Protocol to Support Skin-to-Skin Care and Closeness Between Parents and Neonates in the NICU

Skin-to-skin care (SSC) is essential, can help to prevent separation of parents and the neonate in the NICU, and should be a standard practice. It can safely be integrated into the routine care of preterm neonates, those who require surgery, and those who require all levels of intensive care. Years of experience with the provision of SSC in our NICU influenced our approach to care and resulted in practice guidelines for the safe provision of SSC. In this article, we present our clinical practical guidelines that support SSC and closeness between parents and the neonate to ensure the use of these practices for all neonates in the NICU.