Twenty-four mother-toddler dyads, 12 each from the Hmong and Caucasian communities of the Twin Cities, took part in a cross-cultural study of maternal-child interaction and its links to health and development. Findings showed that the Hmong mothers were rated as more attentive, expressive, sensitive, responsive, and patient in childrearing than the Caucasian mothers on all the scales used (items from the Mother-Child Rating Scales, Ainsworth's System for Rating Maternal-Care Behavior, and interaction items from the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment). Hmong mothers also were more effective in protecting their children, evidenced by fewer emergency room visits, and they reported a more nutritious diet for their toddlers than did Caucasian mothers, despite similar incomes. In contrast, the Caucasian children were more likely to be adequately immunized than the Hmong children although no significant medical differences between the groups were found. None of the children could be classified as developmentally delayed. Although the ratio of adults to children in the two populations was approximately the same (with Hmong households having larger numbers of both), Hmong families appeared to support the mother in her responsibilities to a greater extent than did the Caucasian families. There were significantly fewer disruptions from separation or divorce in the Hmong population and more sharing child care among adults in the families. (CMG)