Parenting and stimulation for child development at home: perspectives from Nurturing Care.
Jeniffer Stephanie Marques Hilário, Letícia Pancieri, Regina Aparecida Garcia de Lima and 2 others
PMID 40834127WHAT IT FOUND
Mothers of infants under one year described using screens and medication to manage distress, while limiting outdoor play due to fear of illness.
They viewed daycare as beneficial for socialization but feared mistreatment. Fathers' involvement varied, often framed as assistance rather than shared care.
Key findings
01Mothers reported using television and mobile phones to entertain infants under one year, often to manage household tasks, while also noting perceived developmental benefits.
02Some mothers reported administering medication (dipyrone) to calm infants, highlighting potential uncertainties regarding assumed pain and indiscriminate use.
03Fathers' participation in child care was described by mothers as limited or framed as assisting the mother, with 14 of 27 fathers reported as participating in care.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study interviewed only mothers, so paternal and non-parental caregiver perspectives are missing. Participants were from a single small municipality in Brazil, limiting generalizability to other contexts. The focus was exclusively on children under one year, excluding older infants and toddlers. Self-reported practices may be subject to social desirability bias.
Declared interests
The study was supported by the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq). The authors declared no other conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the reported use of screens or medication as evidence of efficacy or safety. These are descriptive reports of maternal behavior in a specific low-income context, not recommendations for practice. The study does not measure child development outcomes, so it cannot determine whether these practices help or harm infants.