Can talking about feelings with your baby boost development? new study investigates
NCT ID NCT04531618
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study compared two programs for new mothers and their babies, starting in the hospital nursery and continuing until the baby is 4 months old. One program focused on emotional exchange, where mothers shared stories and discussed feelings with their baby. The other provided standard newborn care education. Researchers measured bonding, caregiving quality, and child development to see if emotional exchange improves mother-child relationships and early development.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this study could show that encouraging emotional exchange between mothers and babies improves bonding and child development, pointing toward simple, scalable parenting programs.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, completed study with 132 participants, so results may not apply to all families. The interventions are behavioral and effects may be modest or hard to measure.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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132 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Feb 2024
- Finished
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Sep 2025
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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12 to 72 hours
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Mother agrees to participate in a linked study involving additional surveys and assessments * Newborn born between 35 weeks and 40 weeks and 6 days gestational age * Newborn is a singleton * Mother can speak English or Spanish Exclusion Criteria: * Newborn born at less than 35 weeks and 0 days gestational age * Newborn born at more than 40 weeks and 6 days gestational age * Infant's attending physician does not recommend enrollment in the study based on newborn health concerns or diagnoses, or based on concern regarding maternal history of maternal substance abuse, severe psychiatric illness or psychosis * Mother and/or infant has a medical condition that precludes intervention components * Newborn is a twin or other multiple at birth * Mother is unwilling to be video recorded
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As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital
New York, New York, 10032, United States
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