Kangaroo Care For Preemies: Skin-To-Skin Cuddling Improves Neurodevelopment, Says Study

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August 8, 2024, 8:14 AM

• •Premature infants who received more skin-to-skin contact had higher cognitive scores at 12 months of age.
• •The link between increased skin-to-skin contact and cognitive scores was independent of the infant's gestational age, medical complications, frequency of getting admitted to NICU, and the family's socioeconomic status.
• •Skin-to-skin contact is a simple intervention that can be easily implemented in the NICU setting and may have a significant impact on the long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes of preterm infants.

Premature babies who receive more skin-to-skin contact with their parents show improved cognitive skills at 12 months of age, according to a new study. The study, published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, found that even small increases in the amount of skin-to-skin time could make a measurable difference in the babies' neurologic development.

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