"It's called kangaroo care," she explained.
Resources clearly weren't the issue — kangaroo care costs nothing.
Dr. Ferber noted that kangaroo care might not be appropriate for some babies with medical problems.
Among small or premature babies, kangaroo care (as it is known) cuts mortality rates by a third.
In kangaroo care, parents are encouraged to hold their newborn children against their bare chests for extended periods.
Kangaroo care, a technique for soothing premature babies with skin-to-skin contact, can help calm babies born at full term as well, a study has concluded.
In a study at a hospital in Bogotá, Colombia, 764 babies who weighed about 3 to 5 pounds were assigned randomly to kangaroo care or to incubators.
"Mothers who are sick and can't handle their kid, and mothers who can't nurse, typically don't take to kangaroo care," said Dr. Malkin, at Duke.
"The blanket supports kangaroo care moments between mother and baby and is used as a supportive wrap that absorbs a mother's smell during kangaroo care.
To review research on kangaroo care with implications for growth and development in preterm infants.
To investigate Irish neonatal nurses' knowledge and beliefs of Kangaroo care.
