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Preferred sleep position and gross motor achievement in early infancy

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Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of an infant’s favoured position on their motor development at the age of six months. Seventy-five full-term infants were prospectively observed at home for their preferred sleep, awake, play and uninterrupted positions. A parental log was completed daily and then weekly up to the age of six months, when the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) was administered. No significant relationship between the preferred or sleep positions as well as the awake and mutual play positions and gross motor developmental attainment at six months of age was noted. A significant change in the preferred recumbent posture with increased prone positioning both during sleep and awake time over the first six months was noted. A balanced positioning policy while awake, regardless of the infant’s preference while recumbent, is not associated with gross motor delay.

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Acknowledgement

We are indebted to the families who participated in the study, to Prof. M. Jaffe for his advice and to Mrs. R. Abiry for her help in the preparation of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Physical Therapy Department, Stanley Steyer School of Health Professions, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel

    Eli Carmeli

  2. Hannah Khoushy Child Development Center, Bnai Zion Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, P.O. Box 4940, Haifa, Israel

    Rachel Marmur & Emanuel Tirosh

  3. Faculty of Industrial Engineering and Management, Haifa, Israel

    Ayala Cohen

  4. Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, 32000, Israel

    Ayala Cohen & Emanuel Tirosh

Authors
  1. Eli Carmeli
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  2. Rachel Marmur
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  3. Ayala Cohen
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  4. Emanuel Tirosh
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Emanuel Tirosh.

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Carmeli, E., Marmur, R., Cohen, A. et al. Preferred sleep position and gross motor achievement in early infancy. Eur J Pediatr 168, 711–715 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-008-0829-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-008-0829-4

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