Interactive effects of parenting behavior and regulatory skills in toddlerhood on child weight outcomes.

These results suggest that associations between maternal behaviors and child BMIZ may depend on toddlers' emerging regulatory abilities. Maternal responsiveness during free play and gentle control during clean-up appear to protect against weight gain, especially for toddlers with lower regulatory abilities. However, greater levels of gentle control may have adverse effects on BMIZ for well-regulated toddlers. These results suggest that both parenting and toddler regulation, examined outside feeding contexts, may have important implications for child obesity.