Development and evaluation of an infant-care training program with first-time fathers.
A single BST session turns nervous first-time fathers into safe, playful infant caregivers.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team built a short infant-care class for first-time dads.
Each father got a demo, practiced with a doll, then got tips.
The study checked if the men could later do the same steps with a real baby.
What they found
Every dad hit the skill goal after the short lessons.
They still did the steps correctly at home weeks later.
Playful talk and gentle touches also went up.
How this fits with other research
Neef et al. (1986) ran almost the same class with moms who had learning delays.
Both studies got big, lasting gains, so the package works across parents.
Ledbetter-Cho et al. (2021) later added extra steps to stop kids from over-using safety skills.
That follow-up shows the core BST model keeps spreading to new groups and risks.
Why it matters
You can copy this four-step package in one clinic visit.
Use it to teach any new caregiver—dad, grandparent, or respite worker—the basics of holding, feeding, and safe sleep.
Add a quick home probe to be sure the skill stays solid.
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Film a two-minute demo of safe swaddling, have the dad practice with a doll, give praise and a tip sheet, then schedule a home check.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
We evaluated the effectiveness of a multicomponent package in training infant-care skills to first-time fathers. After developing and socially validating a set of infant-care skills, we assessed the effects of training in a hospital-based program with expectant fathers (Experiment 1) and in a home-based program with fathers having varied degrees of experience with their infants (Experiment 2). In both experiments, a multiple probe design demonstrated that the training package was responsible for producing criterion performance by the expectant and first-time fathers. A 1-month generalization probe in Experiment 1 showed that the effects transferred across training conditions (training doll to human infant) and settings (hospital to home). An increase in the number of infant-stimulation activities performed by fathers was also observed in both experiments.
Journal of applied behavior analysis, 1986 · doi:10.1901/jaba.1986.19-221