Title: Lending a helping hand to very preterm infants: a randomised controlled trial of the effectiveness of ‘sticky mittens’ for enhancing cognitive development from ages 3 to 15 months
Funder: Action Medical Research

Abstract: Background_x000D_ It is estimated that around 9,000 babies are born very prematurely, before 32 weeks of pregnancy, every year in the UK. While medical advances have improved the survival rates of these babies, their early arrival puts them at significant risk of brain injuries that can lead to learning difficulties. There is an urgent need to find new ways of helping these babies, especially during the first months of life when the brain is developing very rapidly. Research with babies born at full-term has shown that they benefit from play involving 'sticky mittens'. Babies normally learn to grasp objects at about the age of four months. Sticky mittens are Velcro-covered mittens that can be used with Velcro-covered soft toys to enable younger infants to manipulate toys before they are able to grasp them independently. Sticky mittens give young babies a head start in moving and exploring objects, activities that are essential to learning. There is also evidence to show that sticky mitten activities help babies interact with caregivers and improve their social development. _x000D_ _x000D_ The research project_x000D_ These researchers want to see if sticky mittens can also benefit babies born very prematurely, who are in particular need of support with their learning and social development. They plan to recruit 60 babies born before 32 weeks of pregnancy. Thirty babies will participate in the sticky mitten activities and the remaining 30 will form the control group. The study will begin when the babies are three months old (based on their due date, rather than on when they were actually born) and the activities will take place for 10 minutes each day for three weeks. Parents will put the mittens on their child's hands and encourage them to explore a set of soft toys placed within their reach. In the control group, the babies will simply watch their caregiver move the toys around and touch them to the child's palms. Both groups will then be tested after one month and 12 months to assess their learning, social and movement skills. If the mittens are found to be effective in improving outcomes for babies born very prematurely, future research could explore whether the benefits are maintained into the preschool years and beyond. Ultimately, sticky mittens could be promoted to parents as a simple and inexpensive way of supporting their child's development. _x000D_ _x000D_

Lay abstract: Background_x000D_ It is estimated that around 9,000 babies are born very prematurely, before 32 weeks of pregnancy, every year in the UK. While medical advances have improved the survival rates of these babies, their early arrival puts them at significant risk of brain injuries that can lead to learning difficulties. There is an urgent need to find new ways of helping these babies, especially during the first months of life when the brain is developing very rapidly. Research with babies born at full-term has shown that they benefit from play involving 'sticky mittens'. Babies normally learn to grasp objects at about the age of four months. Sticky mittens are Velcro-covered mittens that can be used with Velcro-covered soft toys to enable younger infants to manipulate toys before they are able to grasp them independently. Sticky mittens give young babies a head start in moving and exploring objects, activities that are essential to learning. There is also evidence to show that sticky mitten activities help babies interact with caregivers and improve their social development. _x000D_ _x000D_ The research project_x000D_ These researchers want to see if sticky mittens can also benefit babies born very prematurely, who are in particular need of support with their learning and social development. They plan to recruit 60 babies born before 32 weeks of pregnancy. Thirty babies will participate in the sticky mitten activities and the remaining 30 will form the control group. The study will begin when the babies are three months old (based on their due date, rather than on when they were actually born) and the activities will take place for 10 minutes each day for three weeks. Parents will put the mittens on their child's hands and encourage them to explore a set of soft toys placed within their reach. In the control group, the babies will simply watch their caregiver move the toys around and touch them to the child's palms. Both groups will then be tested after one month and 12 months to assess their learning, social and movement skills. If the mittens are found to be effective in improving outcomes for babies born very prematurely, future research could explore whether the benefits are maintained into the preschool years and beyond. Ultimately, sticky mittens could be promoted to parents as a simple and inexpensive way of supporting their child's development. _x000D_ _x000D_

Research activity codes: 5.3 MEDICAL DEVICES
Health categories: REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND CHILDBIRTH