14 Health Education Journal 68(1) 2009 14–25 Toddler feeding: Expectations and experiences of low-income African American mothers Mildred A Horodynski a , Holly Brophy-Herb b , Michelle Henry b,c , Katharine A Smith a and Lorraine Weatherspoon c Abstract Objective To ascertain maternal expectations and experiences with mealtimes and feeding of toddlers among low-income African American mothers in two mid- to large-size cities in the United States. Design Qualitative focus group study. Setting Two Early Head Start programme sites in a Midwestern state which serve low income families. Method Twenty-seven low-income African American mothers took part in two focus groups which were conducted by a facilitator, according to a semi-structured topic guide. Focus group data were supplemented with demographic family data. Results Four major themes emerged: (1) maternal perceptions of healthy toddlers, (2) maternal food choices for toddlers, (3) maternal expectations about toddler autonomy and self-regulation of feeding, and (4) mealtime context and interaction. Conclusions and implications Data provided examples of maternal expectations and experiences, suggesting the development of healthy feeding patterns among some toddlers and provided evidence of less healthy feeding patterns in others. Evidence of less healthy feeding Health Education Journal copyright © SAGE 2009 www.sagepublications.com [DOI: 10.1177/0017896908100445] a College of Nursing, Michigan State University. b College of Social Science, Michigan State University. c College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, Michigan State University. Correspondence to: Mildred A Horodynski, PhD, RNC, B515-G West Fee Hall, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA. millie@msu.edu