaviour. Highlights This study examines the prospective links between paternal mind-mindedness and two indices of preschoolers' subsequent self‐regulated conduct. Paternal mind‐mindedness was assessed with father‐child free‐play, and self‐regulated conduct with an inhibitory control task and a mother questionnaire. The results suggest that paternal mind‐mindedness is positively related to children's inhibitory control.