Enhanced Handling and Positioning in Early Infancy Advances Development Throughout the First Year

Behaviors emerge, in part, from the interplay of infant abilities and caregiver—infant interactions. Crosscultural and developmental studies suggest caregiver handling and positioning influence infant development. In this prospective, longitudinal study, the effects of 3 weeks of enhanced handling a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Child development 2012-07, Vol.83 (4), p.1290-1302
Main Authors: Lobo, Michele A., Galloway, James C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age
Babies
Behavior
Biological and medical sciences
Caregivers
Child Behavior
Child care
Child Development
Child Development - physiology
Child rearing practices
Cognitive development
Comparative Analysis
Developmental biology
Developmental psychology
Developmental Stages
EMPIRICAL ARTICLES
Experiential learning
Female
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Home Visits
Human Body
Human Posture
Humans
Infant
Infants
Knees
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Motor development
Motor Skills - physiology
Newborn. Infant
Parent Child Relationship
Parent-Child Relations
Pediatrics
Physical environment
Posture
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Psychomotor Skills
Questionnaires
Social Experience
Social interaction
Surveys and Questionnaires
Toddlers
Walking
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Summary:Behaviors emerge, in part, from the interplay of infant abilities and caregiver—infant interactions. Crosscultural and developmental studies suggest caregiver handling and positioning influence infant development. In this prospective, longitudinal study, the effects of 3 weeks of enhanced handling and positioning experiences provided to 14 infants versus control experiences provided to 14 infants at 2 months of age were assessed with follow-up through 15 months of age. Behaviors in prone were immediately advanced. Short-term advancements occurred in multiple behaviors, including prone, head control, reaching, and sitting behaviors. Longer term advancements, up to 12 months after the experience period, occurred in object transfer, crawling and walking behaviors. This suggests broad and long-lasting changes can arise via brief periods of change in caregiver—infant interactions.
ISSN:0009-3920
1467-8624
DOI:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2012.01772.x