Keeping Delicate Infants Safe

An isolette is the common name for a clear plastic hospital incubator unit. It's an enclosed unit, providing a completely controlled, isolated microenvironment, accessible from the outside via portholes and a large door. The infant's temperature is monitored by a servocontrol unit, which also controls the heat inside the isolette. This type of hospital baby bedding is typically used with premature and low-birth weight infants.

Due to the delicate nature of these infants, specialized baby bedding is used in conjunction with the isolette, to help them adjust to and experience life outside the womb.

The Importance of Sensory Stimulation in Premature Infants

Babies born prematurely often have an underdeveloped or, occasionally, super-sensitive set of sensory abilities. Most hospitals compensate for this by trying to replicate the conditions inside of the womb as much as possible. Low lighting, constant warmth, and sensorially pleasing baby bedding help the infant transition gently into a new and different world.

Sensory stimulation helps babies to learn; this is also called "tactile learning". Since very small infants aren't capable of exploring their environment on their own, the environment itself must be stimulating, to give them the best possible experience. Babies whose health is endangered by normal interactions need to be placed in as stimulating and supportive an environment as possible. Lambskin baby bedding, for example, is shown to change the way infants respond to distress and discomfort, and help them learn to self-soothe. Its texture is also excellent for making sure the baby is correctly positioned for sleep or rest periods within the baby bedding.

Baby bedding for premature infants must also compensate for pressure points within the body, as the infants are likely to spend almost all of their time laying down. In addition to lambskin, pillows made of foam or gel, cardboard eggcrate material, and positioning aids are all an important part of baby bedding for isolated infants.

Providing Balance Between Security and Stimulation

Baby bedding is the key to providing at-risk infants with a comfortable and stimulating place to rest. The baby bedding must strive to be as satisfying as the skin-to-skin contact these babies aren't yet able to have. The use of warmed lambskin baby bedding, as well as supportive materials such as gel pillows and eggcrate, will take the place of ordinary human contact and help the infant transition gradually to a bassinette or a cot as their system becomes stronger. During infancy, the isolette is the perfect environment for premature and low-birth weight babies, helping them to grow and heal until they're ready for the world most babies enter right away.