There was a 2020 study about NICU octopus toys, which we haven’t found a good summary for, so we’re posting the summary here, to help more people become aware of the benefits for babies in or outside of the NICU.
The study titled “Crochet Octopus in The Process of Heel Lance in Neonates” was a randomized controlled trial conducted by Marmara University. The primary aim was to determine the effect of using a crochet octopus to reduce acute pain experienced by neonates during the heel lance procedure1.
The study was conducted between May 2020 and August 2020 and included 100 term neonates born during this period at a training and research hospital. The neonates were split into two groups: an experimental group and a control group. Each group consisted of 50 neonates. The experimental group was given a crochet octopus 10 minutes before the heel lance procedure and allowed to touch the octopus for 10 minutes after the procedure. The control group underwent the heel lance procedure without any interventions. The Neonatal-Infant Pain Scale (NIPS), Newborn Identification Form, and an Observation Form were used for data collection, and the entire process was video-recorded1.
The secondary outcome of the study was the duration of crying, which was counted before, during, and after the heel lance procedure for both groups. According to the study results, neonates who were given the crochet octopus showed less crying before, during, and after the procedure compared to the control group. Specifically, before the procedure, the median duration of crying was zero seconds for the experimental group and 10 seconds for the control group. During the procedure, the median duration of crying was 55 seconds for the experimental group and 60.5 seconds for the control group. Two minutes after the procedure, the median duration of crying was zero seconds for the experimental group and 33 seconds for the control group. Ten minutes after the procedure, the median duration of crying was zero seconds for both groups2.
The study reported no adverse events related to the heel lance procedure or the use of the crochet octopus2.