Table 4:

Momentary factors that influence food parenting practices

Momentary Factor Themes	Example Quote
Parent feeling tired, worn out, or sick	There are also times where I think we’re tired out and it’s like I don’t want to have the battle, so sometimes I’ll just let him eat whatever he wants. Like it’s on his plate, maybe I want him to have more veggies — I’ll just let him eat what he wants to eat. Like if I don’t have the energy, then I’m more likely to go for some take-out or microwave something quickly, versus making a longer, more home-cooked meal.
Limited time	Like on the days that we’re like more rushed, that’s the days we generally don’t eat together, and they probably only get like a peanut butter sandwich and yogurt, like not — you know, they might not get a fruit and vegetable choice that night. And so when we’re in a hurry, or it’s quick, or we just don’t feel like dealing with a whiny kid, we’ll give him what he likes.
Child mood and physical health	If they’re whiny and I’m trying to cook food and they’re, like, hanging on me, it’s what can I get in front of them the quickest that’s going to get them out of my space, so usually that’s a sandwich, because it’s super-easy, everything’s there, you don’t have to heat it up, and you just put it on a plate. If she’s tired or cranky, or if I’m really tired or cranky, it might be less likely that I try to enforce us sitting down together at the table.
Parent stress/mood	Definitely, because when I’m stressed out, I just want to be alone, and so like I want to go and just like go in a different room, and eat by myself, and like watch TV, or like not engage with them. And then sometimes like even at the table, I don’t engage with them at the same level that I usually do if I’m stressed out, or if I’m just eating because I know that if I don’t sit there and eat with them, they won’t eat. They’ll just get up and play, and their food will get cold and stuff. So, yeah, it definitely affects it. Sometimes, if we’re both stressed, it’ll be, “Hey, let’s go get dinner.”
Failure to have a plan in place	I’m pretty organized and planned, so I plan it all out. If I don’t plan it, that’s when it becomes an issue, and that’s when they get to have the mac and cheese or the hot dogs. Yeah. I think we — we menu plan. If we can stick to it, we’re really good, because we’ll prep the night before, make it really easy. But if we don’t menu plan, it’s pizza or mac and cheese sometimes.
Activities, special events	You know, when we have activities, then we don’t get a lot of time to cook, and then we eat out, you know, at a restaurant or fast food. There are some times where I pick them up from school, and we’re going to an activity, and then it’s what do we do in the meantime? Do I fix a dinner? Then it’s a scramble. “What do you want? Do you want McDonald’s? What do you want? Do you want me to bring a sandwich?”
Coordination with partner, changing schedules	My spouse’s schedule is unpredictable all the time, so I never really know if he’s going to be home or not. I do try and like touch base with him early in the afternoon to like see, because like on days when he’s going to be home, then I try and make like something that everyone’s going to eat. And like I said, when my husband’s gone, I just do whatever I can to survive as far as cooking. So, yeah, I’ll totally make chicken nuggets or grilled cheese, because it’s easy.