Motor Development in Infants: A Literature Review on The Role of Exclusive Breastfeeding And Early Stimulation

Abstrak

Motor development in infancy is the basis for movement skills in the next stage, so the factors that affect it are important to understand, especially by health workers and educators involved in stimulating children's growth and development. This review aims to summarize and compare evidence from scientific articles on the role of nutrition, early stimulation, and other factors on the motor development of infants aged 0-12 months in Indonesia. The method used was a literature review with a narrative approach to 20 national journal articles published between 2020 and 2026, selected through a search of scientific databases with keywords such as motor development, exclusive breastfeeding, baby massage, baby gym, and baby spa; the data of each article was extracted into a table and synthesized based on theme. The results of the review showed that all five articles discussing exclusive breastfeeding reported a meaningful association with body length growth and with infant motor development, although the association with head circumference was not always meaningful. Infant massage, baby gym, baby spa, and a combination of them were reported to improve motor development in all nine intervention studies reviewed, with sessions lasting approximately 15-20 minutes for approximately one month. A history of preterm birth, long shading, and lack of opportunities for free movement were associated with less age-appropriate motor development, while stimulation accompanied by physiotherapy facilitation was shown to accelerate growth and development in previously delayed infants. The strength of the evidence is still limited by small sample sizes, small control groups in intervention studies, and cross-sectional designs in most nutrition studies. Research with a more robust design, such as randomized controlled trials, is needed to ensure the optimal effect and dose of stimulation for infant motor development.