APCP Information - Awake Time Ideas
Practical advice to help you support your premature infant’s early motor development. This leaflet is freely available and intended for distribution to parents. APCP is therefore happy for any physiotherapist or other healthcare professional / healthcare organisation to download and print these leaflets for distribution in clinical practice.
Babies born prematurely develop differently to babies born at term. Premature infants are at a greater risk of having delay in their motor development. Common reasons which cause this delay include:
- Their muscles are imbalanced compared to a baby born at term
- Their head shape may not be round, so they tend to favour facing one direction
- They are easily distracted / over stimulated and have problems self-calming
This leaflet has been created for you, as their parents, to show you how you can provide additional support to help them learn new skills in the first few months after their due date. These early skills are gaining good head control; raising their head and chest up when on their tummies with their arms forward; grasping toys and bringing them to their mouth.