Tactile stimulation of the premature infant

A soft, light-weight, beige, stuffed toy was placed in direct body contact with stable, 30-34 wk gestation infants. Length of hospitalization, l activity level, length of time to return to birth weight, and parent visiting rate were recorded for the randomly assigned 10 experimental and 10 control infants. Contrary to predictions, significant differences were found in the length of hospitalization and weight gain, with the control group being discharged sooner and returning to birth weight faster. No significant differences occurred in the parent visiting rate, and only minimal positive results were seen in the activity level for the experimental group. The disproportionate number of younger, smaller, sicker infants in the experimental group was believed to be a reason for these unexpected results