In South Africa, many infants spend more time with carers other than their parents due to socio-economic demands on mothers. Carers thus play an important role in the infants' lives. This qualitative study explored child carers' knowledge and understanding of the 'first 1000 days' initiative and their perception of themselves as attachment…

This study, using longitudinal data from the South African Birth to Twenty Plus study, assessed associations between early childcare quality in the home between six months and two years, household SES and cognitive development at age 5. Childcare quality was assessed using measures of maternal responsiveness and cognitive stimulation. Cognitive…

Community health workers possess valuable insight into the experiences of South Africa's children and caregivers. However, their knowledge is often overlooked in efforts to understand local realities, inform interventions, and develop relevant policies. This study aimed to explore community health workers' perspectives of the first 1000 days of…

This research study aimed to explore the experiences of caregivers of children through the early hearing detection and intervention (EHDI) process in the public health care sector in South Africa. A qualitative research design was employed. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 8 caregivers from 3 different levels of service delivery in…

Malnutrition is a global concern and it impacts negatively on mortality, morbidity, educability and productivity. Millions of children in South Africa are affected. This study examines the key factors associated with malnutrition among children aged six months to five years in a semi-rural area of the Western Cape, South Africa. A quantitative…

This study evaluated the impact of a parenting intervention on children's cognitive and socioemotional development in a group of caregivers and their 21-to-28-month-old children in a low-income South African township. A randomized controlled trial compared an experimental group (n = 70) receiving training in dialogic book-sharing (8 weekly group…

The Bayley's Scales of Infant and Toddler Development-Third Edition (Bayley-III) were used to measure the development of 24-month-old children (N = 1,452) in the Interactions of Malnutrition and Enteric Infections: Consequences for Child Health and Development (MAL-ED) study (an international, multisite study on many aspects of child development).…

The low rates of child literacy in South Africa are cause for considerable concern. Research from the developed world shows that parental sharing of picture books with infants and young children is beneficial for child language and cognitive development, as well as literacy skills. We conducted a pilot study to examine whether such benefits might…