Poole Hospital introduces tentacles for tinies

Premature babies at Poole Hospital have a new best friend – a crochet octopus to cuddle up to in their incubators.

While they may seem like an unlikely bedfellow for the babies on the neonatal unit, these octopuses are linked to better health and wellbeing. It is thought the tentacles remind babies of the umbilical cord and being in their mother's womb, making them feel safer.

The unique idea originates from a hospital in Denmark, which found that the octopuses comforted babies and calmed them. This promoted better breathing and more regular heartbeats as well as higher levels of oxygen in their blood. They also found that babies cuddling an octopus were less likely to try to pull out their monitors and tubes.

The news of the benefits of crochet octopuses has spread far and wide, and more hospitals are calling for crochet enthusiasts to create and donate the cuddly sea creatures. At Scunthorpe Hospital, bereaved mother Pippa Curtin is appealing to the local community to get creating for babies being cared for in the NICU.