Kangaroo Care
Kangaroo care is used in the NICU at Brenner Children’s Hospital to help aid in an infant’s recovery and comfort parents during a stressful time. Kangaroo care is a form of skin-to-
skin contact between a parent and their baby. The baby is held in an upright position against a parent's bare chest for 20 minutes to four hours a day. Benefits of this method of care include: bonding between the parent and child and calming of the infant as he/she responds to the parent’s heartbeat and enjoys deeper levels of sleep.
Studies have also shown that parents who use this method benefit from decreased hospital stays, and increased joy in helping to care for their child. Infants have been shown to demonstrate fewer breathing pauses and a decreased number of low heart rate spells.
Brenner Children’s neonatal nurses can demonstrate Kangaroo Care for parents and help them decide when their child is ready for this unique therapy.