Everyday positioning experience in typically developing infants and infants with or at risk for cerebral palsy.
Babies with CP miss out on upright time; adding short, supported sits every half-hour can close the gap early.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Researchers watched how 40 babies spent their day. Half were typical babies. Half had or might get cerebral palsy.
They timed every position: lying, sitting, standing, or being held. They also noted if an adult helped.
What they found
CP-risk babies spent 42 % more time lying down. They were held twice as often. They sat or stood half as much as typical peers.
Even after babies learned to sit, the gap stayed. Position habits did not catch up.
How this fits with other research
Saether et al. (2014) saw the same motor gap years later. Their lab test showed older CP kids had shaky, uneven walks. Kretch (2026) shows the roots start in infancy—less upright time means less practice.
Bleyenheuft et al. (2013) found hand control problems link to hidden sensory loss. Less sitting and standing could also cut touch and balance input, feeding both grip and gait issues.
Tonmukayakul et al. (2018) counted the cost: severe CP doubles family spending. Early positioning limits may snowball into bigger therapy bills later.
Why it matters
You can change the day plan. Build in short, supported sits on the floor or a bench every 30 minutes. Log it like a mand count. More upright minutes now may mean fewer gait and balance problems later.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Infant positioning throughout everyday routines impacts physical growth, motor skill advancement, and access to learning opportunities supporting cognitive, social, and communicative development. However, we know little about everyday positioning experiences in infants with or at risk for developmental disabilities like cerebral palsy (CP) and how they differ from those of their typically developing peers. This study used Ecological Momentary Assessment to estimate time spent in different categories of posture (supine, prone, sitting, standing, and suspended) and support (self-support, adult support, and device support) throughout daily life in infants with or at risk for CP and age-matched infants with typical development. Twenty-five infants at risk (13 with confirmed CP) and 52 typically developing infants were tested at 6, 9, and/or 12 months of age (N = 101 sessions total). At each session, caregivers responded to text message prompts 10 times per day for 8 days and reported their infant's current positioning. Time supine, prone, suspended, and with adult support decreased with age, and time sitting, standing, and with self-support increased with age. Infants with or at risk for CP were more likely to be supine, prone, and supported by an adult, and were less likely to be sitting and standing, than infants with typical development; group differences in supine and standing time were especially dramatic. Notably, group differences persisted when controlling for achievement of relevant motor milestones. These results suggest considerable differences in everyday experiences in infants with or at risk for CP compared to their peers with typical development.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2026 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2026.105279