Parental readiness for hospital discharge and the relationship with growth and development of infant in China

•Parental readiness for discharge may affect the growth of newborns.•Time and parental readiness have an interaction effect on the growth of newborns, and the differences in weight, length, and head circumference among the three groups at birth differ from those after 42 days of birth.•These findings indicate that high discharge readiness can increase the weight, length, and head circumference of infants.