Developmental care: a guide to the latest equipment

The Crown Cradle by DandleLion Medical (AG Health) is an orthotic device for premature babies that is designed to support the development of an infant’s natural head shape. It is a high quality positioning aid designed to meet an infant’s physiological, neurodevelopmental and treatment needs as they grow.

The Bendy Bumper and the B3 Better Bendy Bumper, available from Inspiration Healthcare Group, are bendable positioning aids that can be moulded into the desired shape by the caregiver to promote containment and to provide a reflex stimulus for extremity extension and subsequent flexion recoil.

The Kanmed Baby Nest available from Central Medical Supplies is a complete nest that is reusable and comes in one piece. To use, slide the water mattress and heating pad into the pocket. The Baby Nest is intended to facilitate correct physiological positioning and to provide a cosy environment around the baby.

A Baby Nest for twins is also available, which works with the twin water mattress or two standard water mattresses.

Designed and developed by a team of neonatal care professionals, research scientists and engineers, Dreamies by Neatcap Medical offer a practical solution to the problem of noise exposure of neonatal and infant patients during routine intensive care. The Dreamies device simulates the type of noise protection a baby would naturally experience inside the mother’s body during pregnancy. The materials and design preferentially block high frequency noises such as monitor alarms, while still allowing some transmission of beneficial low frequency sounds from the human voice. Dreamies provide an overall sound reduction of 19dB and over 20dB in the frequency range of NICU alarms.

Sonic baby ear muffs for healthcare, available from Niche Healthcare, are specially designed hearing protection devices for infants and young children exposed to loud environments. Whether during medical diagnostics, eg MRI or audiology testing, or noisy hospital wards, the ear muffs offer a safe, comfortable and effective way to protect delicate developing ears from harmful noise levels.

By relying on gravity, the Prone Plus infant positioning aid, available from International Biomedical, naturally rounds the shoulders and improves hand-to-mouth coordination and head and trunk alignment in infants on the NICU. Its comfortable hourglass shape comes in four sizes to accommodate premature to full-term infants by helping them remain in the proper prone position and aiding in ventral support.

The memory foam elevates the infant’s upper body to promote flexion without placing excessive pressure on the knees and elbows. It is specifically designed to provide support for infants during critical medical procedures, ensuring comfort and safety in the NICU.