Maternity record handbooks are a basis for Japan's maternal and child health measures. The major significance of these handbooks is allowing the management of information regarding maternal and child health from pregnancy to delivery and infancy in a single handbook [23]. To date, more than 30 countries have adopted similar handbooks to improve maternal and child health, and

This study investigated the necessity for a parenting record handbook that is specifically tailored to the needs of low birth weight infants (LBWIs) and their families, especially mothers, who face parenting difficulties and challenges. The participants were 20 mothers, raising LBWIs, discharged from the neonatal intensive care unit. The mean age and weight of the children were 2.75 ± 0.35 years and 1417.50 ± 152.06 g, respectively; the mean duration of neonatal intensive care unit hospitalization was 78.75 ± 14.10 days. At the time of the study, 35% (7/20) were nursery children, 10% (2/20) were kindergarten children, 20% (4/20) were using rehabilitation centers, and 10% (2/20) were using the medical rehabilitation handbook. The needs of the mothers were investigated through focus group interviews or individual interviews, and content analyses were performed. The mothers required the promotion of peer support that assists the alleviation of mental burden and postpartum mental and physical care, as well as the publication of counseling service counters and reliable information sources for parenting difficulties in the parenting record handbook. The mothers required the publication and recording of the growth indicators of LBWIs, parenting records, information management of children since birth, and for the handbook to function as a multidisciplinary information sharing tool. In addition, the requirements for the parenting record handbook were the early provision of the parenting record handbook and measures to cope with poor maternal physical condition. The results of this study suggest that mothers with LBWIs require a parenting record handbook that can provide comprehensive maternal and child health assurance, starting from pregnancy, to resolve childcare difficulties for LBWIs, as well as mental support.

Low-birth-weight infants may have various health problems, such as physical growth delay or cerebral palsy, and their mothers may be very anxious or exhausted while rearing them at home. However, public services of the Japanese government for home care of these children and their families are insufficient both in quality and quantity and do not meet their needs. For that reason, 'Little Baby Handbook' was developed for the mothers of low-birth-weight infants. It complements the mother's knowledge and the insufficiency of public assistance for low-birth-weight infants by including information on the growth, development, and childcare of low-birth-weight infants.