By Lisa Mulliken
Look around any infant or toddler classroom, and you will usually see a variety of equipment used to “contain” infants in sitting, standing, or back-lying positions. Containment equipment includes any device that restricts children’s movement in specific areas or situations. This can include a variety of items such as baby seats, exersaucers, supportive pillow devices, and swings. In childcare settings, containment equipment is often used to keep infants safe while teachers attend to other children or tasks or to separate infants from more mobile toddlers in mixed-age groups.
For infants who are often shifted from one type of restrictive equipment to another, like from a baby seat to a swing, time can accumulate quickly throughout the day. Keeping infants confined in equipment for long periods can affect motor development and limit opportunities for interaction and early language support. Excessive use of restrictive equipment can lead to “Container Baby Syndrome,” which may result in delayed motor milestones such as rolling over, sitting, and crawling; decreased hip and leg strength; flat spots on the head from lack of movement (plagiocephaly); and tightness in the neck from tilting or turning the head to one side (torticollis).
Because of the developmental concerns associated with using restrictive equipment, Caring for Our Children National Health and Safety Guidelines recommend limiting use to no more than two 15-minute periods per day. The authors of the FCCERS-3 and ITERS-3 emphasize that confinement should be infrequent and that infants should be held, cuddled, and given frequent opportunities to move freely and interact with people and materials when they are not engaged in personal care routines. When using restrictive equipment, careful supervision is essential, and sleeping infants should be moved to a crib.
By following recommendations, limiting the use of restrictive equipment, and providing ample time for movement, exploration, and interaction, teachers support healthy overall development and foster a responsive caregiving environment for infants. Here are some tips on providing infants with developmentally appropriate opportunities for active exploration.
- Provide safe, engaging environments and materials
- Arrange the classroom to create quiet and active spaces where infants can play and explore. In mixed-age classrooms, the room arrangement should include separate, safe, and engaging areas for toddlers and infants to move, interact, and explore.
- Offer infants a wide variety of age-appropriate toys and materials throughout the day. Provide nonmobile infants with access to toys by storing them in baskets or containers that can be brought to them. For mobile infants, place materials on low shelves or in containers they can easily access.
- Engage in responsive caregiving
- Responsive caregiving involves fostering positive relationships by consistently responding to infants’ cues, emphasizing their interests and preferences, and engaging in shared language and activities. Responsive caregiving is essential for healthy social-emotional development, laying the foundation for secure attachment and positive relationships.
- Encourage tummy time
- The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that caregivers place infants on the floor for tummy time two to three times a day, starting with just a few minutes for younger infants and increasing the time as they grow. During tummy time, interact with the baby and place toys in front of them for them to look at or reach for. Tummy time promotes gross motor skills and strengthens muscles needed for rolling, sitting, crawling, and walking.
See below for more information and resources on freeing the babies!
CFOC Standards Database | National Resource Center
Out of the Container, and Onto the Floor | AAP Journal Blogs | American Academy of Pediatrics
What is “container baby syndrome,” and do I really have to worry about it? – Today’s Parent
