Kangaroo care as a neonatal therapy

摘要

A review of the effects of Kangaroo Care on preterm infants is presented according to how Kangaroo Care, skin-to-skin, chest-to-chest contact between the infant and a parent, addresses the six key elements of a developmentally appropriate therapy. Kangaroo Care has been found to satisfy all requirements and have both short- and long-term beneficial effects, with recent findings showing select sustained effects for 10 and 16. years. Kangaroo Care is now considered a fundamental component of developmentally appropriate therapy for hospitalized preterm infants.