Undernutrition among children under the age of five years (under-5s) remains a significant public health issue in developing countries, including Cambodia. Poverty, food insecurity, low levels of maternal education, poor hygiene and sanitation, and poor feeding practices influence children’s nutritional status. In many cultures, mothers are primary caregivers, hence maternal feeding is critical to the nutritional status of infants and young children.

This study aimed to explore mothers’ feeding practices for their infants and young children, their understanding and perceptions of the recommended healthy feeding practices promoted by the Cambodian Ministry of Health, and the challenges they faced in adopting that recommendation and the support needed.

An exploratory qualitative approach was employed using semi-structured interviews with 13 purposely selected mothers to gain an in-depth understanding of the participants’ feeding practices. Subsequent semi-structured interviews with two deputy village chiefs and one midwife (MCH supporters) were conducted to share the recommendations proposed by mother participants and obtain feedback on the challenges faced and actions needed to implement those recommendations. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the findings.

Key findings highlight that mothers’ knowledge and practices on child feeding were influenced by their individual circumstances, family support, cultural gender norms, and available community-based support. The mothers and the community MCH supporters agreed on the importance of creating an enabling environment to support the healthy feeding practices recommended by the participants which were to (1) enhance existing community-based programmes, (2) build on mothers’ capabilities and resourcefulness, and (3) creatively utilise existing social media channels. An enabling environment needs to focus on local wisdom and knowledge, socio-cultural norms, and women’s social-cultural contexts. Future research could examine the best practices in healthy feeding programmes and the roles of the family meal and household food security in child-feeding practices.