There is no doubt that the Kangaroo Method has led to a revolution in the care of premature babies. Something as simple as placing the baby on the mother's chest in contact with her skin has proved to be an effective treatment for babies born earlier than expected to get ahead more easily.
The power of a mother's heat has no resemblance to any device. When comparing babies who had remained in an incubator with others who had received kangaroo care and analyzed its long-term effects, one study has shown that Skin-to-skin contact with the baby is beneficial even after ten years.
According to research conducted by scientists from the University of Bar-Ilan (Israel) and published in the journal Biological Psychiatry, the warmth of the mother's (or father's) skin in the neonatal period improves the cognitive and executive abilities of babies.
To reach that conclusion, 73 mothers of premature babies were asked to practice the Kangaroo Method one hour a day for 14 consecutive days. On the other hand, 73 children who had received the care of a standard incubator were also evaluated, and both groups were followed up during the first ten years of life.
First, they observed that mothers who had practiced the kangaroo method were more sensitive to the needs of their babies during the first half of life, which confirms that it also improves the mother-child affective bond.
They also repeatedly observed some better cognitive and executive skills in the tests they performed on these children between six months and ten years, comparing them with the other group.
Specifically, they observed that they were more organized, had a better neuroendocrine response to stress, their autonomic nervous system was more mature and had better cognitive control.
One more scientific proof that the Skin-to-skin contact with the baby is beneficial for their physical and psychological development, even for several years. Therefore, whether you were born early or not, breastfeed or bottle the kangaroo method is an absolutely recommended practice.
