OBJECTIVE: Analyze food practices of unnourished children under two years old. METHOD: Exploratory, descriptive and qualitative study. Data were collected through participant observation and interviews. Participants were 42 subjects. The data were subjected to thematic analysis. RESULTS: The following themes emerged when addressing the eating habits of those children: Who prepares the food and what is prepared; How foods are prepared; Children's eating routine; Where and how children are served. Food was varied little, with lacteous food at breakfast and snacks, and with food such as rice, potatoes, beans and sometimes meat at lunch. Fruits and vegetables were scarce and processed foods were present in all homes. CONCLUSION: It was possible to learn the daily eating habits, their inadequacies, insufficient food, poor hygiene of complementary food, influence of grandmothers, inappropriate environment for meals and families' living situation.
Infant; Feeding; Infant malnutrition; Mothers