Gross motor trajectories of pre-term and full-term infants under different parental educational approaches.

This study aimed to explore motor trajectories of Brazilian pre-term and full-term infants from 3 to 12 months old whose parents participated in an educational program and had received guidance on gross motor development. Forty-eight Brazilian infants aged 3 months old were divided into Group 1 (full-term infants and their parents who received only verbal guidance, = 14), Group 2 (full-term infants with parents who received an educative folder in addition to the same verbal guidance, = 23), and Group 3 (preterm infants with parents who received the same verbal guidance and educative folder, = 11). The folder had similar information to the verbal guidance; nonetheless, it helped to teach parents and allowed later consultation at home.

Does premature birth affect Brazilian parents' practices related to infant positioning?

Objective: To verify whether the time spent in prone, supine, or seated positions differed between term and preterm infants; and to determine whether a single verbal guidance session for parents changed the time spent in different positions, and, consequently, the motor development scores, after one month in preterm infants.

Methods: Sixty-one infants from a full-term and preterm group from Brazil were included. Motor development was assessed by the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) and the parents registered the time spent in each position on a 24-hour schedule.