High-risk (HR) and low-risk (LR) preterm infants (N = 212) and full-term infants (FT, N = 128) from low socio-economic homes were studied with their mothers in the home at 6 and 12 months of age. Infants' cognitive, language and daily living skills were evaluated in relation to mothers' warm sensitivity, use of strategies which maintained the infants' attention and directiveness. Higher levels of maternal attention-maintaining were positively related to infant development for all groups. During toy play, attention-maintaining was most strongly related to expressive language skills for the HR infants; during toy play and daily activities, this maternal behavior was more strongly related to cognitive and language skills for both preterm groups than for the FT infants.