Why play is good for sick or premature babies in the NICU
Playing with your sick or premature baby helps them:
- get to know you
- develop in all areas, including their brain
- feel loved and secure
- learn about relationships and comfort
- learn about the physical environment they can see, hear, feel and smell
- learn new skills.
Play with sick or premature babies in the NICU: what it looks like
For young babies, play is about gentle, enjoyable interactions with you. And even though your sick or premature baby is in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), you can still play with them.
At first, your baby might be able to play and interact for only a few minutes at a time. They might be easily overwhelmed by everything that’s going on around and inside them. As babies grow and get stronger, they’ll be able to play for longer.
When you first start playing with your baby, it’s a good idea to stimulate only one of their senses at a time – for example, only sight or only hearing. And it’s important to stop playing if your baby’s body language tells you they’ve had enough. They might show this by looking away, shutting their eyes or getting fussy.
Try not to worry if play doesn’t go well every time. Sometimes your baby might get agitated or overstimulated or just not respond.
Very premature babies spend most of their time asleep. They can still hear you and be comforted by your voice and touch. So simple, gentle play ideas like talking, reading and singing are OK for them.
Play ideas for the NICU: things to look at
Your sick or premature baby might enjoy having something to look at, especially if it’s your face. In fact, very young sick or premature babies might not want to look at anything other than faces.
After a while, your baby might like watching you gently waggle your fingers or move your head slowly from side to side. And as your baby gets stronger, they might like having new things to look at. Some neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) have prams that you can use to take babies for walks to look at new things.
Play ideas for the NICU: touch and massage
Touching and holding your sick or premature baby is another way to start playing together.
But very sick or premature babies get overwhelmed easily. It’s best to touch them by gently placing a hand on their head or holding their hand. This is sometimes called ‘still touch’ or ‘sustained touch’. Skin-to-skin or kangaroo care can also be part of this touching when your baby is ready.
When your baby is older or well enough and your doctor or nurse says it’s OK, you could massage them. Most neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) have a physiotherapist who can teach you how. Massage is a great way to bond with your baby, and it also helps your baby gain weight.
Play ideas for the NICU: songs, stories and books
Your sick or premature baby might enjoy hearing your voice when you talk, read and sing to them. You can do this from very early on. Try singing or talking softly to keep the noise level down in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
You might hum to your baby or sing the same song over and over. Or you could make up a song using your baby’s name or what’s happening around you. If you want to play soft music to your baby in hospital, just check with your baby’s care team first.
Babies learn to recognise songs and tunes quickly. They also learn that songs and tunes have meaning. For example, some songs mean it’s time to go to sleep, some might mean it’s nappy change time, and so on.
When singing matches how your baby is feeling, it can improve your baby’s heart rate, sleeping, feeding and sucking. This can be as simple as singing softer and slower when your baby is unsettled.
Singing is good for you too. It helps you breathe deeply and can help you feel more relaxed.