Date Presented Accepted for AOTA INSPIRE 2021 but unable to be presented due to online event limitations.
There is conflicting evidence on the influence of infant equipment for motor development. The primary purpose of this study was to examine associations between various types of infant equipment use and motor milestone achievement. Preliminary findings highlight the importance of promoting physical exploration rather than restricting movement to facilitate motor development in infants.
Primary Author and Speaker: Bryan M. Gee
Contributing Authors: Nicki Abuchon-Endsley, Hillary Swann-Thomsen
PURPOSE: Infant-caregiver preferences may influence motor development in human infants for body positioning and infant equipment use (Bartlett & Fanning, 2003). Research suggests that a lack of experience with the prone posture can result in delayed motor development. This delay can potentially be ameliorated by the use of infant equipment that facilitates a sitting or upright posture, such as walkers or infant seats (Pin, Eldridge & Galea, 2007). Thus, there is conflicting evidence on the influence of infant equipment for motor development. This study's primary purpose was to examine associations between various types of infant equipment use and motor milestone achievement at 10, 14, and 18 months.
DESIGN: Survey study with 54 mothers reporting on their infants/toddlers.
METHOD: Pregnant females were recruited during their third trimester for participation in a longitudinal study on maternal health and infant outcomes. Participants came into the lab at 6m, 10m, 14m, and 18m. Mothers were presented with a survey that listed 15 different types of infant equipment and was asked to estimate the average minutes per day that their infant used the equipment in the past month. Mothers then reported whether their infant had engaged in 8 motor behaviors in the past month, observed directly or unobserved (report from other caregivers).
RESULTS: A series of point-biserial correlations were conducted to examine associations between infant equipment use duration and observed motor milestones at 10m, 14m, and 18m. Some infant equipment (i.e., walker, exersaucer), was negatively correlated with motor milestone achievement, suggesting that higher durations of equipment use may be related to delayed motor behavior. Conversely, higher durations of floor time was positively correlated with motor milestones, suggesting that free exploration of the environment is important for infant development.
CONCLUSIONS: Preliminary findings highlight the importance of promoting physical exploration rather than restricting movement to facilitate motor development in infants. This study adds to the body of resources to educate caregivers (e.g., daycare providers, parents, grandparents) to the developmental importance of proper positioning and occupational affordances that support motor development in infants and toddlers.
References
Abbott, A. L., & Bartlett, D. J. (2001). Infant motor development and equipment use in the home. Child: Care, Health and Development, 27(3), 295-306.
Adolph, K.E., & Hoch, J.E. (In Press). Motor development: Embodied, embedded, enculturated, and enabling. Annual Review of Psychology.
Bartlett, D. J., & Fanning, J. E. K. (2003). Relationships of equipment use and play positions to motor development at eight months corrected age of infants born preterm. Pediatric Physical Therapy, 15(1), 8-15.
