Finger puppets could boost preterm infant development, study hopes

NCT ID NCT06335524

First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 24, 2026

Summary

This study tests whether teaching parents of preterm infants to use finger puppets during play can improve their baby's development. 188 preterm babies born before 34 weeks will be split into two groups: one gets standard care plus finger puppet training, the other gets standard care alone. Researchers will measure developmental progress at 12 months using a standard questionnaire.

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This is a summary of the original study . Summaries may miss details or leave out important information. Before applying or accepting participation, make sure you have read and understood the full study. Curemydisease.com takes no responsibility whatsoever for anything missed, misunderstood, or acted upon as a result of our summary — we know it does not capture everything.

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Contacts and locations

Study contacts

  • Contact

    Phone: •••-•••-•••• Email: •••••@•••••

  • Contact

    Phone: •••-•••-•••• Email: •••••@•••••

Locations

  • University of Alabama at Birmingham

    RECRUITING

    Birmingham, Alabama, 35249, United States

    Contact Phone: •••-•••-•••• Email: •••••@•••••

    Contact Phone: •••-•••-•••• Email: •••••@•••••

    Contact

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance

finger puppet training

What this could lead to

If successful, this could show that simple parent-led play with finger puppets improves developmental scores in preterm infants, offering a low-cost early intervention.

What could go wrong

This is a small, early-stage behavioral study. The effect may be small or not clinically meaningful, and results may not apply to all preterm infants.

Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Infant, Premature, Diseases

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.