The renowned German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung brought an article on soothing octopuses for premies on April 7, 2018. The reporter had contacted the Sana clinic in Offenbach, Germany, and invited Hanna Wagner, who is behind the initiative of the Adventist church in Mühlheim/Main, to present the project. Nurses and the doctor in charge of the ward also explained the effect of the octopuses on the development of the babies.
Premature babies depend on all kinds of apparatus and tubes for survival. With their little hands they play with the tubes and often pull them out. That is why the nurses now give them crocheted octopuses in their incubators. They can play with the tentacles and cuddle with the soft head. The idea was developed by a nurse in Denmark.
Premature babies often have unregulated breathing and simply forget to breathe. The octopuses have a soothing influence. The tentacles of the crocheted octopus remind the baby of the umbilical cord and comfort him.
For hygienic reasons the toys have to be washable and there are special requirements for the material. Parents are asked for their permission before an octopus is placed in an incubator. But they have confirmed the soothing effect of the toy on their babies.
Octopuses for Premies
Soothing effect on Babies