Alt text on BCH Logo
deep dive

Kangaroo Care for Babies with CHDs

Ages 0 - 12 Months

Sick babies often face stressful experiences, especially if they are in the hospital. Kangaroo care can help them to feel calmer, to bond with their caregivers, and to make more progress in their development. Here are some tips for how parents and professionals can practice kangaroo care with babies, both at home and in the hospital.

1 min read
Share:

What is kangaroo care?

"Kangaroo care" is when a baby's caregivers provide skin-to-skin contact while taking care of the baby. It is a powerful intervention, and can help the baby to feel safe and relaxed, and to heal both physically and emotionally.

Caregivers have many options for types of kangaroo care that they can adapt to the needs of almost any baby. Keep reading to learn how to use kangaroo care with your child or patient.

How does kangaroo care help?

Kangaroo care can help babies and their families in many ways, including:

  • regulating the baby's body functions

  • lowering the baby's and caregiver's stress

  • promoting parent/child bonding and secure attachment

  • encouraging healthy brain and body development

  • relieving discomfort and distress

  • supporting more and better sleep

  • increasing milk production

Direct kangaroo care

Caregivers can safely use direct kangaroo care with most babies. Direct kangaroo care means caregivers undress the baby, and place the baby on the bare skin of their chest.

Depending on the preferences and needs of an individual baby, caregivers can do direct kangaroo care sitting up, leaning back, or lying down. Caregivers should always remain awake and alert when holding a baby.

Indirect kangaroo care

Some babies are too fragile for direct kangaroo care. For these babies, caregivers can use a hand hug, which provides a lot of the same benefits as holding. In order to a hand hug, caregivers can:

  • gently place one hand on the baby's head

  • gently place the other hand cupping the baby's feet

In most cases, caregivers can touch the baby's skin with the skin of their hand when giving a hand hug.

The critical role of family

Kangaroo care is a powerful intervention because it helps babies to feel safe and connected with the most important people in their life: their parents. Even when a baby lives in the hospital, parents are critical to the baby's care and well-being, and hospital staff can never replace a parent's role. Kangaroo care is just one way parents can help their babies. Families can talk with their care teams about other ways they can take care of their babies and promote learning and development.

This content was reviewed by a psychologist at Boston Children's Hospital.

Developmental care is best when it is local. Families local to Boston can receive care from the Cardiac Neurodevelopmental Program. Families from other regions can use the link below to find their closest program.

Broge, M. J., Steurer, L. M., & Ercole, P. M. (2021). The feasibility of kangaroo care and the effect on maternal attachment for neonates in a pediatric cardiac intensive care unit. Advances in Neonatal Care, 21(3), E52-E59.https://journals.lww.com/advancesinneonatalcare/abstract/2021/06000/the_feasibility_of_kangaroo_care_and_the_effect_on.15.aspx
Cooper, L., Morrill, A., Russell, R. B., Gooding, J. S., Miller, L., & Berns, S. D. (2014). Close to me: enhancing kangaroo care practice for NICU staff and parents. Advances in Neonatal Care, 14(6), 410-423.https://journals.lww.com/advancesinneonatalcare/abstract/2014/12000/close_to_me__enhancing_kangaroo_care_practice_for.10.aspx
Dodd, V. L. (2005). Implications of kangaroo care for growth and development in preterm infants. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, & Neonatal Nursing, 34(2), 218-232.https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0884217505274698
Lisanti, A. J., Buoni, A., Steigerwalt, M., Daly, M., McNelis, S., & Spatz, D. L. (2020). Kangaroo care for hospitalized infants with congenital heart disease. MCN: The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing, 45(3), 163-168.https://journals.lww.com/mcnjournal/abstract/2020/05000/kangaroo_care_for_hospitalized_infants_with.5.aspx
Louis, K., & White, A. (2023). Impact of Kangaroo Care on Caregivers in the NICU: An Integrative Review. Pediatric Nursing, 49(4).https://openurl.ebsco.com/EPDB%3Agcd%3A2%3A3964098/detailv2?sid=ebsco%3Aplink%3Ascholar&id=ebsco%3Agcd%3A171809816&crl=c&link_origin=scholar.google.com
Rachwal, C., Smith-Parrish, M., Rofeberg, V., Graber, K., Smith-Freedman, D., Millman, M. S., ... & Butler, S. C. (2024). Simulation Training to Increase Holding of Fragile Infants in Cardiac Intensive Care Units. American Journal of Critical Care, 33(5), 338-346.https://aacnjournals.org/ajcconline/article-abstract/33/5/338/32526/Simulation-Training-to-Increase-Holding-of-Fragile?redirectedFrom=fulltext
Stadd, K., Diehl, B., Yenokyan, G., & Aucott, S. W. (2020). A kangaroo care pathway for NICU staff and families: the proof is in the pouch. Advances in Neonatal Care, 20(1), 14-24.https://journals.lww.com/advancesinneonatalcare/abstract/2020/02000/a_kangaroo_care_pathway_for_nicu_staff_and.3.aspx
Related Resources

Want to Learn More?

Look below for related resources, search resources by topic, or explore one of our custom guides.

Don't see what you're looking for? Let us know what you want to learn! We will try to add content to respond to your needs. Email CNPschedulingandquestions@childrens.harvard.edu

© 2025 All rights reserved