Kangaroo Care: A Bonding Experience

If you have or have had an infant in the NICU, chances are you have experienced Kangaroo Care. Kangaroo Care (KC) is a practice in which mothers and fathers are able to hold their infant, who is naked except for a diaper, in an upright position on their bare chest. This skin-to-skin technique was developed by doctors in the late 1970’s in Bogota, Columbia as a way to combat the struggle to care for preterm infants in a technologically deprived region. They found that infants who were held close to their mothers’ bodies for extended periods of time fared better than those who did not have contact. During the 1980’s word of this new method and of its positive outcomes began to spread throughout the medical community, gaining recognition throughout the world. Today, hospitals across the U.S. and the world have implemented Kangaroo care as a standard practice.

Kangaroo care has been proven to have numerous short-term and long-term benefits for both the infant and parent. It establishes a base for parents to intimately interact and connect with their infant while fostering the parenting process. Research has shown that the closeness of the infant to the parents’ chest during Kangaroo care provides thermoregulatory support.1 The skin to skin contact also allows the infant to experience the soothing and familiar sounds of the heartbeat and voice of their parent. It has been noted that the infants own breathing can be stimulated and supported by their mother’s or father’s chests rhythmic movement. Infants usually fall asleep within minutes of snuggling on their parent’s chest. This extra sleep along with the assistance the parent’s body provides in regulating body temperature helps the infant conserve energy and redirects calorie expenditures toward growth and weight gain. Additional benefits for the infant include improved oxygen saturation levels, decreased crying, positive effect on brain development and more successful breast-feeding episodes.

Parenting and bonding with an infant in the NICU is much different than parenting and bonding with an infant in the home. However, the skin-to-skin contact Kangaroo care provides help NICU parents establish a closeness between themselves and their infant. It allows parents to learn how to assess and recognize their infant’s sensitivities and strengths.1 Through Kangaroo care, parents gain confidence in the care they are able to provide for their infant and take the initiative to soothe and calm their infant during periods of restlessness.1 It has also been noted that parents who engage in kangaroo care begin to take a more active role in the care of their infant through diaper changing, wrapping, covering, and supporting their infant.



1 Smith, K.M. (2007) Sleep and kangaroo care: Clinical practice in the newborn intensive care unit. Journal of Perinatology Neonatal Nursing, 21(2), 151-157.

Additional resource on Kangaroo Care
http://my.clevelandclinic.org/healthy_living/infant_care/hic_kangaroo_care.aspx