British Mothers Research Articles

Infant feeding practices of teenage mothers attending a well-baby clinic in a public hospital in Umlazi, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Objective: This study aimed to determine the breastfeeding practices of urban, predominantly isiZulu speaking, South African teenage mothers, and to examine factors associated with breastfeeding.Study design and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 73 mothers (aged 15 to 19 years) who were attending a well-baby clinic for their infant’s scheduled 14-week immunisation visit. A face-to-face interview was conducted with each mother in isiZulu (n = 66) or English (n = 7) by a trained research assistant. Close ended questions included; socio-demographic characteristics; obstetric history; and, breastfeeding practices while open-ended questions explored reasons for early cessation of breastfeeding, and perceptions of how the family, health care workers, and the school could support teenage mothers with breastfeeding.Results: All 73 mothers had initiated breastfeeding; however, by the time of the interview, 31.5% had stopped breastfeeding.A multivariate logistic regression model was used to predict the likelihood of early breastfeeding cessation. The odds ratio of early breastfeeding cessation for teenage mothers below the age of ≤ 17 years was 17.3% higher compared to teenage mothers older than 17 years (OR 1.17, 95% CI:0.617–2.269); 8.6% higher for teenage mothers who completed their grade 11 and above compared those who did not complete grade 11 and above (OR 1.17, 95% CI:0.617–2.269); and, 79.5% (OR 1.795, 95% CI:0.565–5.739) higher for teenage mothers who experienced breastfeeding problems compared to mothers without breastfeeding problems. However, since the 95% CI for these odds ratios spanned the null value (1.0), the increased odds were not statistically significant.Conclusion: The elevated odds of early breastfeeding cessation were associated with a young maternal age (≤ 17 years) and experiencing breastfeeding problems. This highlights the importance of targeting adolescent mothers for support and promotion of breastfeeding, noting the influence of society and peer pressure. It is also clear that the healthcare workers, schools and communities have an important role to play in supporting breastfeeding teenage mothers, especially in providing accurate information and support for the prevention of breastfeeding problems.

Prevalence, trajectories, and determinants of television viewing time in an ethnically diverse sample of young children from the UK

BackgroundExcessive screen viewing in early childhood is associated with poor physical and psycho-social health and poor cognitive development. This study aimed to understand the prevalence, trajectory and determinants of television viewing time in early childhood to inform intervention development.MethodsIn this prospective longitudinal study, mothers of 1558 children (589 white British, 757 Pakistani heritage, 212 other ethnicities) completed questionnaires when their children were approximately 6, 12, 18, 24 and 36 months old. Mothers answered questions about their own and their child’s TV-time. TV-time trajectories were estimated by linear longitudinal multilevel modeling, potential determinants were considered in models.ResultsThe modelled trajectory estimated that 75% of children aged 12 months exceeded guidelines of zero screen-time. At 12 months of age an accelerated increase in TV-time was observed (<1 h/day at 14 months, >2 h/day by 30 months old). For every hour of mothers’ TV-time and every hour the TV was on in the home, children’s TV-time was 8 min and 1 min higher respectively at 6 months old (P < 0.05), and 15 min and 3 min higher respectively at 36 months old (P < 0.05). Children whose mothers did not agree that it was important their child did not watch too much TV, had 17 min more TV-time than their counterparts (P < 0.05). Children of first time mothers had 6 min more TV-time (P < 0.05). At 12 months of age, children of mothers experiencing stress watched 8 min more TV (P < 0.05). By 36 months, children of Pakistani heritage mothers had 22 min more TV-time than those of white British mothers (P < 0.05), and an additional 35 min of TV-time if their mother was not born in the UK (P < 0.05).ConclusionsHigh levels of TV-time were prevalent. Intervention developers should consider targeting interventions before 12 months of age. Modifiable determinants included mothers’ own TV-time, the time the television is on in the home and mothers’ attitude towards child TV-time. These behaviours may be key components to address in interventions for parents. Mothers experiencing stress, first time mothers, and Pakistani heritage mothers (particularly those born outside of the UK), may be priority groups for intervention.

Postnatal depression, maternal–infant bonding and social support: a cross-cultural comparison of Nigerian and British mothers

Objectives: The high prevalence of Post-Natal Depression (PND) in low and lower-middle income countries of Africa raises questions about the functionality of the abundant informal support accessed in the enmeshed family structure. This study examined the interaction between social support, parity and culture in the development of PND and maternal–infant bonding (MIB) among Nigerian, British and Nigerian Immigrant mothers in the UK.Methods: Participants (N = 124) were recruited from the UK and Nigeria via local support groups for mothers, websites offering motherhood-related content and social media. Questionnaires including the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire and Norbeck's Social Support Questionnaire were uploaded onto SurveyMonkey®.Results: Findings revealed significant cultural differences in PND and social support. Multiple regression analyses revealed that PND, social support and culture could predict MIB, with PND being the only significant independent predictor.Conclusions: Our findings highlight the importance that cultural factors play in the development of PND and the establishment of MIB in the context of culturally attuned healthcare services.

Venetia Newall (1935–2017)

Venetia Newall was born in London in 1935, and spent her childhood in the States during the Second World War. Her father was American and her mother English; so she was able to stay with her patern...

Positive Parenting and Parenting Stress Among Working Mothers in Finland, the UK and the Netherlands: Do Working Time Patterns Matter?

This study explored the effects of working time patterns on positive parenting and parenting stress, and the moderating effects of working hours, the unpredictability of work schedules, and autonomy over working time in a European context. This cross-national survey study compared Finnish (n = 337), Dutch (n = 283) and British (n = 317) mothers with children under the age of 13, using structural equation modeling with a multigroup procedure. We found a connection between working time patterns and positive parenting but the nature of the connection differed between countries. In all three countries, no relationship was found between working time pattern and parenting stress, while unpredictable work schedules were associated with both reduced positive parenting and increased parenting stress. The study contributes to our understanding of the role that country-specific socio-cultural context plays in the impact that working time patterns can have on parenting.

Acculturation and weight change in Asian-American children: Evidence from the ECLS-K:2011.

Despite relatively low rates of overweight and obesity among Asian-American children, disparities exist based on acculturation, socioeconomic status, and Asian ethnicity. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between acculturation and weight change in Asian-American children. Secondary aims were to compare changes by Asian ethnic group and acculturation x socioeconomic status. Participants included 1200 Asian-American children from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010-11, a longitudinal study of U.S. children attending kindergarten in 2010-2011. Multinomial logistic regressions were conducted to predict weight change based on body mass indices in kindergarten (spring 2011) and second grade (spring 2013): consistently healthy weight, consistently overweight/obese, healthy weight change, and unhealthy weight change. Models included demographic, household, socioeconomic status, and acculturation measures, specifically mother's English proficiency and percentage of life spent in the U.S. Overall, 72.3% of children were at healthy weights in kindergarten and second grade. Of all Asian ethnic groups, Filipino children had the highest rate of being consistently overweight/obese (24.8%) and the lowest rate of being consistently healthy weight (62.9%). In addition, mother's English proficiency predicted unhealthy weight change (OR: 0.83; 95% CI: 0.75-0.92) and healthy weight change (OR: 0.75; 95% CI: 0.65-0.86), relative to "consistently healthy weight." English proficiency also predicted being consistently overweight/obese for children with less educated mothers. Findings enhance our understanding of obesity disparities within Asian Americans and highlight the need to disaggregate the population. Obesity interventions are needed for Filipino children and families with low socioeconomic status but high English proficiency.

Social Imaginaries, Sperm and Whiteness: Race and Reproduction in British Media

ABSTRACTThis article analyses narratives about so-called Viking babies and Viking sperm. Over the last few years an increasing number of British single women and lesbian couples have been creating families by becoming pregnant with Danish donor sperm, termed ‘Viking sperm’. Through analyses of British media coverage of these new families, this article explores contemporary constructions of race, especially whiteness, and gender, and shows how imaginaries of Vikings, genes and white superiority circulate in British media and among British mothers. The article illustrates how a racial discourse, which often is associated with nineteenth-century racial science, can surface in contemporary times. Yet the article also reveals how colonial and racial legacies of whiteness tend to be erased from narratives of fertility, as the (neoliberal) focus on the individual as consumer frames reproduction as individual (free) choices distant from a colonial past.

What It Was My Father Came Here To Get Away From

What It Was My Father Came Here To Get Away From Thomas Larson (bio) 1/ As early as I can remember, my father hated Catholics. Actually, he despised all religious people. He called believers hypocrites; priests and pastors, pimps. He rarely spoke of this enmity or, for that matter, much else personal, including his years aboard a Pacific Ocean supply ship during the Second World War. “Hurry up and wait,” he told my brothers and me. That was the only combat he faced. No story bayoneting Japs ever emerged. Maybe, contrary to my comic-book idea of war then, there wasn’t any. So, when he unloaded on religion, I was piqued by the sibilant sounds of those scandalous words, hypocrites and pimps, and the frosty certainty with which he iced his dismissal. His disdain for God’s henchmen on earth began and ended with two betrayals—one, his body, the other, his soul, though he would have denied the latter had any substance left. Born in 1914, in Evanston, Illinois, he was given up at birth, probably by immigrants, a Bohemian mother and a Swedish father. That day, he was adopted by the childless Larsons, (another) Swedish father who was irascible and belt-prone and an English mother who cradled the baby to daily mass. They named him John Joseph Milton, the first two referencing Jesus, [End Page 57] the third an artistic aspiration. My mother said Dad figured out long before he asked them about his adoption that he wasn’t theirs—what gave it away was his swarthy skin and his inborn suspiciousness. At St. Mary’s, down the street, he was a student and an altar boy. Photos survive. In one, he wears a white surplice with a starched linen collar and large satin bow. A boy, maybe any boy, who loved God. In another, he’s all decked out: a woolen suit, knickers, black shoes and high socks, neck tie arched at the knot. A full head of combed-back black hair. It must be Confirmation, for nestled in his soft hands is a Catholic prayer book, a finger and a rosary marking a favorite page. He’s ten, the age of discretion; he’s chosen this religion for himself. Though unfazed or freighted (I can’t tell which) by years of catechism, he dresses the viewer (me) with an untroubled gaze. His fate feels staked. He may know what he doesn’t know. As a teen, my father attended St. George High School. He told me once that he blossomed there, often the first through the double doors, with the Christian Brothers’ tutelage: four years of athletics (baseball, swimming, and boxing) and scholastics (the physical sciences, history, literature, and art: he loved the medieval painters and was a talented drawer). He thrived in the dramatic society (my dad, acting on stage!) and the debating club where he persuaded the class that the US government had a moral duty to help the poor with food and shelter. The school uniform was black pants, white shirt, striped tie, and a serge blazer. Sewn onto the blazer’s pocket was a patch, the school emblem, a fire-breathing dragon. (His coat was one of the few things my dad saved, along with Navy memorabilia, in his sixty-one years.) The legend goes that in 302 CE, George, a Roman soldier and a Christian, travels from Palestine to Libya doing good deeds in Christ’s name. There, he finds the desert dwellers are trapped by a dragon; they’re hoping to appease the monster by tying a princess, a virginal sacrifice, to a tree. George unbinds the damsel and, with nimble twists and balletic leaps, he exhausts the dragon’s ire and, at last, thrusts his saber’s length into its belly. So bedazzled are the Libyan pagans—some fifteen thousand, the story says—that they shudder, drop to their knees, and convert to Christianity on the spot. The Church later canonized [End Page 58] George as the protector of men like him who defend the faith with arms. He became the patron saint of boy scouts and soldiers. In addition to the school’s namesake, my father...

Comprehending Assimilation Pattern by Tracing Its Phonological Process: Input, Environment, and Process

Native speakers, English mother tongue, speak naturally. Although they do not think the way how they are pronouncing words, they seem to simplify their speeches-Therefore, it is often difficult to understand what is spoken by them because it is heard like babbling. One of the simplifications of speeches is assimilation. Â Assimilation is one of phonological processes. Comprehending its phonological process means understanding its input, environment, and process. Therefore, all phenomena of pronunciation particularly assimilation are collected and then they are classified and described one by one based on its input, environment and process. The result of the research is that to anticipate the preceding word, the first is anticipating the preceding: a) when alveolar is preceded by bilabial, alveolar will anticipate the bilabial by changing alveolar into bilabial, b) when alveolar is preceded by velar, alveolar will anticipate the velar by changing alveolar into velar, c) when alveolar is preceded by palato alveolar, alveolar will anticipate by changing into palato alveolar.

Comprehending Assimilation Pattern by Tracing Its Phonological Process: Input, Environment, and Process

Native speakers, English mother tongue, speak naturally. Although they do not think the way how they are pronouncing words, they seem to simplify their speeches-Therefore, it is often difficult to understand what is spoken by them because it is heard like babbling. One of the simplifications of speeches is assimilation. Assimilation is one of phonological processes. Comprehending its phonological process means understanding its input, environment, and process. Therefore, all phenomena of pronunciation particularly assimilation are collected and then they are classified and described one by one based on its input, environment and process. The result of the research is that to anticipate the preceding word, the first is anticipating the preceding: a) when alveolar is preceded by bilabial, alveolar will anticipate the bilabial by changing alveolar into bilabial, b) when alveolar is preceded by velar, alveolar will anticipate the velar by changing alveolar into velar, c) when alveolar is preceded by palato alveolar, alveolar will anticipate by changing into palato alveolar.

Work-family balance

Purpose Given the reality that working mothers experience difficulties in achieving work-family balance because of the social restrictions that arise from parenting combined with career goals, this paper aims to explore the various coping strategies that are used by working mothers in the cities of London (Great Britain) and Lagos (Nigeria). Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 72 mothers who worked in banks in London (Great Britain) and Lagos (Nigeria). Thematic analysis and investigator triangulation are used. Findings The findings reveal various coping strategies used by working mothers in the cities of Lagos and London. The paper also unearths the efficiency and the shortcomings of the use of au pairs among British working mothers and the similarities and disparities in terms of such use compared to the traditional use of housekeepers in Nigeria. Originality/value This paper contributes to the existing work–family balance literature by exploring the coping strategies of working mothers because of sociocultural and institutional differences in Great Britain and Nigeria.

Ethnic differences in the clustering and outcomes of health behaviours during pregnancy: results from the Born in Bradford cohort.

Pregnancy is a time of optimal motivation for many women to make positive behavioural changes. We aim to describe pregnant women with similar patterns of self-reported health behaviours and examine associations with birth outcomes. We examined the clustering of multiple health behaviours during pregnancy in the Born in Bradford cohort, including smoking physical inactivity, vitamin d supplementation and exposure to second-hand smoke. Latent class analysis was used to identify groups of individuals with similar patterns of health behaviours separately for White British (WB) and Pakistani mothers. Multinomial regression was then used to examine the association between group membership and birth outcomes, which included preterm birth and mean birthweight. For WB mothers, offspring of those in the 'Unhealthiest' group had lower mean birthweight than those in the 'Mostly healthy but inactive' class, although no association was observed for preterm birth. For Pakistani mothers, group membership was not associated with birthweight differences, although the odds of preterm birth was higher in 'Inactive smokers' compared to the 'Mostly healthy but inactive' group. The use of latent class methods provides important information about the clustering of health behaviours which can be used to target population segments requiring behaviour change interventions considering multiple risk factors. Given the dominant negative association of smoking with the birth outcomes investigated, latent class groupings of other health behaviours may not confer additional risk information for these outcomes.

Improving uptake and engagement with child body image interventions delivered to mothers: Understanding mother and daughter preferences for intervention content

Mothers are a key influence on adolescent girls’ body image. This study aimed to improve understanding of mothers’ and daughters’ preferences for content in body image interventions designed to assist mothers to promote positive body image among their daughters. British mother–daughter dyads (N=190) viewed descriptions of five evidence-based influences on body image (family, friends, and relationships; appearance-based teasing; media and celebrities; appearance conversations; body acceptance and care). Mothers and daughters each selected the two most important influences to learn about in these interventions. Overall, both mothers and daughters most frequently opted for family, friends, and relationships and body acceptance and care, whereas media and celebrities was their least preferred topic. While the overall sample of mothers and daughters agreed on preferences, Fisher's exact tests showed that within-dyad agreement was low. Recommendations for improving parent and child engagement with, and effectiveness of, child body image interventions delivered to parents are discussed.

The Effect of Motherhood and Lone Motherhood on the Employment and Earnings of British Women: A Lifecycle Approach

This article examines the effect of becoming a first-time mother and subsequent, or concurrent, transitions to lone parenthood on women’s employment and wages. Using longitudinal British Household Panel Survey data and fixed-effect models we find the arrival of a first child to have a substantial effect on employment and wages (n = 1,133 individuals; 13,369 observations). Employment rates fall 20 percentage points (ppt), and fulltime employment 44-ppt, following a first child’s birth and do not recover with time. Mothers that remain in work also see a sharp drop in the rate of wage growth following childbirth. Yet, in spite of predictions that lone mothers may face greater difficulties combining work and childcare, and therefore suffer greater labour market penalties than mothers with partners, we find little evidence of additional penalties to lone motherhood. There is some evidence of heterogeneity in the relationship between motherhood and employment outcomes by education. Overall we conclude that addressing the problems of low employment and earnings among British lone mothers will require policymakers to deal with the high economic cost of motherhood.

A Conversation with Diane Glancy

Paul Watsky interviews Diane Glancy, retired Professor of English at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, and the author of over thirty books of poetry, fiction, drama, and essays. They discuss the influences on her writing of her father's Cherokee culture and her mother's English and German culture, of Christianity, and how the layers of her poetry reflect many of Jung's ideas. She also walks the reader through two of her poems and the themes woven throughout her work.

Bilingual children's long-term outcomes in English as a second language: language environment factors shape individual differences in catching up with monolinguals.

Bilingual children experience more variation in their language environment than monolingual children and this impacts their rate of language development with respect to monolinguals. How long it takes for bilingual children learning English as a second language (L2) to display similar abilities to monolingual age-peers has been estimated to be 4-6 years, but conflicting findings suggest that even 6 years in school is not enough. Most studies on long-term L2 development have focused on just one linguistic sub-domain, vocabulary, and have not included multiple individual difference factors. For the present study, Chinese first language-English L2 children were given standardized measures of vocabulary, grammar andglobal comprehension every year from 4 ½ to 6 ½ years of English in school (ages 8½ to 10½); language environment factors were obtained through an extensive parent questionnaire. Children converged on monolingual norms differentially according to the test, with the majority of children reaching monolingual levels of performance on the majority of tests by 5 ½ years of English exposure. Individual differences in outcomes were predicted by length of English exposure, mother's education, mother's English fluency, child's use of English in the home, richness/quality of the English input outside school and age of arrival in Canada. In sum, the timeframe for bilinguals to catch up to monolinguals depends on linguistic sub-domain, task difficulty and on individual children's language environment, making 4-6 years an approximate estimate only. This study also shows that language environment factors shape not only early-stage but also late-stage bilingual development.

Bi-ethnic infant thermal care beliefs in Bradford, UK

Purpose – Overheating is considered a modifiable risk factor for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). The purpose of this paper is to explore differences in infant thermal care beliefs between mothers of South Asian and white British origin in Bradford, UK. Design/methodology/approach – This study employed face-to-face interviews with semi-structured and structured questions with 51 white British and 51 South-Asian mothers in the Bradford District, UK. Findings – White British mothers were more concerned about overheating causing SIDS whereas South-Asian mothers were more concerned about cold causing respiratory infections. However concerns around hypothermia and chills causing colds were expressed in both groups. White British mothers were significantly more likely to be concerned about their infant getting too hot than too cold and South-Asian mothers about both heat and cold (p0.001), but white British mothers on lower incomes and with poorer education expressed concern about cold more so than their better off, better educated peers indicating a possible link to fuel poverty. Research limitations/implications – It was not possible to observe actual night-time practices and that South Asian as a cultural category is limited because could be regarded as too broad. Practical implications – Whilst there guidance available to prevent infants overheating to prevent SIDS there is little or none about infants getting cold and how temperature affects other conditions. Social implications – Thermal care behaviours and beliefs differ between ethnic groups. SIDS and overheating is only one concern for mothers in providing thermal care for their infants. More policy and research is needed to explore the wider impact of thermal care on infant health and survival. Originality/value – This topic is rarely addressed despite the wide ranging implications of heat and cold to infant well-being.

Development and evaluation of an intervention for the prevention of childhood obesity in a multiethnic population: the Born in Bradford applied research programme

BackgroundThere is an absence of evidence about interventions to prevent or treat obesity in early childhood and in South Asian populations, in whom risk is higher.ObjectivesTo study patterns and the aetiology of childhood obesity in a multiethnic population and develop a prevention intervention.DesignA cohort of pregnant women and their infants was recruited. Measures to compare growth and identify targets for obesity prevention, sensitive to ethnic differences, were collected. A feasibility randomised controlled trial (RCT) was undertaken.SettingBradford, UK.ParticipantsA total of 1735 mothers, 933 of whom were of South Asian origin.InterventionA feasibility trial of a group-based intervention aimed at overweight women, delivered ante- and postnatally, targeting key modifiable lifestyle behaviours to reduce infant obesity.Main outcome measuresThe feasibility and acceptability of the pilot intervention.Data sourcesRoutine NHS data and additional bespoke research data.Review methodsA systematic review of diet and physical activity interventions to prevent or treat obesity in South Asian children and adults.ResultsRoutine measures of growth were accurate. The prevalence of risk factors differed between mothers of white British ethnicity and mothers of Pakistani ethnicity and weight and length growth trajectories differed between Pakistani infants and white British infants. Prediction equations for risk of childhood obesity were developed. An evidence-based intervention was evaluated in a pilot RCT and was found to be feasible and acceptable.LimitationsThis was a single-centre observational study and a pilot evaluation.ConclusionsThe programme has been successful in recruiting a unique multiethnic childhood obesity cohort, which has provided new evidence about modifiable risk factors and biethnic growth trajectories. A novel group-based behavioural change intervention has been developed and successfully piloted. A multisite cluster RCT is required to evaluate effectiveness.Trial registrationCurrent Controlled Trials ISRCTN56735429.FundingThe National Institute for Health Research Programme Grants for Applied Research programme.

Exploratory randomized controlled trial of a group psychological intervention for postnatal depression in British mothers of South Asian origin

IntroductionThe rates of postnatal depression (PND) in British South Asian (BSA) women are higher than the general population. PND is known to cause disability and suffering in women and negative consequences for their infants and their family with huge costs to society. Due to linguistic and cultural barriers, BSA women do not access health care services.ObjectivesTo conduct an exploratory trial to test the feasibility and acceptability of a culturally adapted group Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) intervention (Positive Health Programme (PHP).AimWe aimed to determine if depressed BSA women receiving the PHP intervention will show significant improvements in terms of severity of depression, marital support, and social support as compared to the control group.MethodsWe used a two-arm pragmatic single-blind randomised controlled design. Women meeting the inclusion criteria were randomised either to the experimental group receiving PHP or treatment as usual (TAU) that is standard care usually provided by the GP.ResultsA total of 615 mothers were screened for participation in the trial, of these 137 were assessed further to determine eligibility. Eighty-three mothers were randomized to receive either PHP (n = 42) or treatment as usual (TAU) (n = 41). Mothers found the intervention to be acceptable and felt an overall positive change in their attitudes, behaviour and confidence level.ConclusionThe recruitment and retention figures (70%) highlight the ability of the research team to engage with the population. The findings suggest the acceptability of the culturally adapted PHP intervention for British South Asian women with postnatal depression.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

A qualitative study in parental perceptions and understanding of SIDS-reduction guidance in a UK bi-cultural urban community.

BackgroundDifferences in both Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) rates and infant care practices between white British and South Asians in UK are well known, but research has not yet examined how these two groups understand and implement SIDS-reduction guidance. This study aimed to discover how white British and Pakistani mothers in Bradford recall, understand and interpret SIDS-reduction guidance, and to explore whether and how they implement this guidance in caring for their infants.MethodsIn-depth narrative interviews with 46 mothers (25 white British origin and 21 Pakistani origin) of 8–12 week old infants recruited from the pool of participants enrolled in the ‘Born in Bradford’ (BiB) cohort study.ResultsAll mothers were aware of UK SIDS-reduction guidance from leaflets presented to them during antenatal or postnatal interactions with health care providers. Pakistani mothers tended to dismiss the guidance in toto as being irrelevant to their cultural practices; white British mothers dismissed, adapted and adopted aspects of the guidance to suit their preferred parenting decisions and personal circumstances. Many mothers misunderstood or misinterpreted the guidance given and explained their infant care behaviour according to their social and cultural circumstances.ConclusionsCurrent SIDS reduction information in the UK does not meet the needs of immigrant families, and is easily misinterpreted or misunderstood by mothers from all sections of the community. Tailored information acknowledging cultural differences in infant care practices is vital, as is greater discussion with all mothers about the reasons for SIDS reduction guidance.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12887-016-0560-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.