Comparing the effects of varied and constant preferred items on improving tummy time for typically developing infants
One steady preferred toy is enough to make tummy time longer and happier for babies.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Morea et al. (2020) watched babies during tummy time. They gave each baby either the same toy every time or a rotating set of favorite toys.
The team used an alternating-treatments design. Each home visit switched between the two toy plans so they could see which one worked better.
What they found
Both plans helped babies lift their heads higher and cry less. The babies did well whether the toy changed or stayed the same.
Moms liked the constant-toy plan best. It was simpler to set up and still gave good results.
How this fits with other research
Ortega et al. (2015) showed that adding mom's active attention to a toy made tummy time even smoother. Morea et al. dropped the extra attention and still saw gains, proving the toy alone is powerful.
Kanazawa et al. (2024) later compared toys against parent attention head-to-head. They also found toys work as well as mom or dad talking and rubbing baby's back, and parents still picked the toy option.
The three studies line up like stepping stones: toy plus attention helps, toy alone also helps, and parents prefer the simplest toy plan.
Why it matters
You can hand a baby one favorite toy and tummy time gets better right away. No need for fancy rotations or extra parent coaching unless you want to. Try keeping a small basket of known winners near the play mat; pick one and let the baby work.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Tummy time involves placing an infant in a prone position to help build muscle strength. Pediatricians recommend tummy time because it helps with infant development related to milestones such as crawling, rolling over, and sitting up. However, parents sometimes avoid tummy time due to whining or crying when the infant is placed in the prone position. The current study compared two interventions incorporating preferred leisure items (i.e., varied or constant) for five typically developing infants to increase head elevation and decrease negative vocalizations during tummy time. Improvements occurred in infant performance regardless of the preferred items used. In addition, the mothers who implemented the tummy time procedures found the treatment to be socially valid and were more likely to select the use of the constant item when given the opportunity to choose.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 2020 · doi:10.1002/jaba.684