Purpose: This study aimed to determine mothers’ knowledge, perceptions, barriers, and the relationship between maternal attachment and kangaroo care (KC) practices for preterm infants. Patients and methods: A nonequivalent comparison group design was conducted with 104 mothers of preterm neonates in NICUs of three state hospitals in Konya, Türkiye. Participants were assigned to KC (n = 62) and non-KC (n = 42) groups. Data were collected using a personal information form, a KC questionnaire, and the Maternal Attachment Inventory (MAI). Results: KC mothers (mean age 27.69 ± 6.44, had C-sections 66.1 %) had infants with significantly higher birth weight (p = 0.008). Groups also differed in many responses regarding KC knowledge, perceptions, and barriers. KC mothers also had higher MAI scores (p = 0.001, effect size = 0.613). Maternal attachment was significantly influenced by KC status, gestational age, birth weight, and hospitalization length, explaining 36.5 % of MAI variance (F = 14.229, p = 0.001). Conclusions: Further research should investigate the long-term effects of protocol-based KC on mothers.