Now I've heard everything! Personally, I believe that a mother singing to her baby is the ideal way to soothe and comfort, especially a healthy newborn. But what about the preemies who must spend hours away from Mom, tucked away in a cold, sterile, hospital neo-natal intensive care unit? What about these poor little babes?
Well, it appears that someone has put a lot of thought into that and has come up with the musical pacifier! One of the serious problems of preemies is their inability to suck strongly enough to get the nurtrition they need. Preemies are, by definition, underweight and underdeveloped. They need to gain weight quickly so that their lungs can develop and they can breathe on their on.
Jane Standley, a music therapy professor at FSU has created a pacifier that actually plays music when the baby sucks on it and therefore reinforces the baby's desire to suck. Apparently, baby's have a natural appetite for music!
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