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Open research questions in Infant Health and Development

111 gap statements mined from Infant Health and Development papers in our 4.5M-paper local library, which holds 579 papers on the topic — drawn mostly from each paper's own stated research gap, future-work, challenge and limitation notes, and its abstract. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one.

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What the literature leaves open

  • The study addresses the gap in understanding the impact of maternal smartphone use on infant regulatory disorders. It highlights the importance of perceived stress during smartphone use as a factor influencing outcomes.

    Maternal Smartphone Use and Regulatory Disorders of the Infant: A Post Hoc Analysis of the SKKIPPI Cohort Study · 2026 · DOI

  • Few studies in Saudi Arabia have examined pediatrician attitudes, knowledge, and practices related to goat-milk-based formula for the management of infantile colic. There is a lack of understanding of pediatricians' current practices in the management of infantile colic and recommendations for goat-milk-based formula.

    Attitude, Self-Reported Practices and Knowledge of Pediatricians Regarding the Recommendation of Goat-Milk-Based Formula for Management of Infantile Colic: A Cross-Sectional Study in Saudi Arabia · 2026 · DOI

  • Generally, there is limited evidence supporting the use of specialized formulas for FGID.

    Infant formulas for the treatment of functional gastrointestinal disorders: A position paper of the ESPGHAN Nutrition Committee · 2024 · DOI

  • Future work will focus on validating the method in a multicentre setting, incorporating recordings from a larger and more diverse neonatal population. These efforts are already part of our ongoing project roadmap and aim to further strengthen the clinical generalizability of the proposed framework.

    Automatic annotation to train ROI detection algorithm for premature infant respiration monitoring in NICU · 2026 · DOI

  • The study notes that infant sleep is partially genetically predisposed, but parental behavior can have an impact. The study highlights the need to identify protective factors in infants at risk for poor sleep.

    Maternal sensitivity supports infant sleep: evidence from two longitudinal prospective cohorts on maternal childhood maltreatment, maternal sensitivity, and infant sleep · 2026 · DOI

  • Limited early oral sensorimotor experience in very preterm infants. Inconsistent evidence regarding optimal protocols and clinical benefits of oral stimulation interventions.

    Early evolution of oral feeding skills in very preterm infants: impact of an oral stimulation protocol assessed by cot-side suckometer: a pilot study · 2026 · DOI

  • Further evaluation in larger trials is needed to confirm the study's findings. The study's findings may inform the development of oral stimulation protocols for very preterm infants.

    Early evolution of oral feeding skills in very preterm infants: impact of an oral stimulation protocol assessed by cot-side suckometer: a pilot study · 2026 · DOI

  • While the present study provides preliminary evidence of functional linkage between autonomic and neural systems, further research is needed to identify contextual predictors of individual differences in this coupling. The present study represents a significant advancement in the field of developmental neurophysiological research, but replication and expansion are warranted.

    Autonomic and neural activity dynamically couple during infant attention · 2026 · DOI

  • Finally, future research should consider the ethical implications [see (27, 28)] of long-term continuous monitoring through wearables on children with behavioral difficulties.

    Wearables and behavioral coding show promise for measuring and predicting severe emotional outbursts in children · 2026 · DOI

  • WHAT IS KNOWN: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is commonly used among pediatric patients with gastrointestinal symptoms but often excluded in evidence-based guidelines due to insufficient evidence.

    Attitudes toward the use of complementary and alternative medicine in children with gastrointestinal symptoms, a multicenter survey study among parents and pediatricians · 2026 · DOI

  • There are no data on using the Cow's Milk Protein Related Symptom Score (CoMiSS), a clinical screening tool, to monitor symptom improvement in infants with cow's milk protein allergy (CMPA).

    Evaluating the effectiveness of elimination diet in infants with CMP-induced allergic proctocolitis using CoMiSS · 2025 · DOI

  • The challenge is the limited number of studies on the effectiveness of diaphragmatic breathing in children and adolescents. The challenge is the need to develop effective stress management programs for children and adolescents. The challenge is the importance of identifying useful techniques for relaxation and stress reduction in children and adolescents.

    The Effect of Diaphragmatic Breathing as a Complementary Therapeutic Strategy in Stress of Children and Teenagers 6–18 Years Old · 2025 · DOI

  • The gap is the lack of studies on the effectiveness of diaphragmatic breathing in children and adolescents. The gap is the need to evaluate the effectiveness of diaphragmatic breathing as a complementary therapy in stress of children and teenagers. The gap is the limited understanding of the effects of diaphragmatic breathing on physiological and psychological indicators in children and adolescents.

    The Effect of Diaphragmatic Breathing as a Complementary Therapeutic Strategy in Stress of Children and Teenagers 6–18 Years Old · 2025 · DOI

  • The association between IC, a family history of atopy, and the development of individual atopy in the future remains uncertain, given conflicting findings from prior studies.

    Evaluating the influence of parental atopy on the effectiveness of a maternal dairy-free diet in alleviating infantile colic: a before-and-after study · 2024 · DOI

  • The study faces challenges in recruiting participants, particularly those with limited German language skills. The research must account for various sources of psychosocial stress, including challenging living conditions and strained family relationships. The study must also consider the potential impact of the pandemic on parenting behaviors and infant regulatory problems.

    Infant Crying, Sleeping, and Feeding Problems in Times of Societal Crises: The Mediating Role of Parenting Stress on Parenting Behavior in Fathers and Mothers · 2024 · DOI

  • The need for more studies to inform evidence-based practices.

    Adverse effects due to changes in the composition of the intestinal microbiota as result of the administration of antibiotics during the perinatal period · 2022 · DOI

  • The results indicate greater syllable discrimination in BF than formula-fed infants, but whether this can be attributed to dietary influences alone remains unclear.

    Diet and gender influences on processing and discrimination of speech sounds in 3‐ and 6‐month‐old infants: a developmental ERP study · 2010 · DOI

  • Despite a continued lack of consensus on denning dimensions of individuality (Bates, 1987; Goldsmith & Campos, 1986), the expression of emotionality plays a prominent role in all current conceptualizations of temperament (Belsky, Fish, & Isabella, 1991).

    The effect of infant irritability on mother-infant interaction: A growth-curve analysis. · 1994 · DOI

  • Further studies could examine the relationship between newborn movements and other environmental variables, such as temperature and noise. Further studies could also examine the development of newborn babies' motor skills over time.

    A study of normal baby movements · 1987 · DOI

  • There is a lack of understanding about the patterns of newborn movement. Prior studies have not examined the relationship between newborn movements and the awake or sleep state, type of feeding, gestational age, and position in the cot.

    A study of normal baby movements · 1987 · DOI

  • The need for more research on the fetus ejection reflex is highlighted. The importance of environment in regulating labor and lactation is not fully understood.

    The Fetus Ejection Reflex Revisited · 1987 · DOI

  • The lack of comparison between laboratory and home settings for mother-infant speech. The assumption that laboratory observations reflect behavior in natural settings has been questioned.

    Mothers' speech to their 1-year-old infants in home and laboratory settings · 1986 · DOI

  • Investigate the impact of paternal smartphone use on infant regulatory disorders. Explore the long-term effects of maternal smartphone use on child development. Examine the role of specific types of smartphone activities (e.g., social media vs. work-related) in relation to infant regulatory disorders.

    Maternal Smartphone Use and Regulatory Disorders of the Infant: A Post Hoc Analysis of the SKKIPPI Cohort Study · 2026 · DOI

  • Like the above project utilizing a similar calculation we can likewise anticipate the call of a feline. In western nations individuals treat felines as an infant which is less in our country. Here are the significant explanations behind feline's cry Illness: the essential advance might be an intensive exam by your veterinarian.

    Baby Cry Analyzer (Infant Cry Signal Analysis and Classification) · 2026 · DOI

  • Diagnosis and management varied widely, particularly between HCPs and self-diagnosing parents.

    Inconsistent approaches to the diagnosis and management of common disorders of gut-brain interaction (reflux, colic and constipation) in infants in Ireland: a parental perspective · 2026 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Infant Health and Development

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Open questions raised by papers listed on this page include: (1) There is a lack of understanding of pediatricians' current practices in the management of infantile colic and recommendations for goat-milk-based formula (“Attitude, Self-Reported Practices and Knowledge of Pediatricians Regarding the…”, 2026); (2) Future work will focus on validating the method in a multicentre setting, incorporating recordings from a larger and more diverse neonatal population (“Automatic annotation to train ROI detection algorithm for premature infant…”, 2026); (3) Further evaluation in larger trials is needed to confirm the study's findings (“Early evolution of oral feeding skills in very preterm infants: impact of an…”, 2026); (4) There are no data on using the Cow's Milk Protein Related Symptom Score (CoMiSS), a clinical screening tool, to monitor symptom improvement in infants with cow's milk protein allergy (CMPA) (“Evaluating the effectiveness of elimination diet in infants with CMP-induced…”, 2025); (5) The gap is the lack of studies on the effectiveness of diaphragmatic breathing in children and adolescents (“The Effect of Diaphragmatic Breathing as a Complementary Therapeutic Strategy…”, 2025). 111 gap statements have been mined from Infant Health and Development papers in our 4.5M-paper local library, which holds 579 papers on the topic; the gaps come from whichever of those papers state one. They are mostly the research gaps the authors state and the papers' abstracts, plus future-work, limitations and challenges passages. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one, so you can read the original claim in context.

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