Abstract
This study assessed rural mothers’ knowledge of, attitudes toward, and use of soybeans as compared with cowpeas for feeding their young children. Mothers who had at least one child below the age of five years in 239 sampled households were interviewed. The results indicate that mothers were well informed about the value of giving both foods to their young children. A comparison of attitudes shows that the mothers had a more favorable opinion of cowpeas and that they used cowpeas more than soybeans. Mothers’ reasons for using both foods include nutritive value, affordability, and palatability, in that order. Cowpeas were favored for ease of preparation. More mothers introduced cowpeas to their children before the age of six than soybeans.