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The relationship between awake positioning and motor performance among infants who slept supine
Renee M Monson1, Jean Deitz, Deborah Kartin
1Children's Hospital and Medical Center, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
Insights
Infants sleeping supine who spent awake time in the prone position showed advanced gross motor skills. This highlights the importance of awake prone positioning for infant motor development.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Developmental Biology
- Motor Development
Background:
- Infant sleep positioning recommendations emphasize supine sleeping to reduce Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
- Limited awake time in the prone position may impact the development of gross motor skills.
- Understanding the effects of awake positioning is crucial for holistic infant development assessment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between awake prone positioning and gross motor development in 6-month-old infants sleeping supine.
- To quantify differences in motor skills based on the duration of awake prone exposure.
Main Methods:
- Thirty 6-month-old infants, all sleeping supine, were assessed using the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS).
- Infants were categorized into two groups: 'prone' (n=16) and 'no prone' (n=14) based on daily awake prone positioning frequency.
- Statistical analysis (Mann-Whitney U test) was used to compare AIMS scores between groups.
Main Results:
- The 'prone' group demonstrated significantly higher AIMS total scores (p=0.004) compared to the 'no prone' group.
- Higher total percentile scores (p=0.003) and prone subscale scores (p<0.001) were observed in infants with regular awake prone positioning.
- These findings indicate a positive association between awake prone time and advanced motor performance.
Conclusions:
- Awake prone positioning significantly enhances gross motor development in infants who sleep supine.
- Healthcare providers should consider awake positioning history when evaluating the motor milestones of 6-month-old infants.
- Encouraging supervised awake prone time may be beneficial for optimizing infant motor skill acquisition.
Purpose:
The purpose of this study was to describe the gross motor development of infants who slept supine and spent different amounts of time in the prone position when awake.
Method:
Thirty infants who were six months old and slept supine were evaluated using the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) and then divided into two groups: prone (n = 16) and no prone (n = 14) based on the number of times per day they were placed in prone position while awake.
Results:
The prone group scored higher than the no prone group on the AIMS total scores (U = 36, p = 0.004), total percentile scores (U = 42, p = 0.003), and prone subscale scores (U = 25, p < 0.001).
Conclusions:
Gross motor performance as measured by the AIMS was more advanced in infants who slept supine and had been placed in the prone position when awake than in infants who slept supine but had limited or no experience in the prone position while awake. The influence of awake positioning needs to be considered when interpreting the developmental motor performance of infants who are six months old.
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