OBJECTIVES: understand the experience and the meaning of child care for those who practice it in the home. METHODS: a phenomenological theoretical approach was used to analyze and interpret extracts from semi-structured interviews conducted with those responsible for the child care in 10 households in the city of Caldas de Cipó, in the State of Bahia, Brazil. RESULTS: of the various aspects of the child care, nutrition was the one of greatest concern to interviewees, given the conditions of poverty in which they live. The provision of food supplies is a key element of nutrition. The nature of the caring experience was connected not only with the personal history of the individual but also with their relationship to the day-to-day world of a particular time and space. CONCLUSIONS: given the existential meaning of care, the results of this study suggest a shift of focus in policy and actions directed at the health education of female caregivers.
Child care; Caregivers; Health education