Table 3 Overview of Results
From: Perspectives of infant active play: a qualitative comparison of working versus stay-at-home parents
Theme | All parents | Stay-at-home parents | Working parents | Sample quote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Perception of active play | ||||
Interaction with others | 62.07% | 68.75% | 53.85% | “I think active play is when you are involved in your kid when you are actually playing with them. Interacting with them back and forth.” |
Individual play | 37.93% | 31.25% | 46.15% | “I would say her being able to like engage with the toys and not just be sitting next to them and not acknowledging them.” |
Perceived impact of active play | ||||
Physical | 72.41% | 75% | 69.23% | “That’s how she builds her muscles and that’s how she uses them.” |
Social and Emotional | 65.52% | 75% | 53.85% | “...I think it gives them better social skills.” |
Cognitive | 62.07% | 75% | 46.15% | “I think it promotes curiosity, independence, obviously brain development, it gets them kind of working on the why and how of things.” |
Language/Comm. | 31.03% | 37.5% | 23.08% | “...talking to your kid helps with the language development and then eventually the reading and the word recognition, and just the vocabulary.” |
Engagement in active play | ||||
Physical | 68.97% | 75% | 61.54% | “With her, we try to practice her crawling and walking. Tummy time and rolling over.” |
Social and Emotional | 86.21% | 87.5% | 84.62% | “…encouraging his facial recognition. Like smiling, sad, the various.” |
Cognitive | 62.07% | 62.5% | 61.54% | “...showing her things, and encouraging her to use things, like hitting the drum, or like showing her what toys are supposed to do. Like you make a ball bounce and you make a car go.” |
Language/Comm. | 44.83% | 50% | 38.46% | “...engaging, talking to her, making eye contact. Sometimes she is great about eye contact and then there is other times she is not but I think getting actively going back and forth.” |
Barriers to active play | ||||
Time or schedule | 44.44% | 46.67% | 41.67% | “The only barrier is just kind of time. Because he has his own schedule.” |
Infant care needs | 29.63% | 40% | 16.67% | “…wants to eat you know, is ready for a nap and what not. He is an early bed person.” |
Environment | 29.63% | 33.33% | 25% | “...environment, there’s other kids, there’s animals, it’s dirty…” |
Restrictive devices | 11.11% | 6.67% | 16.67% | “...it’s easier just to put her in the carrier and put her on my back and um and just kind of keep her hang out with me while they’re doing their play.” |
Childcare | 3.7% | 0% | 8.33% | “Daycare is a barrier. Um only he is in-home and even with a center the expectations they kind of try to keep them safe rather than on track at this age.” |
None | 18.52% | 20% | 16.67% | “Not at this time.” |
Recommendations for active play | ||||
Heard of | 55.17% | 50% | 61.54% | Questions were closed ended therefore participant responses were coded as yes or no. |
Have not heard of | 44.83% | 50% | 38.46% | |
Doctor mentioned | 31.03% | 25% | 61.54% | |
Doctor did not mention | 68.97% | 75% | 38.46% | |