Date Presented 03/23/24
The purpose of this study was to determine whether there is a relationship of time spent in positional devices to the movement and posture of infants ages 3–4 months old, as measured by the Test of Infant Motor Performance.
Primary Author and Speaker: Julie Kunisch
Additional Authors and Speakers: Emma Sutton, Olivia Iannone, Brianna Tisa
PURPOSE: Infant positioning in daily life can affect motor milestone acquisition. The impact of time spent in positioning devices that restrict freedom of movement on motor performance at early infant ages has not been investigated. The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a relationship of time spent in positional devices with the movement and posture of infants, ages 3-4 months old, as measured by the Test of Infant Motor Performance (TIMP).
METHOD: Healthy infants (n=10, 3-4 months) participated in this study along with their caregivers. Time spent in positional devices was reported by caregivers over 3 consecutive days, from morning wake to evening bedtime via electronic survey. Following survey collection, an assessment of the infant’s movement and posture, as measured by the TIMP, was conducted by a licensed occupational therapist. The relationship between time in positional devices and infant movement and posture was expressed as Pearson correlation coefficient.
RESULTS: During their first wake-up of the day to their evening bedtime, infants spent an average of about 3 hours (∼200 min.) in positioning devices that restrict movement per day. The mean of TIMP z-scores was -1.18. The amount of time spent in positioning devices was significantly associated with TIMP z-scores with a Pearson’s correlation coefficient of -0.763 (p= < 0.05).
CONCLUSION: Findings suggest that the amount of time spent in positional devices that restrict freedom of movement is significantly and negatively associated with infants movement and posture in early ages. This demonstrates relevant implications for providers to educate caregivers on how different positional devices can impact posture and movement in infants. Additionally, educating caregivers on providing more opportunities for positions that allow for freedom of movement is crucial even in early infant ages. Future research should explore these findings on a larger scale and long term.
References
Pin, T. Eldridge, B., & Galea, M.P. (2007). A review of the effects of sleep position, play position and equipment use on motor development in infants. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology, 49(11), 585–867. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8749.2007.00858.x
Siddicky, S.F., Bumpass, D. B., Krishnan, A., Tackett, S.A., McCarthy, R.E., & Mannen, E.M. (2020) Positioning and baby devices impact infant spinal muscle activity. Journal of Biomechanics, 104, 109741. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiomech.2020.109741
Thelen, E. (2005). Dynamic systems theory and the complexity of change. Psychoanalytic Dialogues, 15(2), 255–283. https://doi.org/10.1080/10481881509348831
